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ABSTRACT
Provisioning ecosystem services are under threat in peripheral areas in African cities due to urbanisation pressures. Previous studies have focused on land conversion and food crop production. How urbanisation pressures intertwine with the provisioning ecosystem services availability to peri-urban households is an empirical question, which this paper answered using Wa in Ghana as a case. The mixed method research approach was employed involving 400 randomly selected households with the aid of a questionnaire, while interviews were also conducted with relevant stakeholders. Descriptive statistics and a five-point Likert scale were used to analyse the household data, while interview responses were thematised. We observed that urbanisation adversely affected ecosystems, reducing the availability of wild fruits, fuelwood, and game to farmer households. From the households’ perspective, most of these services will disappear in the future as urbanisation intensifies. We recommend the restoration of degraded lands for the conservation of natural habitats.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. Farmer households are indigenous smallholder subsistence farmers that have always lived and farmed in the community.
2. Indigenous households are those that have always lived in the communities.
3. Tindamba (Tindana for singular) in Northern Ghana are purported to be the owners of the land by virtue of first settlement or conquest and the ones who knew or are known by the earth spirits.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Ibrahim Abu Abdulai
Ibrahim Abu Abdulai holds a Ph.D. in Development Studies from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. He has published in high-impact journals such as Heliyon, Local Environment, SN Social Sciences, and Journal of Urban Affairs among others. His research interest centers on urban agriculture, urban sustainability, and climate change.
Issaka Kanton Osumanu
Issaka Kanton Osumanu is an associate professor of Geography. He specializes in geography. He has published in top-tier journals such as Land Use Policy, Urban Forum, and Habitat International among others.