Conclusion

In the face of the findings of this study, there is clearly a need for changes in the tenure systems in the new cocoa frontier to confer greater security of tenure on migrant cocoa farmers. At a recent FAO (1985) sponsored seminar which was attended by the paramount chief of Wassa Amenfi and his elders as well as representatives of the migrant farmers, the following recommendations were made to remedy some of the defects of the existing share cropping systems in the new cocoa frontiers in Ghana.

(i) Share cropping tenancies should be replaced by cash tenancies. The seminar therefore recommended the re-enactment of the Rent Stabilization Act which was repealed in 1966.
(ii) An assessed rent per annum should be inserted in the written tenancy agreement and this rent should be revised every five years.
(iii) No restrictions should be imposed on tenants as to the types of crop they are allowed to cultivate on rented land.
(iv) The minimum duration of tenancies should be fixed by law according to the period needed for a full return on each type crop.
(v) Eviction of a tenant before the expiry of a term of contract should be forbidden except by an order of court, which should not be given unless one of the following has been proved:

-nonpayment of rent
-failure to develop the land for at least five years
-subleasing, mortgaging, or any other act leading to alienation without consent of the landowning group and the Lands Commission

The implementation of these recommendations would not only advance the production efforts of migrant cocoa farmers who have contributed to the growth of the cocoa industry of the country but it will also bring peace to the frontier zone which, in the last few decades, has witnessed confrontations between landowners and migrant farmers.