Joint seminar by Dr. Enoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum and Dr. Lawrence Kwabena Brobbey (KNUST)

Abstract

Forest management in Ghana has, over the last four decades, evolved from predominantly a coercive approach to collaborative alternatives. Whereas several studies have scrutinized how national policy changes and international developments collectively influence this change, the subjects created by the transition remain an open question.

Drawing on the governmentality theory, the paper distinguishes between various subjectivities that enable effective forest management from two collaborative forest management innovations in Ghana, the modified taungya system and community forest monitoring.

Data were collected through from focus groups and key informant interviews with different communities and actors around the country's Krokosua Hills Forest Reserve (KHFR). We chose the KHFR because it is a globally significant biodiversity area and a designated hotspot intervention area that diverse stakeholders aim to manage effectively.

Our analysis extends the literature on governmentality temporally, demonstrating how environmental subjects in the case study localities change over time. The emergence of subject such as green advocates, and "environpreneurs" illustrates a shift towards polycentric forest governance in Ghana.

While the expansion of the forest-actor base in the country is encouraging, decision-making is considerably driven by external experts and their imaginaries rather than contextualized knowledge and experiences.

This leads to polarized power differentials between external actors and forest-fringe communities that do not bode well for achieving equitable land use in the countryside. Policymakers are encouraged to consider affirmative action and provide more space for local actors living and dying for food to influence collaborative forestry reforms in contrast to external actors and priorities.

Biography

Dr. Lawrence Kwabena Brobbey is a Lecturer at the Department of Silviculture and Forest Management of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, in Ghana. Lawrence has a double PhD from the KNUST and the University of Copenhagen.

His research spans from natural resources tenure and access; rural livelihoods; adaptation to climate change; and public policy.

He did a post-doc under a DANIDA funded project, “Access-Authority Nexus in the Farmer-Herder Conflicts in Ghana”. The project investigated the dynamic processes of formation and erosion of access, identities and authority in spatial and historical perspectives.

Abstract

The rationale behind the study stems from the need to address gaps in current extension services, such as limited outreach, insufficient technical support, and untimely information, which affect cocoa farmers' productivity.

Farmers in the municipality may be willing to invest in improved services if these address specific needs like input supply, disease control, and farm management, but their willingness to pay remains unclear.

The outcome of the study is crucial for designing sustainable extension services, especially given limited public funding from the Ghana Cocoa Board. It could inform policymakers on financial mechanisms that enable farmers to afford these services through cost-sharing, subsidies, or flexible payment plans.

Biography

Dr. Enoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum is a Lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, and Extension, KNUST-Kumasi, Ghana.

He holds a BSc in Agriculture from KNUST-Ghana, an MPhil in Agricultural Extension from the University of Ghana, a Master of Divinity from Trinity Theological Seminary-Ghana, and a PhD in Agricultural Extension from the University of Cape Coast-Ghana.

He is currently pursuing an MA in International Development Studies and MA Communication Studies at the Presbyterian University, Ghana and Christian Service University respectively.

His research interests include agricultural extension and education, rural development, development communication, gender studies, and the management of organisations.