Kumasi, with a population of one million, is the second city of Ghana and the capital of the Ashanti Region. The city is growing rapidly both in area and population. This is affecting the natural environment and the livelihoods of the people living in rural areas around the city.

The peri-urban interface (PUI) is the space between the city and rural areas. Here people’s livelihoods are under constant pressure from urban growth. Growing crops is a major activity, but is under threat as the city spreads and land is taken for building and industry. But urbanisation also presents new opportunities for people living within the PUI. They can engage in petty trading and wage labour or cultivate higher value crops to supply the urban demand. They also have access to services and infrastructure.

A report from the Development Planning Unit, University College London, presents findings from a three-year livelihood research project implemented by the Centre for Development of People in Ghana. The project supported a range of activities identified through a participatory planning process in 12 peri-urban communities.

Information, training, organisational assistance and credit were provided to individuals and groups so they could begin or expand alternative farming, non-farm natural resource based production and marketing. The report examines two activities: farming and trading. Farming, because it is most threatened by urbanisation, and trading because it was the most widely adopted activity within the project.

The researchers found that:

• People involved in farming and trading reported more positive changes in terms of increased income.
• Exposure to new technology and more spare time were identified as benefits by those who adopted non-farm natural resource based activities.
• Those who did not adopt new livelihood activities identified the injection of capital into their existing activities as a benefit.

The findings offer several useful lessons for policy-makers and development practitioners. Peri-urban livelihoods have distinct features that must be taken into consideration in pro-poor policy design and implementation.

Policy implications include:

• Livelihood activities introduced within the PUI must be relevant to the particular location: trading is better suited to more urbanised communities, whilst farming is better suited to rural areas.
• Poor families need regular income and, if activities with long development periods are adopted, the cash flow problems this creates must be addressed.
• Vegetable production can generate income for poor families, as vegetables can be grown intensively on smaller plots of land and have a short production cycle.
• It is important to consider the role of gender in determining people’s participation. Trading is associated with women in Ghana, so few men chose it. Men were more likely to take up activities requiring new skills and knowledge.
• Urbanisation can bring new opportunities, and people within the PUI can benefit if provided with access to information, finance and practical support.

Source(s):
‘Additional Knowledge of Livelihoods in the Kumasi peri-urban interface, Ashanti Region, Ghana’, Development Planning Unit, University College London, by Edlam Aberra and Rudith King, September 2005. Full document.

Funded by: UK Department for International Development.

id21 Research Highlight: 08 November 2006

Further Information:
Edlam Aberra
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
P.O.Box 30030
GPO Nairobi 00100, Kenya

Tel: +254 20 7625019
Fax: + 254 20 7624790
Contact the contributor: edlamaberra@hotmail.com  or  rudithk@yahoo.com

United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT

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