Poverty Dimensions of Public Governance and Forest Management ...

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" The ecotone between semi-deciduous forest and forest-savanna mosaics has seen
considerable transformation of cropping systems in recent years, particularly since the 1983
bush fire. Cocoa (dominant in the 1960s) has since been replaced by maize and vegetables;
maize is, however, also characteristic of the savanna mosaics which have long existed in the
same area.
The processes resulting in the historical formation of the savanna mosaics and the present
transformation of moist semi-deciduous forest into grassland-dominated areas are uncertain. It is
not clear to what extent farming systems have altered the environment, and the extent to which a
drier climate phase or even global climate change has impacted on the forest ecotone. More
information is required on the similarities and differences in farming practices between former
forest settlements in which cocoa was cultivated and which have now been transformed into
maize, cassava and vegetable cropping areas, and the maize cropping areas in the savanna mosaic
areas. Little is known either about the dynamics and long-term sustainability of maize cultivation
within these two areas.
Farming systems in Brong Ahafo are also competitive, seeking to establish a production niche in
which they have a comparative advantage (or less of a disadvantage) on the market. The need to
stay competitive has been intensified by structural adjustment, removal of subsidies and
competition with cheap imports of food crops. All this has led to erosion of prices. The incomes
of urban people have also been depressed as a result of devaluation, unemployment, etc., and this
has intensified the purchasing power constraint. When they fail to establish a comparative
advantage, farmers respond by experimenting with new crops and shifting to new farming
strategies.
4.1.18 Agricultural research
Surprisingly little research exists on the different niches that farmers occupy and the factors that
define the boundaries between different farming systems. These factors tend to be overlooked by
mainstream agricultural research when it lumps together different farming systems in allembracing
categories, juxtaposing ‘traditional agriculture’ with ‘agricultural modernisation’.
Localised farming systems need to be understood in their relationship to regional systems and the
ways in which they accommodate or adapt to features of agricultural modernisation.
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