Browsing by Author "Owusu, V."
Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Compensation payment for fisherfolk during closed-season fishing: Lessons from small-scale fisherfolk in Ghana(Cogent Social Sciences, 2023) Nyavor, S.; Amposah, S.; Owusu, V.; Boateng, K.J.This study contributes to the literature on marine conservation, fisheries management, and coastal development. The study investigated the distribution mechanism of government -led compensation payment schemes for small-scale coastal fisherfolk in Ghana during the closed season. We also sought to explore the perception of fisherfolk concerning equity and fairness in the distribution of the compensation scheme. The empirical data consisted of 220 household surveys and 20 in-depth interviews with relevant stakeholders from the Central Region of Ghana. The findings from our study indicate that significant controversies exist about the selection of beneficiaries for compensation payment. There is a lack of transparency in the compensation schemes targeting criteria. The distribution process was widely perceived to be unfair. The results from the study show that there are high levels of politics and nepotism in compensation distribution. Access to compensation packages is largely influenced by political party affiliation. A more transparent and precisely targeted scheme may go a long way to improving perceptions of fairness and compliance. The paper calls for the introduction of alternative livelihoods for fishing households during the closed season.Item Econometric Modelling Of the Effects Of Intersectoral Labour Mobility On Deforestation in Ghana, 1970-99.(University of Ghana, 2001-07) Owusu, V.; Fosu, K.Y.; Sarpong, D.B.; University of Ghana, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, School of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Economics and AgribusinessThe study analyses the effects of intersectoral labour mobility between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors on deforestation in Ghana. It is based on annual time series data covering the period 1970—99. The study describes the basic determinants of intersectoral labour mobility and deforestation and estimates the magnitudes o f the effects of their determinants in Ghana. The empirical results show that the effects of intersectoral labour mobility between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors on the environment is weak in the long run but statistically strong in the short-run. Furthermore, unemployment rate in the non-agricultural sector has contributed to the slow down o f intersectoral labour mobility to the non-agricultural sector. In addition, the increased rural population pressure on land has tended to increase the forest area cleared for agriculture. The study also observed that the producer price of cocoa tended to exert a significant positive effect on deforestation through agricultural expansion. This result suggests, inter alia, that polices which tend to provide incentives to farmers and encourage the use of improved technologies which stimulates increased productivity in the cocoa sector will reduce pressure on land and slow down the rate of deforestation in Ghana. Other policy recommendations and suggestions for future research are also made in the study.Item Impact of offshore petroleum extraction and “ocean grabbing” on small-scale fisheries and coastal livelihoods in Ghana(Maritime Studies, 2023) Owusu, V.; Lawer, E.T.; Adjei, M.; Ogbe, M.In recent years, there has been increasing scholarly attention to the relationship between offshore oil extraction and the well-being of communities along the coast whose livelihoods directly depend on the ocean. In this paper, we show how offshore petroleum extraction activities, associated ocean space regulations, and fishery conservation discourses lead to “ocean grabbing” in Ghana. Based on interviews with fisherfolk, government officials, environmental NGOs, and officials from the petroleum industry in Ghana, we address the above issues using Harvey’s framework of “accumulation by dispossession.” The offshore petroleum industry and fisheries utilize different resources. Fishers catch fish from the waters, whereas petroleum companies extract petroleum products from the seabed. Hence, the claim of dispossession often made by fishers is largely contested by petroleum corporations and state institutions. However, due to their spatial coexistence, user rights claims, tensions, and conflicts over facts, opposing interests, and values persist. In these contestations, there exists clear power inequity between fisherfolk and oil companies, with isolated cases of violence and punishment of fishers for flouting marine regulations. This paper calls for institutional strengthening to resolve the impending tensions and address the growing imbalance in the power relations among the different marine resource usersItem In-Situ Adaptation and Coastal Vulnerabilities in Ghana and Tanzania(The Journal of Environment & Development, 2019-06-03) Ablo, A.D.; Yang, J.; Owusu, V.; Andriesse, E.Coastal fisheries communities in sub-Saharan Africa are under high socioeconomic vulnerability in the face of environmental pressures. This article contributes to the current adaptation debate by revisiting the benefits of in-situ adaptation. We assess possible in-situ adaptation strategies amid ongoing vulnerabilities by comparing Ghana and Tanzania. A total of 441 household surveys were conducted in four study sites. The major findings of the study are as follows: First, the three major in-situ adaptation strategies are regular changes of nondestructive fisheries techniques, alternative occupations, and collective action. Second, all three strategies have a significant relationship with income change. Finally, the communities in Tanzania utilized all three strategies more and performed better economically than those in Ghana. On the basis of these insights, we suggest implications of in-situ adaptation for future coastal development in sub-Saharan Africa.Item Intersectoral labor mobility and deforestation in Ghana(Environment and Development Economics, 2012-12) Owusu, V.; Fosu, K.Y.; Burger, K.Abstract This paper quantifies the effects of the determinants of intersectoral labor mobility and the effect of intersectoral labor mobility on deforestation in Ghana over the period 1970-2008. A cointegration and error correction modeling approach is employed. The empirical results show that labor mobility from the agricultural to the non-agricultural sector exerts negative effects on deforestation in Ghana in the long run and short run. Relative agricultural income exerts a significant negative effect on intersectoral labor mobility in the long run. Deforestation is influenced positively by population pressure, the price of fertilizer and rainfall, whereas access to irrigation infrastructure exerts a negative effect in the long run. In the short run, real producer prices of cocoa and maize exert significant positive effects on deforestation whereas access to irrigation infrastructure exerts a negative significant effect. Fruitful policy recommendations based on the empirical magnitudes and directions of these effects are made in this paper. © Copyright Cambridge University Press 2012.Item The Role of Socioeconomic Factors, Psychological Motivations, and Social Networks in Women’s Participation in Community-Based Fishery Management in Ghana(Coastal Management, 2023) Adjei, M.; Owusu, V.; Essien, R.S.Women’s participation in community-based decision-making in managing natural resources such as fishery is considered crucial to the sustainability of the fishery industry. However, women experience the brunt of inequality in fishery tasks and decision-making despite their crucial contributions. Using survey data (N = 400) from an ethnographic study on Ghanaian female fisherfolk, we examine the factors affecting women’s participation in community-based fishery decision-making. Findings show that while women attended community meetings, only a few held positions in the fishery associations. Whilst education was not a significant factor in women’s community participation, the age of children, women’s ownership of fishery assets as well as psychological characteristics such as trust, interests and gender role attitudes were very crucial. Results further show that network variables such as women’s position in other associations were more important to their participation in community-based fishery decision-making than mere membership in such associations. This study highlights the need for fishery policies aimed at gender equality to move beyond gender structures and economic models toward examining the complexity of factors affecting different aspects of women’s participation in fishery decision-making.