Households’ Response Strategies to Rubber Land Deal Shocks in the Ahanta West District, Ghana
Sustainability of food crop production depends on secure land tenure arrangements. Yet, food crop farmers in many developing countries face various land deals and land grabbing that often deprive them of their sources of livelihoods. One source of land deal shocks in the Ahanta West district of Ghana is the massive production of Para rubber. This study examined food crop farmers’ perceptions of rubber land deal shocks and the corresponding response strategies used to cope and adapt in the Ahanta West district of Western region. The survey found a total of nine (9) key response strategies, with participation in off-farm activities being the most dominant, while seasonal migration was the least used coping measure. A multivariate probit model was used to analyze the factors determining the choice of response strategies. The findings indicate that households’ perceptions, household size, farm size, distance to nearby community market, years of rubber ownership, age, sex, years of education, land source and land tenure are significant determinants of various response strategies adopted.
