The profits of power: Land rights and agricultural investment in Ghana

Abstract

This article investigates the impact of contested land rights on investment and productivity in agriculture in Akwapim, Ghana. The authors find that insecure land tenure in Ghana is associated with greatly reduced investment in land fertility. Individuals who are not central to the networks social and political power are much more likely to have their land expropriated while it lies fallow. Powerful individuals invest more in their land's fertility and thus have higher yields.