Balancing Mineral Resource Development and Food Security in Northwest Ghana

Abdul-Wadood Moomen*, Michela Bertolotto and Pierre Lacroix

Food security remains a pressing global challenge, particularly in emerging mining regions where the competition between agriculture and mining intensifies. Thus, the main objective of this study is to understand the potential spatial balances between mineral resource development and the food security situation in Northwest Ghana. Despite its agricultural dependence, the region faces declining soil fertility, erratic rainfall patterns, and land degradation, exacerbating food insecurity. The mining sector, while offering economic potential, poses threats to agricultural land, water resources, and rural livelihoods. First, the case study examines existing food security conditions in the area based on reported data. Secondly, the study assesses the proxies using 1990, 2000 2010, and 2020 Landsat 7 ETM, ETM+, and Landsat 8 OLI image classifications. The study then compares the results to derive knowledge on existing and potential food security issues and looming mining activities in the region. The study finds that earlier studies reported food security challenges in Districts that are now earmarked to host mining. However, based on primary data, the analysis indicates little food security in the region with a minimum per capita consumption above the global average of 2,640 kca/cap/day in the observed years. Using Earth Observation data, the minimum food availability in a year is still above the reported average for Sub-Saharan Africa. The study finds that areas that host mining concessions and exploration leases show no food security hotspots but are highly degraded with flooding hotspots pronounced in the East and bare lands, devoid of vegetation, common in the West. These findings would help both local and national decision-makers to prioritize responses to Agenda 2030 SDGs in the study.

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Published on: Feb 4, 2025 Pages: 10-25

Full Text PDF Full Text HTML DOI: 10.17352/2455-815X.000224
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