expanding trade, expanding deserts in
ghana
george awudi bright, friends of the
earth ghana
In Ghana , over 35% of the total land
area is suffering from desertification.
While Ghanaians are battling with existing
desert conditions in the northern parts of
the country, trade liberalization is
generating new problems in the middle or
forest savannah zone.
The forest savannah is a transitional
zone, located between the borders of the
northern savannah grassland and the rich
southern forest belt. It is a critical
buffer zone, protecting the forested south
from desertification from the north. It is
also richly endowed with biological
diversity: a wide variety of birds,
wildlife and plant species live in the
forest savannah. Many of these species have
biological and medicinal importance, and
local people rely upon and manage them for
their livelihoods.
water for life and livelihoods
This zone also holds important
watersheds for the major rivers and their
tributaries that flow through the country,
meeting the water needs of the majority of
Ghanaians and providing fish. The zone's
highly productive soils support a wide
range of food and cash crops, and a large
proportion of the country's timber and
cocoa - major sources of foreign income for
Ghana – also come from this area. In short,
the forest savannah is the nation's food
basket and a guarantee of food
security.
However, as a result of trade
liberalization, the cultivation and export
of certain crops (previously grown mainly
for local consumption) has been prioritized
in certain critical ecological zones. No
one can dispute the fact that expanded
agricultural cultivation and the
diversification of exports could bring much
needed economic benefits to a developing
country like Ghana . However, this cannot
be achieved at the expense of Ghana 's
fragile ecosystems and future
generations.
yam farming for export
Yam farming, particularly in the
districts of Krachi and Nkwanta, is
particularly problematic. These areas have
undergone large-scale conversion of forest
lands to make way for yam cultivation,
creating intense pressure on natural
resources. In addition, preparing land for
yam cultivation involves cutting and
burning vegetation cover and removing tree
roots (to make way for mounds and to allow
tender yam roots to grow without
obstruction). In such a delicate and
fragile ecosystem, forest clearance, land
degradation and intensive cultivation are a
recipe for biodiversity loss, further
desertification and food insecurity.
Ultimately, the livelihoods of the poorest
Ghanaians are threatened, rather than
enhanced, by the increasing international
trade in yams.
Loss of medicinal plants is also a
problem. In the words of Dr. Ayikue Torkpo,
a regional herbal medicine practitioner and
expert, the medicinal plants found in the
forest savannah zone are amongst the most
potent anywhere. He believes that the loss
of herbs and wildlife through land
degradation poses a significant threat to
the health of local people.
Friends of the Earth Ghana fears that
trade liberalization threatens productive
but fragile ecosystems and drylands in
Ghana and the rest of Africa. In the near
future, all of the world's remaining
drylands may be transformed into desert
lands.
