UN Experts Warn Rural Transformation Risks Leaving Peasants Behind

United Nations experts have raised concerns that Ghana’s current rural transformation efforts, while ambitious, risk sidelining peasants, smallholder farmers, pastoralists, and artisanal fishers, groups they describe as the backbone of the country’s food systems.

Presenting their preliminary findings during a press conference held today at the end of a 10-day official visit, the Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas acknowledged Ghana’s strong human rights framework and its commitment to international conventions, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP). However, they noted a persistent gap between legal protections and their implementation on the ground.

“Ghana has a robust human rights framework and has demonstrated genuine willingness to engage with its commitments,” the experts said. “However, there remains a significant disconnect between law and practice, with rural communities continuing to face poverty and exclusion.”

The Working Group highlighted that current agricultural policies tend to prioritize mechanized, export-oriented models, which often benefit large-scale operations while marginalizing family-based farming systems. This, they warned, risks weakening the country’s food systems rather than strengthening them.

Land insecurity also emerged as a major concern. According to the experts, Ghana’s dual land tenure system leaves many rural communities vulnerable to displacement, particularly where access to resources is already limited.

Women, youth, and elderly farmers were identified as facing compounded challenges. Despite their critical contributions to agriculture and fisheries, they often lack secure access to land and are excluded from decision-making due to entrenched social norms.

The experts further pointed to environmental threats, particularly the growing impact of illegal mining, or galamsey. Described as a rapidly expanding crisis, it is contributing to water pollution, farmland destruction, and widespread contamination that extends beyond mining areas.

The Working Group called for stronger political will to bridge policy gaps, ensure inclusive rural development, and fully implement commitments under UNDROP. They emphasized that protecting the rights of rural populations is essential not only for equity, but also for sustainable development and national food security.

The findings are expected to inform ongoing policy dialogue and advocacy efforts aimed at strengthening protections for rural communities and ensuring that Ghana’s development trajectory leaves no one behind.

Read the full press release issued at the end of the mission's visit.