This thesis examined the changes in land use in the Akwapim South District where agriculture has undergone significant changes since the 1930s when cocoa farms were destroyed as a result of the invasion of swollen shoot disease. The methodological approach explored Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as tools for investigating the phenomenon. Aerial photographs of 1972n 4 and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite images of 1985 and 1991 supported the analysis of ch...
ABSTRACT The study examined the accessibility and other socio-economic forces that influence the utilization o f primary health care services in the rural parts o f the Greater Accra Region o f Ghana. Three administrative districts, Ga, Dangme West and Dangme East, were selected for study. Both qualitative and quantitative data were used. Questionnaire and interview schedules reinforced by focus group discussions and observations, were the main research instruments. Descriptive and multivaria...
ABSTRACT Changes in climate introduce numerous uncertainties to the livelihoods of farming communities that rely on the weather and climate. Climate change impacts are being felt in Ghana, most especially in the savanna zones, due in part to the geographical conditions of the location affecting both human and physical resources. This study assessed female and male adaptation strategies to climate change and its effects on their livelihoods in six communities in the Tolon District of the North...
ABSTRACT Access to safe, adequate water and sanitation has been a global developmental priority due to their intrinsic impacts on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Despite the implementation of several measures to improve upon access to safe water and sanitation, residents of Ashaiman still struggle daily to acquire water and have access to sanitation facilities. The research was conducted in four selected communities in the Ashaiman Municipality namely: Adakodzi, Amu...
ABSTRACT Mangroves are among the most degraded ecosystems in the World. This study focused on assessment of the status of mangroves and their degradation in Rufiji Delta. It was guided by the following objectives: to determine the types of use of mangrove resources in Rufiji Delta, estimate the extent of mangroves cover degradation, identify the factors causing mangrove resources degradation and investigate coping strategies of local communities for management of mangrove resources in the stu...
ABSTRACT The study sought to identify changes that home-based enterprises have undergone in Ga Mashie, an urban community in Accra. The research further explored the gender dimensions as well as the benefits and challenges of home-based enterprises in the study area. In all 200 questionnaires, 24 in-depth interviews, 3 focus group discussions and personal observations were used to collect the data for analysis. The study revealed that there have been significant changes in home-based enterp...
ABSTRACT The study assessed the outgrower model as a tool for agricultural modernization in Ghana. It further attempts to examine the effects of agricultural modernization on output, and identify the livelihood outcomes of the model on the farmers involved in the scheme as well as their communities. Over the years, the impacts of the outgrower schemes on integrating smallholder farmers into the agro processing continuum has been a subject of argument between two main schools of thought. One s...
ABSTRACT Ghana, like most developing countries is undergoing rapid urbanization. This rapid increase in the urban population has exerted severe pressure on most cities‟ limited infrastructure, the consequence of which includes the mushrooming of informal and slum communities. In the main, most dwellers in these settlements have become vulnerable to a wide range of disaster risks particularly fire hazards largely because of the poorly constructed makeshift dwellings. The study was concerned ...
ABSTRACT The development of unauthorized structures has become one of the threatening problems associated with urbanization in developing countries. Multiple factors including institutional, socio-economic, political, physical and cultural contribute to this situation. The most dominant factor to deal with is institutional challenges which included the undue delays in the issuing of building permits, inability of the mandated institutions to effectively monitor and control on-going projects...
ABSTRACT It is known that forest degradation affects NTFPs thus dependants on such forest resources. To ascertain this claim, the study was designed to examine the effect of land cover change on selected non-timber forest products from different land use types in the moist semi-deciduous forest and their likely effects on livelihoods in the northern part of the Birim Central Municipality. Employing the cross-sectional approach, remote sensing/GIS, questionnaires and semi-structured inter...
ABSTRACT Fresh water especially from domestic consumption is a crucial resource for life sustenance on earth.
ABSTRACT E-waste management, a subcomponent of e-scrap management, has become a major global environmental issue. Studies conducted in Ghana have shown that e-waste management is a major livelihood for mostly underprivileged migrant male urban dwellers. However, none of these studies have examined the gender dynamics of ewaste management. This study therefore employs gender and development (GAD) analytical framework, through a mixed research approach to investigate the gender dynamics of e-...
ABSTRACT Flooding is by far the most destructive type of weather conditions that strikes humans and their livelihoods around the world. Smallholder farmers in rural communities are predominantly dependent on rain-fed agriculture which exposes them to the vagaries of floods. Flood extremes have become more unpredictable and smallholder farmers are more vulnerable to them as a result of their limited adaptive capacity. Local level assessment of flood vulnerability is thus necessary in order to ...
ABSTRACT Motorcyclists’ injuries and fatalities are a major recent public health concern in many developing countries, including Ghana. In Ghana, motorcycle for commercial purposes (known as Okada) is a recent development but one of the fastest transportation mode especially in the urban areas. This study focused on the perception of risk and its implications on the operations of motor taxi (Okada) in the Greater Accra region. Specifically, the study was designed to evaluate the risk pe...
ABSTRACT Road traffic congestion is a global phenomenon that bedevils the cities of the world.