A new study by the Innovations for Sustainable Rural Development (ISRuDev) has found that improved access to farmland significantly enhances women’s income, food security, and overall household welfare in rural Ghana.
The assessment, conducted among 150 women farmers across Chogsia, Meteu, and Tendoma in the Wa West District, revealed that women with secured access to farmland earned higher incomes and recorded better productivity than those without land rights.
According to the study, women who had farmland access reported an average income gain of GH¢160.46, with 91.2 percent describing access to land as a vital safety net and 85.3 percent linking it directly to improved livelihoods and financial stability.
Presenting the findings at a Land Tenure Dialogue and Business Forum in Wechiau, Co-consultant Mr. Paul Nayaga said women remained central to Ghana’s food production system but continued to face deep-rooted cultural and structural barriers to land ownership.
“Access to farmland is not just an agricultural issue, it is an economic empowerment issue,” he said. “When women have control over land, they invest more in their farms, generate higher returns, and contribute meaningfully to household income.”
The study found that 69.2 percent of female respondents had their farmlands allocated by husbands or partners, while only 21 percent held legally recognized land titles. About 91.8 percent lacked formal documentation, but 83.6 percent said their land rights were recognized locally.
Despite these limitations, 93.3 percent of respondents expressed confidence in the permanence of their land tenure, and 78 percent indicated they could transfer or bequeath land, showing a relatively strong perception of tenure security.
Most of the surveyed women were smallholder farmers cultivating between one and three acres, with an average of 2.37 acres. Notably, 44.7 percent had expanded their farmlands since joining ISRuDev’s livelihood programmes.
However, the report also highlighted ongoing challenges, including small land sizes, insecure tenure arrangements, and limited access to capital and farm inputs, all of which constrained women’s productivity and income growth.
To address these issues, the study recommended stronger advocacy for women’s land rights and more gender-sensitive land governance systems.
It also urged traditional leaders and family heads to support equitable land allocation and formal recognition for women farmers.
The study further proposed expanding value addition and agribusiness training to increase women’s competitiveness in local and regional markets.
Mr. Maxwell Kpetaa, ISRuDev’s Business Development Officer, explained that the organisation works in four thematic areas, Livelihoods and Food Security, Environment and Ecosystems, Gender and Social Inclusion, and Maternal and Child Health to strengthen community resilience and promote inclusive development.
Wa West District Chief Executive, Mr. Richard Wulo, called for deliberate policy measures to address women’s limited access to productive land, stressing that empowering women farmers is essential for economic growth and rural development.
He commended ISRuDev for its efforts, saying, “When women have land, they do not only feed their families, they build local economies.”
Mr. Issahaku Razack Abdulai Yamusah, representative of the Paramount Chief of Wechiau, also appealed to men to release farmlands to women, noting that proceeds from women’s farms contribute directly to household welfare and community prosperity.
