Gender Related Issues and Ecosystem Service Utilization Within the Volta Basin: Field Level Qualitative Experiences

Abujaja Afishata Mohammed

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13

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Gender Related Issues and Ecosystem Service Utilization Within the Volta Basin: Field Level Qualitative Experiences

Abujaja Afishata Mohammed

Published in International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 1)

Received: 19 January 2023 Accepted: 9 February 2023 Published: 21 February 2023

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Abstract

Ecosystem services are considered as essential factors to determine the quality of the wellbeing of populations. This research paper focuses on establishing the contributions of ecosystem services in ensuring food security and its subsequent impact on the socio-economic wellbeing of both men and women within the Volta Basin and what accounts for unequal access to ecosystem services by men and women. It also identifies the socio-cultural issues on ecosystem utilization within the given area. The approach employed for the gathering of data for this study was multi-disciplinary and local knowledge centered. Focus Group Discussions, household surveys, stakeholder consultative meetings, seminars and workshops and biophysical observations were the methods and tools employed in obtaining the needed data. Communities selected within the Volta Basin comprised Bawku West (Kokori through Aring to Binaba), Namdan District (from Sakote through Pelungu to Damolgo), Jirapa District (from Tuggo through Konzokala to Wulling) and Lawra District (from Dasuuri through Eramon Tangzu to Bompari). Findings from the study revealed that communities within the area of study relied on natural and human modified ecosystems to sustain and maintain human lives. The findings however established that traditional laws often provided land for women, wives, and widows through means other than, for instance, equal land shares on inheritance. Systemic gender biases existed in the form of customs, beliefs, attitudes and laws that confined women to cultivating some type of crops within the study communities. Also, most communities have lost their livestock as a result of theft and some farm fields have been destroyed by cattle grazing, making it difficult to access organic manure for farming resulting in the use of chemical fertilizer. Therefore, to ensure positive contribution of the ecosystems to food security, the study recommends that government should create regulations that strengthen tenure security in the majority of the studied locations. Also, efforts should be made to document and publicize benefits of gender inclusion in ecosystem service utilization. Studies should also be conducted on human attitudes and perceptions regarding ecosystem services as a tool for understanding the complex problems associated with environmental change in the context of cultural landscapes. Promote joint planning and consensus building with Fulani, farmers, decision makers and livestock owners to help solve the issue on livestock theft and over grazing.

Published in	International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13
Page(s)	12-16
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Gender, Ecosystem, Volta Basin, Field Level Qualitative Experiences

References

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[5]	Glazebrook, T., Samantha, N., Opoku, E. (2020). Climate Change, Gender Bias, and Women Farming in the Global South North. License MDPI, Basel Switzerland.
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[10]	Laura, T., Wael, Z. (2019). 7 Reasons for Land and Property Rights to be at the Top of the Global Agenda. Accessed from https://blogs.worldbank.org>voices>7reasons-land-a.
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[17]	Slavchevska, V., Kaaria, S. & Taivalmaa, S. L. (2019). The Feminization of Agriculture. The Oxford Handbook of Food, Water and Society.
[18]	United States Agency for International Development [USAID] (2006). Role of Property Rights in Natural Resource Management, Good Governance and Empowerment of the Rural Poor, ARD, Inc. Bank Street, Burlington.
[19]	Wallerstein, N. (1992). Powerlessness, Empowerment and Health: Implications for Health Promotion Programs. American Journal of Health Promotion. Vol 6, 197-205.
[20]	Wiesner-Hanks, M. E. (2022). Gender in History: Global Perspective. 3rd Edition. John Wiley & Sons Inc. River Street, Hoboken, USA.

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APA Style

Abujaja Afishata Mohammed. (2023). Gender Related Issues and Ecosystem Service Utilization Within the Volta Basin: Field Level Qualitative Experiences. International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences, 9(1), 12-16. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13

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ACS Style

Abujaja Afishata Mohammed. Gender Related Issues and Ecosystem Service Utilization Within the Volta Basin: Field Level Qualitative Experiences. Int. J. Appl. Agric. Sci. 2023, 9(1), 12-16. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13

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AMA Style

Abujaja Afishata Mohammed. Gender Related Issues and Ecosystem Service Utilization Within the Volta Basin: Field Level Qualitative Experiences. Int J Appl Agric Sci. 2023;9(1):12-16. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13,
  author = {Abujaja Afishata Mohammed},
  title = {Gender Related Issues and Ecosystem Service Utilization Within the Volta Basin: Field Level Qualitative Experiences},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences},
  volume = {9},
  number = {1},
  pages = {12-16},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijaas.20230901.13},
  abstract = {Ecosystem services are considered as essential factors to determine the quality of the wellbeing of populations. This research paper focuses on establishing the contributions of ecosystem services in ensuring food security and its subsequent impact on the socio-economic wellbeing of both men and women within the Volta Basin and what accounts for unequal access to ecosystem services by men and women. It also identifies the socio-cultural issues on ecosystem utilization within the given area. The approach employed for the gathering of data for this study was multi-disciplinary and local knowledge centered. Focus Group Discussions, household surveys, stakeholder consultative meetings, seminars and workshops and biophysical observations were the methods and tools employed in obtaining the needed data. Communities selected within the Volta Basin comprised Bawku West (Kokori through Aring to Binaba), Namdan District (from Sakote through Pelungu to Damolgo), Jirapa District (from Tuggo through Konzokala to Wulling) and Lawra District (from Dasuuri through Eramon Tangzu to Bompari). Findings from the study revealed that communities within the area of study relied on natural and human modified ecosystems to sustain and maintain human lives. The findings however established that traditional laws often provided land for women, wives, and widows through means other than, for instance, equal land shares on inheritance. Systemic gender biases existed in the form of customs, beliefs, attitudes and laws that confined women to cultivating some type of crops within the study communities. Also, most communities have lost their livestock as a result of theft and some farm fields have been destroyed by cattle grazing, making it difficult to access organic manure for farming resulting in the use of chemical fertilizer. Therefore, to ensure positive contribution of the ecosystems to food security, the study recommends that government should create regulations that strengthen tenure security in the majority of the studied locations. Also, efforts should be made to document and publicize benefits of gender inclusion in ecosystem service utilization. Studies should also be conducted on human attitudes and perceptions regarding ecosystem services as a tool for understanding the complex problems associated with environmental change in the context of cultural landscapes. Promote joint planning and consensus building with Fulani, farmers, decision makers and livestock owners to help solve the issue on livestock theft and over grazing.},
 year = {2023}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Gender Related Issues and Ecosystem Service Utilization Within the Volta Basin: Field Level Qualitative Experiences
AU  - Abujaja Afishata Mohammed
Y1  - 2023/02/21
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13
T2  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
JF  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
JO  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
SP  - 12
EP  - 16
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2469-7885
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13
AB  - Ecosystem services are considered as essential factors to determine the quality of the wellbeing of populations. This research paper focuses on establishing the contributions of ecosystem services in ensuring food security and its subsequent impact on the socio-economic wellbeing of both men and women within the Volta Basin and what accounts for unequal access to ecosystem services by men and women. It also identifies the socio-cultural issues on ecosystem utilization within the given area. The approach employed for the gathering of data for this study was multi-disciplinary and local knowledge centered. Focus Group Discussions, household surveys, stakeholder consultative meetings, seminars and workshops and biophysical observations were the methods and tools employed in obtaining the needed data. Communities selected within the Volta Basin comprised Bawku West (Kokori through Aring to Binaba), Namdan District (from Sakote through Pelungu to Damolgo), Jirapa District (from Tuggo through Konzokala to Wulling) and Lawra District (from Dasuuri through Eramon Tangzu to Bompari). Findings from the study revealed that communities within the area of study relied on natural and human modified ecosystems to sustain and maintain human lives. The findings however established that traditional laws often provided land for women, wives, and widows through means other than, for instance, equal land shares on inheritance. Systemic gender biases existed in the form of customs, beliefs, attitudes and laws that confined women to cultivating some type of crops within the study communities. Also, most communities have lost their livestock as a result of theft and some farm fields have been destroyed by cattle grazing, making it difficult to access organic manure for farming resulting in the use of chemical fertilizer. Therefore, to ensure positive contribution of the ecosystems to food security, the study recommends that government should create regulations that strengthen tenure security in the majority of the studied locations. Also, efforts should be made to document and publicize benefits of gender inclusion in ecosystem service utilization. Studies should also be conducted on human attitudes and perceptions regarding ecosystem services as a tool for understanding the complex problems associated with environmental change in the context of cultural landscapes. Promote joint planning and consensus building with Fulani, farmers, decision makers and livestock owners to help solve the issue on livestock theft and over grazing.
VL  - 9
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Abujaja Afishata Mohammed

Department of Agricultural and Consumer Sciences Education, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Sciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana

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Abujaja Afishata Mohammed. (2023). Gender Related Issues and Ecosystem Service Utilization Within the Volta Basin: Field Level Qualitative Experiences. International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences, 9(1), 12-16. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13

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ACS Style

Abujaja Afishata Mohammed. Gender Related Issues and Ecosystem Service Utilization Within the Volta Basin: Field Level Qualitative Experiences. Int. J. Appl. Agric. Sci. 2023, 9(1), 12-16. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13

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AMA Style

Abujaja Afishata Mohammed. Gender Related Issues and Ecosystem Service Utilization Within the Volta Basin: Field Level Qualitative Experiences. Int J Appl Agric Sci. 2023;9(1):12-16. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13,
  author = {Abujaja Afishata Mohammed},
  title = {Gender Related Issues and Ecosystem Service Utilization Within the Volta Basin: Field Level Qualitative Experiences},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences},
  volume = {9},
  number = {1},
  pages = {12-16},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijaas.20230901.13},
  abstract = {Ecosystem services are considered as essential factors to determine the quality of the wellbeing of populations. This research paper focuses on establishing the contributions of ecosystem services in ensuring food security and its subsequent impact on the socio-economic wellbeing of both men and women within the Volta Basin and what accounts for unequal access to ecosystem services by men and women. It also identifies the socio-cultural issues on ecosystem utilization within the given area. The approach employed for the gathering of data for this study was multi-disciplinary and local knowledge centered. Focus Group Discussions, household surveys, stakeholder consultative meetings, seminars and workshops and biophysical observations were the methods and tools employed in obtaining the needed data. Communities selected within the Volta Basin comprised Bawku West (Kokori through Aring to Binaba), Namdan District (from Sakote through Pelungu to Damolgo), Jirapa District (from Tuggo through Konzokala to Wulling) and Lawra District (from Dasuuri through Eramon Tangzu to Bompari). Findings from the study revealed that communities within the area of study relied on natural and human modified ecosystems to sustain and maintain human lives. The findings however established that traditional laws often provided land for women, wives, and widows through means other than, for instance, equal land shares on inheritance. Systemic gender biases existed in the form of customs, beliefs, attitudes and laws that confined women to cultivating some type of crops within the study communities. Also, most communities have lost their livestock as a result of theft and some farm fields have been destroyed by cattle grazing, making it difficult to access organic manure for farming resulting in the use of chemical fertilizer. Therefore, to ensure positive contribution of the ecosystems to food security, the study recommends that government should create regulations that strengthen tenure security in the majority of the studied locations. Also, efforts should be made to document and publicize benefits of gender inclusion in ecosystem service utilization. Studies should also be conducted on human attitudes and perceptions regarding ecosystem services as a tool for understanding the complex problems associated with environmental change in the context of cultural landscapes. Promote joint planning and consensus building with Fulani, farmers, decision makers and livestock owners to help solve the issue on livestock theft and over grazing.},
 year = {2023}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Gender Related Issues and Ecosystem Service Utilization Within the Volta Basin: Field Level Qualitative Experiences
AU  - Abujaja Afishata Mohammed
Y1  - 2023/02/21
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13
T2  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
JF  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
JO  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
SP  - 12
EP  - 16
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2469-7885
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20230901.13
AB  - Ecosystem services are considered as essential factors to determine the quality of the wellbeing of populations. This research paper focuses on establishing the contributions of ecosystem services in ensuring food security and its subsequent impact on the socio-economic wellbeing of both men and women within the Volta Basin and what accounts for unequal access to ecosystem services by men and women. It also identifies the socio-cultural issues on ecosystem utilization within the given area. The approach employed for the gathering of data for this study was multi-disciplinary and local knowledge centered. Focus Group Discussions, household surveys, stakeholder consultative meetings, seminars and workshops and biophysical observations were the methods and tools employed in obtaining the needed data. Communities selected within the Volta Basin comprised Bawku West (Kokori through Aring to Binaba), Namdan District (from Sakote through Pelungu to Damolgo), Jirapa District (from Tuggo through Konzokala to Wulling) and Lawra District (from Dasuuri through Eramon Tangzu to Bompari). Findings from the study revealed that communities within the area of study relied on natural and human modified ecosystems to sustain and maintain human lives. The findings however established that traditional laws often provided land for women, wives, and widows through means other than, for instance, equal land shares on inheritance. Systemic gender biases existed in the form of customs, beliefs, attitudes and laws that confined women to cultivating some type of crops within the study communities. Also, most communities have lost their livestock as a result of theft and some farm fields have been destroyed by cattle grazing, making it difficult to access organic manure for farming resulting in the use of chemical fertilizer. Therefore, to ensure positive contribution of the ecosystems to food security, the study recommends that government should create regulations that strengthen tenure security in the majority of the studied locations. Also, efforts should be made to document and publicize benefits of gender inclusion in ecosystem service utilization. Studies should also be conducted on human attitudes and perceptions regarding ecosystem services as a tool for understanding the complex problems associated with environmental change in the context of cultural landscapes. Promote joint planning and consensus building with Fulani, farmers, decision makers and livestock owners to help solve the issue on livestock theft and over grazing.
VL  - 9
IS  - 1
ER  -

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