Large-Scale Land Acquisitions as Appropriations of Local Food Systems: A Case Study from Ghana

Using a recent large-scale land acquisition for rice production in Ghana´s Volta region as a case study, this paper argues that LSLA’s not only imply appropriations by investors of land and natural resources, leading to changing land use and property rights, but that they also entail appropriations of local food systems. Simultaneously, this paper argues that considering gender is crucial in order to understand changes in the food system and their impacts on local small-scale farmers. Considering that women are highly involved in food production, processing, marketing and preparation of local food and are traditionally in charge of household food security, they are likely to be disproportionately affected by changes in the local food system. However, rather than simply displacing women from the food system, this paper argues that women will use the changing institutional setting to adapt to and contest the ongoing commodification of the local food system.