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Can the Grow initiative contribute to poverty reduction and community development through agribusiness? - A case study of the African Agricultural Development Company’s irrigated farming hub”, Ghana

Fransson, Sofie LU (2018) STVK12 20181
Department of Political Science
Abstract
The current debate concerning land acquisition for commercial agriculture is whether it can contribute to poverty reduction by developing communities through successful agribusiness, or whether it leads to dispossession of traditional land users. Thus, this research is a case study of the African Agricultural Development Company (AgDevCo) and their irrigated farming hub in Babator, Ghana. It will examine how AgDevCo’s privatization of land affects the livelihood of traditional land users and what implications this has on gender. This will be analyzed through Harvey’s theory of accumulation by dispossession (ABD), together with Hartsock’s notion of social reproduction, to examine the micro-politics of the relevant processes. My findings... (More)
The current debate concerning land acquisition for commercial agriculture is whether it can contribute to poverty reduction by developing communities through successful agribusiness, or whether it leads to dispossession of traditional land users. Thus, this research is a case study of the African Agricultural Development Company (AgDevCo) and their irrigated farming hub in Babator, Ghana. It will examine how AgDevCo’s privatization of land affects the livelihood of traditional land users and what implications this has on gender. This will be analyzed through Harvey’s theory of accumulation by dispossession (ABD), together with Hartsock’s notion of social reproduction, to examine the micro-politics of the relevant processes. My findings demonstrate that privatization of land has led to a continuum of events that interconnect with suppression of the commons, alternative forms of production, the commodification of labor power, and gender relations. This has led to the loss of income-generating activities and thereby reduced income, destruction of the traditional farming system, and food insecurity. Furthermore, community members have become ‘property-less proletarians’ and integrated into the capitalist system. This has affected women more since they are subject to social reproduction to a greater extent than men, and land transactions are thereby gendered. (Less)
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author
Fransson, Sofie LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK12 20181
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Grow, land grabbing, accumulation by dispossession, developing countries, Ghana
language
English
id
8956462
date added to LUP
2018-08-24 11:07:19
date last changed
2018-08-24 11:07:19
@misc{8956462,
  abstract     = {{The current debate concerning land acquisition for commercial agriculture is whether it can contribute to poverty reduction by developing communities through successful agribusiness, or whether it leads to dispossession of traditional land users. Thus, this research is a case study of the African Agricultural Development Company (AgDevCo) and their irrigated farming hub in Babator, Ghana. It will examine how AgDevCo’s privatization of land affects the livelihood of traditional land users and what implications this has on gender. This will be analyzed through Harvey’s theory of accumulation by dispossession (ABD), together with Hartsock’s notion of social reproduction, to examine the micro-politics of the relevant processes. My findings demonstrate that privatization of land has led to a continuum of events that interconnect with suppression of the commons, alternative forms of production, the commodification of labor power, and gender relations. This has led to the loss of income-generating activities and thereby reduced income, destruction of the traditional farming system, and food insecurity. Furthermore, community members have become ‘property-less proletarians’ and integrated into the capitalist system. This has affected women more since they are subject to social reproduction to a greater extent than men, and land transactions are thereby gendered.}},
  author       = {{Fransson, Sofie}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Can the Grow initiative contribute to poverty reduction and community development through agribusiness? - A case study of the African Agricultural Development Company’s irrigated farming hub”, Ghana}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}