File photo of a peasant farmer
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), is calling on government to address cultural inequalities associated with access to productive farmlands for women.
Speaking on the Gender Watch Series on Class 91.3FMʼs 505 with Korku Lumor, President of PFAG, Charles Nyarba, indicated that certain cultural norms deny many women and young people equal access to productive farmlands.
“Majority of women and young people are deprived of the opportunity of doing long-term investments on lands because of certain cultural norms,” he said.
“These norms vary depending on where you are situated. Norms in the northern part of the country are different from those in the southern side.
“The issue of Skin land is even more serious because they are skewed towards men compared to women. I can inherit my parents' lands, but my sisters cannot. I can do long-term investments in my family lands compared to my sisters and my wife.
“If you look at it, there's no place for women, unless the woman has money. And even with that, she has to be accompanied by someone else before she'll be given a certain land to produce,” he explained.
He, therefore, called for greater sensitization to ensure women are given equal access to productive lands.
“We all need to understand that in terms of food production and economic activities, women play important roles and should not be discriminated upon,” he noted.
“We need to allow women equal access to productive lands compared to men because our observations indicate that such women perform far better than their male counterparts," he emphasized.
Ghana's customary land tenure system is built on patriarchy, with men owning more land than women, especially in rural communities.
The lands Act 2022, frowns upon discrimination associated with the acquisition of land based on gender, race, or ethnicity, yet women in rural areas find it challenging to access lands for agricultural purposes.
These and others are factors influencing gender-differentiated land rights in Ghana.