The Dilemma of the Peasant: Macroeconomic Squeeze and Internal Contradictions in Northern Ghana

Abstract

The article assesses the emerging dilemmas and contradictions in three villages in Northern Ghana resulting from contemporary changes in the rural
landscape. An analysis of the sources of these changes and their manifestations in the sphere of production and exchange is carried out. A
combination of qualitative and quantitative data from field studies is used.
It is argued that changes in peasant societies have resulted in interwoven
multiple social, political and economic problems. Peasants in northern Ghana struggle with the new macroeconomic situation characterised by rising
costs of production, tough international competition and limited opportunities for domestic marketing. They also have to deal with social systems
which are gradually being altered by the commercialised norms developing
in the peasant landscape, thereby generating internal contradictions. These
dilemmas are translated into asymmetrical patterns of food in/security for
various groups with different income generating activities and levels of influence over resources.