Chieftaincy Conflicts and Food and Livestock Production Challenges: An Examination of the Situation in Bimbilla, Ghana.

Abstract

Violent conflicts of all forms have undermined the livelihood of people in conflict prone communities across the globe, especially, those who depend on food crop and animal farming. This paper examines how violent chieftaincy conflicts affect agriculture production in Ghana by using Bimbilla, an agrarian community which has experienced periodic chieftaincy conflicts as a case study. Using a qualitative case study design, quota sampling technique was employed in selecting 75 indigenes comprising 38 food crop farmers, 21 livestock farmers, and 16 mixed farmers (both food crop and livestock farmers) in addition to eight key informants bringing the total sample size to 82. Data were gathered through interviews and questionnaire administration. The paper found that the chieftaincy conflicts and their attendant insecurity have contributed to the reduction in food crop and livestock production in the study community through; the killing of farmers, destruction of farms, abandonment of farms and farm produce, and restriction of livestock movement. The paper recommends that the government of Ghana and NGOs working in conflict and development, should provide farmer victims with food aid and food subsidies, and agro inputs and services to meet their immediate and medium-term livelihood needs. Besides, periodic education and sensitization on the use of non-violent strategies in responding to conflicts should be organized by the National Commission for Civic Education and the Bimbilla District Assembly supported by the central government to drum home the need for peace in Bimbilla.