GOVERNING INTERESTS OF FULANI HERDSMEN AND PEASANT FARMERS IN NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE ASANTE AKIM NORTH DISTRICT OF GHANA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.310.2238Keywords:
Stakeholders, Interests, Fulani herdsmen, Peasant farmers, Natural resource, Governance, blame gameAbstract
This study examined the governance of interests of Fulani cattle herdsmen and peasant farmers in land, water and pastures of the Asante Akim North District of Ghana. Using stakeholder interviews with key officers of the Asante Akim North District Assembly (AANDA), senior officers of District Police Service, key persons in the Traditional Council, cattle owners and focus group discussion sessions with farmer groups and groups of herders, the study revealed that conflicting interests among stakeholders have led to violent conflicts between the herdsmen and peasant farmers. It is recommended that stakeholder governance should employ a platform that provides equal opportunity to herders and farmers to raise their concerns, negotiate and find a solution for peaceful coexistence as well as enforcement of the rule of law in the area.
References
Asare, A. (2000), Operational Guidelines on Community Forest (Management) Committees, ITTO/FSD Collaborative Off-Reserve Forest Management Project, Accra.
Asante Akim North District Assembly (AANDA) (2014), District Medium Term Development Plan, 2014-2017, AANDA, Agogo.
Baxter, P.T.W. and Hogg, R. (Eds.) (1990), Property, Poverty and People: Changing Rights in Property and Problems of Pastoral Development, University of Manchester, Department of Social Anthropology and International Development Centre, Manchester.
Blench, R. (2004), Natural Resource Conflict in North Central Nigeria: A Handbook, Mandaras Publishing Cambridge, London.
Bromley, D.W. (1991), Environment and Economy: Property Rights and Public Policy, Addison-Wesley, Boston.
http://www1.american.edu/ted/ICE/fulani.html (accessed 29 August 2015).
Hauck, J.; Saarikoski, H.; Turkelboom, F. and Keune, H. (2014), Stakeholder Analysis in Ecosystem Service Decision-Making and Research, available at www.openness-project.eu/library/reference-book (accessed 13 October 2015).
Homer-Dixon, T. F. (1999), Environment, Scarcity and Violence, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Kahl, H.C. (2006), States, Scarcity, and Civil Strife in the Developing World, Princeton University Press, New Jersey.
Lienert, J. (2011), Stakeholder Interests. Available at http://www.sswm.info/content/stakeholder-interests (accessed 14 March 2015).
Oppong, Y.P.A. (2002), Moving Through and Passing On: Fulani Mobility, Survival, and Identity in Ghana, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, N.J.
Ostrom, E. (1990), Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Ramsar Convention Secretariat (2010), Wise use of wetlands: Concepts and approaches for the wise use of wetlands: Ramsar handbooks for the wise use of wetlands (4th ed.), Vol. 1, Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Gland, Switzerland.
Reid, W.V., Mooney, H.A., Cropper, A., Capistrano, D., Carpenter, S.R., Chopra, K., Dasgupta, P., Dietz, T., Duraiappah, A. K., Hassan, R., Kasperson, R., Leemans, R., May, R. M., McMichael, A. J., Pingali, P., Samper, C., Scholes, R., Watson, R. T., Zakri, A. H., Shidong, Z., Ash, N. J., Bennett, E., Kumar, P., Lee, M. J., Raudsepp-Hearne, C., Simons, H., Thonell, J. and Zurek, M. B. (Eds.) (2005), Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis, Island Press, Washington.
United Nations Institute of Peace (USIP) (2007), Natural Resource, Conflict, and Conflict Resolution: A Study Guide Series on Peace and Conflict for Independent Learners and Classroom Instructors, USIP, Washington, D.C.
Waldron, J. (2004), Property and Ownership, Clarendon Press, Oxford.
