Land-use conflicts and psychosocial well-being: a study of farmer-herder conflict in Asante-Akyem north district of Ghana

Abstract

Over the past two decades, the Asante Akyem North District of Ghana has had limited peace and stability which are prerequisites for sustainable development due to protracted farmer-herder conflicts. This study provides an alternative perspective to the underlying causes of this resource conflict by arguing that mental constructions based on the formation of frames are the precursor as argued by the framing theory. The study further investigated the psychosocial implications of the conflict on the well-being of the farmers and herders. The resources that the actors employed to cope with the stressful event were also invested. Using a mixed-method but a qualitatively driven approach, the study used interviews, focus group discussion and observation guides for the data collection. The empirical analyses revealed that actors formed frames such as split identity, enemy-enemy relationship, a culture of work, power, and characterization are the drivers of the farmer-herder conflict. It is further observed that the mental construction and its attended hostile reaction between actors of the conflict, usually lead to symptoms and levels of psychological disturbances, emotional distress, and diagnosable mental health problems. It is evident from the findings that in the face of these undesirable outcomes, actors of both factions adopted varied coping strategies religion, voluntary migration, working harder, and resorting to socio-cultural support, and avoidance. There is the need for a community-level education that emphasizes constructive framing relationships between the transmigrant pastoralists and the host farming populace to ensure their peaceful coexistence and minimize conflict eruptions.