Population growth

The population of the surveyed settlements had a substantial migrant component, and showed significant changes since 1960 (table 10.1). The phenomenal population growth in Amanase, Yensiso and Kokormu, in contrast to the general decline in Osonson, Whanabenya and Adenya, is indicative of population redistribution and adjustment in response to differential environmental conditions, including different degrees of environmental degradation as perceived by the people.

Table 10.1 Population Growth in the Surveyed Settlements

Source: Based on 1960 and 1984 population census reports.

Table 10.2 Ethnic Composition of the Sample of Farmers Interviewed at the Study Sites in October 1993 (shown by percentage)

Source: PLEC 1993 field study.

Amanase, Whanabenya, Sekesua and Osonson were founded in the early parts of this century by migrant cocoa farmers from Akuapem district in the case of Amanase, from the Siade/Shai area in the case of Whanabenya, and from Krobo country in the case of Sekesua and Osonson. Yensiso and Adenya probably existed as small Akuapem hunting and oil-palm growing hamlets before the founding of Amanase, Whanabenya, Sekesua and Osonson, but expanded after the introduction of cocoa there during the 1900s. Kokormu probably was a later creation by the Ayigbe and Ewe migrants who settled there, perhaps around 1950, for the purpose of food crop farming, which is now the leading economic activity of the forest-savanna zone inhabitants, including the migrants, who comprised mostly:

• Twi-speaking Akuapem in the Yensiso and Amanase areas;
• Adangbe-speaking Krobo in the Sekesua area;
• Adangbe-speaking Siade in the Amanase area; and
• Ayigbe and Ewe in the Yensiso area.

Others were the relatively few Kyerepong-speaking Akuapem concentrated in the Yensiso and Amanase areas, and other Akan-speaking people and non-Ghanaians found in the Yensiso area. The detailed distribution is shown in table 10.2.

Our estimate of the average population density per square kilometre for the whole forest-savanna zone is 161 or more in 1993. Table 10.3 shows the 1984 densities for the local council districts where the study areas were located. They ranged from 139 to 178 persons per square kilometre, compared to the national average of about 51. Since these figures are for 1984, they are likely to differ somewhat from the present situation. For instance, the Manya Krobo local council population stood at 140/km² in 1970, compared to 108 in 1984, a decrease which, like decreases in other rural areas, most probably represents outmigration in response to environmental deterioration. However, on the whole, the population densities within the forest-savanna zone were expected to be on the increase in accordance with the general national trend.

Table 10.3 1984 Population Densities for Local Council Districts Where the Study Areas Were Located

Source: Ghana Statistical Services 1989.

The population factors analysed above have varying degrees of implication for the status of the environment. The increase in the absolute numbers of people is a major source of stress on the environment through farming and extractive activities. On the basis of the 1970-84 growth rates, the populations of Kokormu, Amanase and some other villages are likely to more than double by the year 2000, resulting in increased pressure on the already stressed land and other resources (table 10.1). The depopulation which some of the areas are likely to continue experiencing might not significantly alter the environmental degradation because of the severity of the damage already done and the lack of the corrective wherewithal in the affected rural areas.

As the quality of the environment declines, so do the yields, earning and living standards. In particular, the continuous cropping of the increasingly fragmented fields leads to land impoverishment and consequent low output. It is not surprising therefore that 25 per cent of the households could no longer adequately feed themselves with the produce from their farms. Significantly, the figure for Amanase, which showed the highest population growth rate among all the villages surveyed, was 45 per cent. These findings about the environmental effects of the population changes suggest the need for population control in conjunction with other mitigating measures.