In order to accelerate efforts in this regard, the Ghana Land Policy Action Node (G-LPAN), a subsidiary of the Ghana Policy Hub, designed the Land Access and Tenure Security Improvement Project (LATSIP), a project funded by the Alliance for a Green Revolution for Africa (AGRA), to look at access to land and tenure security issues which are very critical to smallholder agriculture but most of the time are relegated by interventions.

Beginning in the early 1990s, there has been enormous attention given to delivering development interventions that focus on the people, making them not only beneficiaries but also agents in the process of bringing about desired changes. It is with the aim of making the local people agents of the change in land tenure security that the project team sought to sensitize and create awareness among the target population of the project communities.

CORE OBJECTIVES OF THE SENSITIZATION

The community sensitization events which took place in four traditional areas (i.e. the Gulpkegu Traditional Area, Tamale; Damongo Traditional Area; North Mo Traditional Area, Bamboi; and Bole Traditional Area) sought to sensitize communities base on the following goals;

• To explain the overall objectives of AGRA and LATSIP to community members

• To discuss and educate participants on general land governance in Ghana, land acquisition procedures and risks of unsecure land rights

• To receive feedback for policy consideration

• To familiarize and prepare community members for subsequent activities

MAJOR OBSERVATIONS

As a result of its non-existence, farm land documentation is deemed by majority in the sub region as an alien practice about to be introduced to them. Knowledge on how it can be done was virtually missing.

Throughout the engagement with the communities, no single participant had document over his/her farm land even though most were farmers and some were even into cash crops. The CLS, (Customary Land Secretariat) had also not reported of any such request. This brings to bear the unpopularity of farm land documentation and the dominance of building plot documentation.

Even farmers appreciated and placed more priority on building plot documentation than farm land documentation. Some participants were of the conviction that there was no need for farm land documentation. This is because these rural areas have been endowed with vast farm land of which the greater percentage is still uncultivated. There is no competition for farm land as a result. In that light, it is rather seen beneficial if attention is focused on documenting building plots rather than farm lands since that has being a major source of disputes for which many people wished to secure theirs.

Generally, the community sensitization events had recorded high turnout and active participation from beneficiaries. The sensitization events which were targeted at the general community irrespective of the background of members, engaged about 1,600 participants. Not only did they respond to the call but also shared constructive experiences and ideas during discussions.

The main challenge that confronted this activity was the clash with farming season. Farming in the project areas is basically rain-fed. As such the farmers used rainfall to plan their farming activities. The sensitizations coincided with the major farming season when rainfall was at its peak and experienced frequently. This affected the general turn out as community members quickly switched their itinerary to farming anytime it rained a day or few hours before meetings.

OUTCOME OF THE SENSITIZATION

Through the events, community members had been enlightened on land documentation and registration. The risks of unsecure land rights arising from lack of documentation were unraveled through sharing and discussing both positive and negative experiences of participants themselves. At the end, most of them appreciated the need for documentation.

Having realized the enlightenment the sensitization had brought to them, participants expressed the desire to see other communities especially the neighboring ones being sensitized as well. This call was made in the light of the fact that land was no more available in some of the communities so they go to neighboring communities to beg for land to farm. As such, if they are also brought up to the same level of understanding of the importance of documentation, it will create a better cooperative relationship between landlords and tenant farmers in those communities.

The LATSIP Community Sensitization was a successful one based on the positive response received from the stakeholders. The project had commenced building up a critical mass of people informed on the importance and procedures of land documentation and registration. Participants were grateful to AGRA and its partners for making them part of the sensitization. The activity was regarded by the communities as an eye opener and wished more of such events would be organized frequently.