The role of socio-environmental networking in the sustainability of rain-fed agriculture in the coastal savanna of Ghana

Abstract

This article fuses theory from geography, sociology, and natural resource management to explore the sustainability of rain-fed agriculture in one of the driest areas of Ghana. Specifically, the article draws upon Actor Network Theory as conceived by Murdoch (1998) and others. Finding spaces of prescription derived from traditional gender roles and environmental change, the study observes how actors carve out spaces of negotiation as they continually adapt to environmental change to maintain a desired lifestyle. The role of institutions as actors is also explored, particularly through the usage of tractor services and understanding the underperformance and ultimate failure of a massive irrigation scheme put forward by the Ghanaian government. This article offers a unique methodology that provides opportunity for actor network theory methodologies to be applied in a multicultural and environmentally varied context to better understand the relations between environment, actors, and cultural traditions.