Ghana stands at a critical turning point in agricultural development, UN experts warn

“Ghana has a robust human rights framework and has demonstrated genuine willingness to engage with its commitments,” the Working Group said in a statement issued at the end of the visit.

United Nations experts have warned that Ghana stands at a critical turning point in its agricultural development, cautioning that rapid moves toward mechanised and export-driven farming could deepen inequality and marginalise the country's small-holder farmers, artisanal fishers, pastoralists, and rural communities unless urgent protections are implemented.

The warning came from the UN Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas following an official visit to Ghana, where the experts assessed the country's progress in implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP).

While praising Ghana's legal reforms and human rights commitments, the experts said major gaps remain between policy promises and the daily realities facing rural populations who form the backbone of the country's food production system.

"Ghana has a robust human rights framework and has demonstrated genuine willingness to engage with its commitments," the Working Group said in a statement issued at the end of the visit.

However, the experts warned that despite legislative progress, small-scale producers continue to face entrenched poverty, exclusion, environmental threats, and insecurity.

"Small-holder farmers, artisanal fishers and pastoralists, who constitute the actual backbone of food production, continue to suffer from poverty and exclusion," the statement said.

Concerns Over Shift Toward Industrial Agriculture

The Working Group expressed particular concern over Ghana's increasing focus on mechanised, export-oriented agriculture, warning that current development strategies risk creating a deeply unequal "dual food system."

According to the experts, government-backed commercial agriculture models are increasingly benefiting large-scale agribusinesses while family-based farming systems are being pushed aside.

"The government's drive toward mechanised, export-oriented agriculture risks entrenching a dual food system," the experts warned.

"This model heavily serves large-scale, input-intensive commercial agriculture, while the family-based agrarian sector is left increasingly marginalised."

Agriculture remains central to Ghana's economy and rural livelihoods, employing a significant proportion of the population and playing a major role in national food security.

The experts stressed that excluding small-holder farmers from development planning could have serious long-term consequences for:

• Food production

• Rural employment

• Poverty reduction

• Social stability

• Climate resilience

Land Insecurity Leaving Farmers Vulnerable

One of the most pressing concerns identified during the visit was land tenure insecurity, particularly for subsistence farmers operating under Ghana's dual statutory and customary land systems.

The Working Group said many rural communities remain vulnerable to sudden land dispossession with limited legal protection or access to justice.

"Land tenure insecurity is an ongoing challenge, as the country's dual tenure system exposes subsistence farmers to sudden dispossession with limited legal recourse," the experts said.

The report highlighted how land insecurity disproportionately affects:

• Women farmers

• Young rural workers

• Elderly farmers

• Pastoralist communities

Despite legal reforms aimed at strengthening gender equality and land rights, the experts said deeply rooted social and cultural norms continue to exclude women from land ownership and decision-making processes.

"Despite their critical roles throughout farming and fishing, and despite strong legal protections, women remain excluded from land ownership and decision-making due to deeply entrenched social norms," the Working Group said.

Illegal Gold Mining Triggering Environmental and Food Security Crisis

The experts also raised alarm over the escalating environmental crisis caused by illegal gold mining, commonly known in Ghana as galamsey.

The Working Group described galamsey as one of the country's most urgent national emergencies, warning that the environmental destruction is threatening:

• Agricultural land

• Water systems

• Public health

• Food production

• Rural livelihoods

"Galamsey is the most acute, rapidly expanding and politically charged environmental emergency facing the country," the experts said.

The report noted widespread contamination of rivers, destruction of farmland, and growing heavy-metal pollution extending far beyond mining areas.

According to the experts, the issue has become deeply intertwined with political influence, corruption, and weak enforcement.

"Sustained by powerful interests, it has become a national security, food and nutrition security, and public health emergency intertwined with elite capture," the statement said.

Environmental groups and civil society organisations in Ghana have repeatedly warned that illegal mining activities are devastating key water bodies and threatening long-term agricultural sustainability.

Pastoralist Communities Facing Structural Exclusion

The Working Group also highlighted the severe marginalisation of pastoralist communities, particularly Fulbe populations, who often remain excluded from formal governance and legal protection systems.

The experts said nomadic and semi-nomadic ways of life are poorly accommodated within state systems designed around settled land ownership and fixed residence.

"Their nomadic way of life renders them structurally invisible to governance systems designed around settled tenure," the experts said.

Many pastoralists reportedly face barriers obtaining citizenship documentation and legal recognition, limiting access to:

• Public services

• Legal protections

• Education

• Healthcare

• Land rights

At the same time, shrinking grazing areas caused by climate pressures and agricultural expansion are intensifying tensions between pastoralists and settled farming communities.

"The erosion of grazing pastures, worsened by climate pressure and agricultural expansion, is generating an escalating cycle of conflict between pastoralists and settled farmers," the report warned.

Rural Infrastructure and Financial Exclusion Deepening Poverty

The experts also identified major economic barriers undermining rural livelihoods across Ghana.

According to the Working Group, poor infrastructure and market access problems continue to generate severe post-harvest losses for small-scale producers.

Challenges include:

• Poor rural roads

• Lack of cold-chain storage

• Dependence on intermediaries

• Limited transport infrastructure

• Climate-related crop losses

The report also noted that many small-holder farmers and artisanal fishers remain locked out of financial systems because they lack conventional collateral required for loans and investment.

As climate change intensifies weather extremes and production shocks, the experts warned that these vulnerabilities could worsen significantly without targeted intervention.

UN Calls for "Political Courage" to Deliver Real Reform

While recognising Ghana's substantial legal and policy progress — including reforms such as:

• The Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2025

• The Social Protection Act 2025

• The Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act 2024

• Ratification of the ILO Work in Fishing Convention

— the experts stressed that implementation remains the real challenge.

"The policy and legislative framework that Ghana has assembled constitutes a strong foundation that commands respect for human rights," the Working Group said.

"Yet implementing laws to address all these issues demands genuine political courage that challenges entrenched interests, and a commitment to deeper social norm change without which legal frameworks remain aspirational."

The experts said the principles outlined in UNDROP require governments to protect the rights, livelihoods, dignity, and participation of peasants, fisherfolk, pastoralists, and other rural workers as central actors in sustainable development.

The Working Group will present its full findings and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2026.