A Study on The Psychology of Land Use: The Case of Eastern Region of Ghana.

Abstract

The topic, a study on the psychology of land use; the case of Eastern Region of Ghana was chosen based upon an empirical starting point of over-exploitation of land and its resources which naturally support the rural economy of the country. The main objective of the study was to asses, the access to and use of land in the study areas. All things being equal, it can be assumed that where farmers have easy access to land on a more liberal tenure terms, they are more likely to farm or manage the land well than where land is acquired on a rigid tenure basis. Secured land tenure regimes offer the best opportunity for promoting sustainable land management in Ghana (Kasanga, 1994). In that same vein, the use of land, it must be stressed, is as important as the access to it. The study was also guided by the hypothesis that lack of secured tenurial arrangements leads to improper use of land in the study areas.
Four communities were randomly selected from the four zones in the study district. Forty respondents being farmers and individuals connected with land management were selected from each study community. The grand sample size for the study was one hundred and sixty. The sampling procedure for the study was the multi-stage sampling involving a three stage sampling procedures. Interviewing schedule was adopted as the data collection technique for the study. Based on the strength of the findings of the study. It was concluded that even though access to land was not a problem in the study area, the use of land was not in a sustainable manner. Reasons given by the farmers for the poor use of land in the study area were; lack of access to credit extension services and the adoption of out-dated farming techniques by the farmers.



It was recommended among other things therefore that bank loans or credits must be advanced to identifiable groups of farmers who would be individually and severally responsible for the loans. Land it has also been recommended should be used as collateral security to enable many farmers to access credit for farming activities.


IFE PsychologIA Vol 9, No 2 September 2001, pp. 113-126