With a gradual transition from “traditional possession” to a capitalistic property-based logic, stool lands have failed to fulfil their traditional role as essential building blocks for the youth to start an independent economic life. Seeking to address this problem, more egalitarian-possession based represent an alternative to commodified land access and show that customary ownership, though with its own pitfalls, may guarantee more just and secured farming livelihoods for the youth. Therefore, there is a need to rethink the logic of modern property which is gradually creeping in agrarian societies and unleashing unsustainable capitalist dynamics. In this paper, I explore the transitioning of customary norms through a case analysis of commodification of stool lands in Techiman and the impact on youth par-ticipation in farming. The analysis draws on 11 structured, qualitative interviews and is guided by the question: “How are customary norms transitioning into market and formalized transactions and how is it impacting youth participation in farming?” The findings suggest that commodification of stool lands occurs in four stages. The transition however has not reached the fourth stage of a full commodification. Yet, I find that the livelihoods of the young farmers are already being threatened in many ways.

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Gerber, Julien-François
hdl.handle.net/2105/55884
Agrarian, Food and Environmental Studies (AFES)
International Institute of Social Studies

Aputiik, Gertrude. (2020, December 18). From “traditional possession” to “modern property”: Commodification of stool lands and impact on youth participation in farming. Peri-urban Techiman, Ghana. Agrarian, Food and Environmental Studies (AFES). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2105/55884