The study was conducted to assess the impact of Ghana's oil discovery on the land values, the extent of acquisition, and their implications of the land investment in the people, agriculture and the environment in the...The study was conducted to assess the impact of Ghana's oil discovery on the land values, the extent of acquisition, and their implications of the land investment in the people, agriculture and the environment in the Cape Three Points area, which is the communities close to the oil field. Questionnaires were designed and administered to collect data from the chiefs, queen mothers, family heads and opinion leaders of the area. Results of the studies indicated that there had been an increase of about 2000% in land values from 2007 to 2011. Also there was an increase in demand for lands in the Cape Three Points with acquisitions usually ranging from 10 acres to over 600 acres. It also emerged that the livelihood of the inhabitants of Cape Three Points was threatened due to the conversion of arable land to non-agriculture uses. This change in land uses has significant negative impacts on land degradation and its related reduction of agricultural and food production in the area. The technical difficulties of assessing land degradation, the weakness of existing databases, and the poorly explored linkages between land degradation and other aspects of rural development were some of the limitation of the studies. The study increased awareness of the chiefs and other land owners to reserve land for the future generation and for agriculture purposes. The study drew government's attention through the Ahanta West District Assembly to the planning needs of the towns in the Cape Three Points to streamline land use of the area.展开更多
文摘The study was conducted to assess the impact of Ghana's oil discovery on the land values, the extent of acquisition, and their implications of the land investment in the people, agriculture and the environment in the Cape Three Points area, which is the communities close to the oil field. Questionnaires were designed and administered to collect data from the chiefs, queen mothers, family heads and opinion leaders of the area. Results of the studies indicated that there had been an increase of about 2000% in land values from 2007 to 2011. Also there was an increase in demand for lands in the Cape Three Points with acquisitions usually ranging from 10 acres to over 600 acres. It also emerged that the livelihood of the inhabitants of Cape Three Points was threatened due to the conversion of arable land to non-agriculture uses. This change in land uses has significant negative impacts on land degradation and its related reduction of agricultural and food production in the area. The technical difficulties of assessing land degradation, the weakness of existing databases, and the poorly explored linkages between land degradation and other aspects of rural development were some of the limitation of the studies. The study increased awareness of the chiefs and other land owners to reserve land for the future generation and for agriculture purposes. The study drew government's attention through the Ahanta West District Assembly to the planning needs of the towns in the Cape Three Points to streamline land use of the area.