--+ Yl r,-;t* ( tl"\Allto (Pdn/,,.,
ANITEX VI.1
ONCHOCERCIAS IS @l\mM)L
IN THE
VOLTA RTVER BASIN AREA
Reportprepared for the Governments
ofDahoney, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nlger
Togo and Upper Volta
ANNEX Vl-l : RURAL DEVELOPIUENT, REPOPULT\TION AND SETI! IIUEI0IN AREAS OF WEST AFRICA CLEARED OF ONCHOCERCIASIS
Geneva1973
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IUnited Nations Development Programme
Food and Agriculture Organization of the Unlted NationsInternational Bank for Reconstruction and Development
World Health Organization
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RURALDEVELOPIVIE$IT,REPOPUI,ATIONANDSETTLEMENTINAREASOF WEST AFRTCA CLEARED OF ONCHOCERCTASIS
Contents
SECTION 1. ITORODUCTION
1.1 Outline of the exploratory social surveys
L,2 Problem areas explored . . .
1.3 Major difficulties in carrying out the social surveys
Annex VI-1page i
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7SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
sEcrroN 4.
sEcrtoN 5.
SECTION 6.
sEcrIoN 7.
APPENDIX -
GHANA @T'INTRY REPORT . .
UPPER VOLTA COI'NTRY REPORT . .
TVORY COAST COT'NTRY REPORT . .
TOGO @U}.ITRY REPORT
@NCLUS IONS AI.ID RECOMMEI{DATIONS
LIST OF SOURCES
TERMS OF REFERENCE TOR FOLLOW-UP STUDIES
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SECTTON 1. II{TRODUCTION
1. Sociological lnvestigatlons have been carried out to explore, as time and
resources pennitted, the possiblllties, problens and limitations of human settlement
in selected areas cleared of onchocerciasis and thereafter developed for agriculture.2. Numerous intervlews were held with all kinds of lnformant at the national,regional and loca1 Ievel. Moreover, an assessment was made of relevant availabledocunentation, for which purpose also a number of development agencies operating in
IWest Africa were approached.
3. Taking i.nto account the time needed to analyse the published and field-collecteddata, the period avallabte to the consultant was too limited to obtainreven from
exploratory surveys, adequate infonratlon on the hunan problems of the five proposed
pilot zones as well as on three densely populated areas (presumed departure zones
for potential settlers), that ls, on nine zones in all located in four countrieswith rather different economlc and socio-cultural condltions.4. Tttis problem cras solved by subcontracting part of the investigations tosociologists in Ghana, Togo and Upper Volta. This uas done not only in view of the
short tine avallable for social studleg, but also because it was felt that localsocial sclentlsts could more easily inve8tlgate delicate matters such as settlement,and inter-ethnic relations.5. lntroductory notes on the objectives, methods and procedures of the surveys as
well as an outline of problem areas with a llst of topics to be explored were
provided to the collaborators by the consultant soclologist.6. The work of the three natlonal soclotogists was most valuable and contributedgreatly to a b€tter understandlng of the aoclal problems linked with the reclamation
of the onchocerclesis-affocted valteys of the Volta River basin area. Authoritiesand other lnfotmants in Upper Volta, Ghana, [vory Coast and Togo klndly cooperated
ln providlng the infomtatlon.7. TtIe country reports have been kept as concise as possible, and the findings arepresented separately in the present docLment for each country studied. Ttris
arrangement involveB some repetitian (although there are cross-references to the
appropriate parts of the various country reports) but has the advantage of providing
a complete and integral picture of the pllot zones in each of the four countriesstudied (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo and Upper Volta).
Conpagnle lnternationale de D6veloppenent Rural, (CIDR)
Bureau pour le D6veloppement de la Productlon Agricole, (BDPA)
Office de la Recherche Scientlfique et Technique Outre Mer, (ORSTOM)
Soci6t6 d'Etudes pour Ie D6veloppement F.conomique et Soclal, (SEDES)
Secr6tariat des Missions dtUrbanisme et d'Habitat (SmW)
Soci6t6 d'Aide Technique et de Coopdration, (SATEC), etc.
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I.1 Outline of the exploratory social surveys
8. The overall .objectives of the surveys were to gather relevant background data
and to explore the favourable and unfavourable socio-economic and socio-cultural
factors to be taken into account in planning rural development projects including
pitot repopulation and/or settlement schemes in specific areas cleared of oncho-
cerciasis. Ttre study areas are indicated above in sections 2, 5, 6 and ?.
9. In the preparatory phase information was collected on:
(a) the econonic and socio-cultural conditions and on past and ongoing
development efforts in the study areas;
(b) the ethnic groups Iiving in these areas;
(c) past and ongoing settlement experiments in the various countries
concerned.
10. tn the field phase exploratory interviews were held with infontants such as
administrative authorities, agricultural officers and extension workers, etc., with
traditional tribal, clan, canton, and village leaders, and land chiefs, and with
missionaries, teachers, health personnel, etc. A major part of this phase was
devoted to interviews based on a list of topics with older and younger fanners who
could be potential settlers. No systematic, stratified area sampling of villages
and interviewees could be made in the time available but in each country a number
of viltages spread throughout the study area were selected as being representative
of:(a) the various ethnic groups;
(b) the densely populated subzones (presumed departure areas of settlers);
(c) the host villages near the future repopulation or settlement areas.
11. In each selected village two-four compounds were chosen and in each of these
the family chief as well as an elder, preferably married, son oas interviewed.
As far as possible infomation was gathered on both the farm famity contacted and
also the neighbourhood and village.
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12. In the final phase the data cotlected were analysed, checked, and compared and
a final report was made.
L.2 Problem areas explored
13. Problem areas were selected partly on the basis of the field findings of the
sociologist during the first months of his mission. An indicative list of items
was provided for each area (sunmarized below) and important items discovered during
interviews were added to the llst and investigated.
14. Population. Population nLmbers, distribution and densities in each subzone
of the study area; pattern of habitat; the size and location of ethnic groups and
subgroups; the average age of marriage; the leve1 of education, extent of illiteracy,
etc.
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15. Infrastructure. Existing and planned services and facitities in the sectors of
public a&ninistration, education, public health, comrirerce and finance, religion(retigious missions) and agriculture (numbers and location of e.,:tension workers,
etc. ) .
16. Inter-ethnic retations. For settlement purposes particularty a kind of "socio-
gram" of the ethnic groups in the area is needed to indicate inter-ethnic compati-
bilities. Data were sought on ethnic groups that are closely related, rather
distinct, separated, antagonistic, etc.,and also on their degree of receptiveness to
innovation.
17. Migration.(a) tmmigration into the arqa. The ethnic groups concerned, their size,
previous home area, principal economic activities, the reactions of host villages,
etc.(b) Population movements within the area. Migrant farming, camps, new
villages, etc.; further abandorment, particularly total but also partial, of
onchocerciasis-stricken riverine zones.
(c ) Enigration. Seasonal or permanent; major zones and subzones of departure
and destination; motr.vations of emigrantsl preferences of younger farmers for
settlement rather than emigration; etc.
18. SociaI organization of ethnic groups. Complete and detailed analyses of the
social structure of ethnic groups could naturally not be made. Some general features
explored were the major characteristics, structure, spatial distribution of clans,
lineages, sections, extended families, etc., hierarchy, types, roles, authority,power, the mutual relations of traditional leaders and their relations with non-
traditional (administrative) leaders; and, if relevant, categories andfor strati-
fication of farming families.
19. Land tenure. Systems of land tenure, the nature of land rights in both
populated and uninhabited and uncultivated areas where land will probably be
appropriated for reclamationl types, status, role, authority and area of competence
of land chief(tendanas, "chefs de terre"); whether, and under what conditions, land
may be conceded to non-locals; an analysis of current cases of land acquisition by
strangers; etc.20. Farm family. The average compositlon of the family living in a compoundl
the social ro1es, farming activities and other functions of its members; systems
of exploiting the family land; etc. Special attention was paid to the younger
members (potential settlers) of the farm family; the social position, the role ofo1der, married and single sons in the famiLy; their degree of economic and soclaldependence (e.9. possible exploitation of their own plots); the types of authorityto which the young are usually subject (in connexion with the granting of pemission
to settle); tensions between the generations caused by factors such as emigration,
marriage and starttng a farm without family consent.
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2L. The diffusion of agr icultural innovations The national or foreign agencies
and other orBanizations dedicated to the spread of innovations, and their programmes,
personnet, overall results, etc.; the location, major activities, problems, results
of agricultural extension work. the kinds of innovation adopted and/or desired in
the farnls and villages contacted; subzones, and ethnic groups that are more or less
receptive to innovations in fa ning techniques.
22. Attitudes towards sett t and repopulation.
(a) attitudes of older farmers, family, village, land, clan, and other chiefs
on farrning conditions and on the subzones preferred (densely or thinly populated),
and the reasons for these attitudes;(b) attitudesofyounger farrners, i..e. the potential settlers, on willingness
to leave their home village and family farm, to live together with farmers of other
ethnic groups, to follow the instructions of agricultural extensLonists; the further
minimrm services desired in the settlement area; and the ethnic groups and subzones
in which most potential settlers are found; etc.
1.3 Ma.ior difficulties in carrv inq out the social surveys
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1 .3.1 Ttre necessitv of endine social studies to departure at reas outside the
pilo! zones
23. In view of the proposed settlement of farmers from densely populated zones rn
onchocerciasis-cleared riverine areas, a study had to be made of both the pilot
zones (proposed by the SEDES report) and also several densely populated regions
outside these zones that will probably become the main departure areas of many
future settlers; the latter include the dense zone of Korhogo in the Ivory Coast,
the Bolgatanga district ].n north-eastern Ghana, and the Dapango, Lama-Kara, and
Pagouda areas in northern Togo.
1.3.2 The lack of b1c ksround data
24. LittLe useful documentation was available on the economic and socio-cu1tura1
characteristics of the study areas. Some anthropological studies (not action-
oriented) on the ethnlc groups concerned have been made and several sectoral, mostly
technical, agro-economic reports produced but studies on crucial toprcs such as
urigrational movements, and the diffusron of agricultural innovations in the study
areas are rarely made.
1.3.3 The complexity of the economic and social problem a s to be studied
25. The economic, social and cultural systems of African tribes are very complex,
intricate and elaborate, and several rather different ethnic groups were found in
each of the pilot zones and departure areas. AlthouBh the exploratory social
studies had to be timited to the specific areas indlcated above, the socio-economic
and institutional factors exptored should nevertheless be related to overall economic
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and social systems of the tribes and the varying regional and national backgrounds.
It should also be remembered that the settlement of farmers is a very complex and
delicate operation requiring thorough action-oriented studies and careful planning.
1.3.4 The lack of time
26. The six-month period (later extended to eight and a half months) originally
planned for the soclological survey and the briefing of local socioloBists proved
to be too short for the completion of the work and further studies are needed.
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SECTTON 2. GHANA COT'NIRY REPORT
Contents
BACKGROTND II,IFORMATIoN ON THE AREA STUDIED .
2.L.I Population . .
2.L.2 Ethnicgroups ....2.I.3 Agriculture . ...2.L.4 The young in the farm family . .
2.I.5 Diffusion of agricultural innovations .
2.1.6 Migration ..SETTLEMENT AND REPOPUI,ATION . .
2.2.1 Settlement experiments in Ghana
2.2.2 Attitudes to settlement and repopulation .
2.2.3 [,and tenure . .
2,2.4 Heterogeneity and overall compatibility of ethnic groups .
2.2.5 Attachnent to present community and farm . . .
2.2.6 Intergenerational relations . .
2.2.7 The fear of local people to return to onchocerciasis-
cleared riverine zones . .
TOWARDS PROJECT IDENTIFICATTON .
2.3.I Integrated rural development, repopulation and settlement
2.3.2 Objectives of the project
2.3.3 Selection of action areas
2.3.4 Possible action areas in north-eastern Ghana . .
2.3.5 The main lines of action in rural development .
2.3.6 Agricultural development .
2.3.7 Main lines of action in repopulation . .
2.3.8 Note on organizational requirements
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2.L BACKOROUI{D TMORMATION ON THE AREA STUDIED
27. The proposed pilot zones are the districts of Bawku and Navrongo; both areas
have close relations with the Bolgatanga District located between them. ltre three
districts have densely populated areas and may be considered as a single project
area. A great part of the information collected is derived from a two-month
exploratory social survey carried out by the local collaborating sociologist,Mr B. S. Hamidu, who is at present Regional Officer in TamaLe, Northern Region.
He was well acquainted with the study area and had easy access to traditional and
administrative leaders as well as other informants.
2A. Ttre study area (8849 to,2) b"torrgs to the guinean savanna belt and is crossed
by three major rivers, the tllhite and Red Volta and the Sissili, which form in part
the boundaries of the region and its districts. Ttre latter are subdivided into
nlne local authorities or councils, these census units were deLimited mostly on the
basis of the territories of the present ethnic groups (Fig. VI-1.I). The infra-
structure (cf. Annex I-1) is still rather deficient, but, on the whole, better than
in the surrounding areas outside Ghana. The rapidly expanding urban centres of
Bolgatanga, Bawku and, to some degree Navrongo, provide a growing number of services
in the sectors of public administration, health, education and commerce (markets).
The asphalted road from Tamale to Ouagadougou by vray of Bolgatanga and Navrongo and
its branch to Bawku are of international importance and link the study area to
southern Ghana.
2.1.1 Population
29. Total population numbers of the upper regton of north-eastern Ghana and its
districts are given in Tab1e Vl-1.1. There are two urban centres, viz. the
regional capital Bolgatanga (1960: 5515 inhabitants; 19?O: 18 896 inhabitants)
and the district capital Bawku (1960: 12 7Lg inhabitants; 1970: 20 567 inhabi-
tants). Navrongo has, in spite of its urban functions and regional importance,
less than SOOO inhabitants. the rest of the population of the area is spread over
countless sma1l vrllages wlth mostly a very <lispersed pattern of settlement as the
compounds are usually surrounded by farmland.
30. According to the report of the human geographer, the population densities of
the nine loca1 council areas of the study area ranBed in 1970 from 25 to 1O9 persons
per square kilometre (psk). Detailed density maps for 1960, however, show that the
riverine areas, mostly wtth densities of 2 to 6 persons psk are nearly uninhabitedt
whereas the higher territories in between (with densities of I93-27O persons psk
and some even of 386 persons psk) are overcrowded. High population densities are
found in the Fra Fra, Kassena-Nankani and Kusasi areas, whilst the Builsa zone is
relatively thinly populated (see Fig. VI-1.2 and VI-I.3). There are important
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christian missions at Navrongo, Bolgatanga, Bawku, Wiaga, Caru and Sandema, while
the muslims have a main centre in Bawku. the general level of educati.on is stitl
very Iow; there are elementary schools in most of the bi-gger vtllages but nearly
all school leavers have a distaste for local farming and emrgrate l') 1'1.. south.
Many rural parents, therefore, do not like the schools and it is reported, ;.or
example, that some of those in the Bawku area have had to be closed.
2.L.2 Ethnic groups
31. Ttrere are seven ethnic groups in the Bawku District, viz. the Kusasts, who
Iargely outnumber the others, the Manprusis, Grumahs, Busangas, Mossi.s, Bimobas
and Yaangas. AII groups speak Kusal in addition to their own language and theircustoms and systems of land tenure are similar. Hoqrever, the Manprusi and Mossi,
both mostly muslim, have different marriage and burial ceremonies. These two
tribes, which are closely related, and the Kusasi, came in the remote past from
the Upper Volta. The Krng of the Mossrs (Moro Naba) and of the Manprusis residerespectively in Ouagadougou and in Nalerigu (Northe:.n Region), both of which arestiIl paramount centres of the traditional power structure. UntiL the colonialperiod the Manprusis dominated a targe part of northern Ghana, including the Bawku
area. The Busangas, who are not very different from the Kusasis, immigrated from
Dahomey' the Yaangas from Togo and Upper Volta, and the still very traditionalBimobas from adjacent areas in Togo.
32. The ethnic groups of the Navrongo District are the lQssena and Nankani and
the rather different Builsas and Ctruchulini. The former two tribes, both originatingfrom the Gourounsi, have many affinities in language, custons, land tenure and farmingsystemsr and intermarriage is frequent among them. Navrongo, their main centre, ismostly Nankani, but the common medium of communication is the lGssena language.Between the Buitsa and Chuchulini, both rather traditional and closed, there arenowadays very few differences. the chief of the Builsas resides in their capitalSandema.
33. A11 ethnic groups in the study area are patrilineal and marriage is virilocal.The clans and even lineages of each ethnic group are usually scattered over a nqmber
of villages, mainly due to the dispersed pattern of settlement. The villages ofthe Bawku area are rather mixed and have no sections where locals belonging to one
ethnic subgroup (clan or lineage) reside together. In most villages of the Navrongo
area, on the contrary, such sections are important subunits.34. The Bawku District numbers 18 cantons, 6 of which have Manprusi chiefs and therest either Kusasi or Busanga heads. The canton chief of Bawku is considered tobe the senior chief and is informed about all important matters in the area, some
of which are also brought to the attention of the Nayiri or King of the Manprusisin Nalerigu. The power structure of each canton is as follows: at the apex of
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the pyramid is the canton chief, below him come hierarchically the headmen of the
villages, follou'ed by the clan, lineage, compound, and nuclear family heads. The
canton chief is usually elected by the village headmen. The latter, being at the
head of the most inportant clan in a vrllage and normally the biggest farmer, usually
inherit their function.
35. The tendana, earthpriest or custodian of the land, does not come into this
hierarchy. Each village has its own independent tendana with specific sacred
functions. In general, the headman and tendana of a village have a polar relation-
ship, often spatially expressed in separate residences. The chief has authority
over the people and the tendana over the land.
36. The structure of traditional leadershi.p rn the Builsa area is somewhat different.
The Sandemanab or chief of the Builsas residing in Sandema, commands 13 divisional
chiefs who have authority over the vtllage headmen. The latter are elected by their
people and approved by the Sandemanab. Each extended family has, furthermore, a
representative member fulfilling the functions of a tenclana. The Kassena-Nankanrs
have a confederacy of ten divisions, presided in turn by one of the dtvision chiefs.
Each of the latter has a number of subchiefs who serve hlm, below whom are the village
headmen and the compound chi.efs. Tlre latter also perform tendana functions.
37. Atthough the status and rmpact on the people of the tradltronal leaders 1s
slowly declining, they remain influential, partrcularly at the "grass roots" level.
Any project in the area dealrng with farmers has to take them adequately into
account. the relationshlps between the tradrt1onal and administratlve leaders are,
according to the locaI collaborator, cordral but "still bordering on master-servant
periphery. The chrefs are strll over-zealous to obey and satisfy the non-traditional
Ieaders", which is pre.sumably a remnant of the colonial perrod.
2.1.3 Asricul ture
38. The human unit for exploitation of the land rs basrcally the extended family
living in a compound with a total number of members varying from a few to over IOO;
the average number is about 25. Throughout the study area the compounds are
surrounded by part of the farmland, one reported reason berng to have the animals
graztng freely around the house. The compound chief, usually the llneage head, has
usufructuary rrghts on the farmland; in practice, he owns rt by right of rnheritance.
part of the tand is commonly exploited; alI the marrr.ed and unmarried family members
work on rt at times convenient to them ancl the family head. The rest of the land
is aLlocated by the chlef to the various nuclear family heads and also to single
adults who exploit their own plot or plots.
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39. In the villages that were visited the sizes of the farms vary. The bigger
farmers, usually village chiefs or notables, own, on the average, O.8-2 hectares,
the medium farmers O.4-O.8 hectare, and the small farmers O.I-O.4 hectare. In
the less densely populated areas such as the Builsa zone the average area owned is
greater, viz. 1.2-1.6 hectares. There is, however' no open stratification of
farm-famiiies in the viltage since the farming conditions of most locals are rather
similar. An exception is formed by a timited number of big fanners' for the greater
part living in the Bawku and Bolgatanga areas, wtro exploit larger plots with modern
farming methods, using tractors, etc. Their plots are usually located in fertile,
empty areas far from their home village wtrere land is scarce.
40. The problem of land-shortage rs relevant above alt in the host areas which had
to provide land to numerous "refugees" from nearby riverine zones stricken by
onchocerciasis. Land-scarcity is, for example, painfully felt by loca1s of Katia
and Ctriana near the depopulatinB Nakong zone. In the remaining parts of the study
area (except the southern Builsa region) a serious land-hunger also reigns. "It
is a common sight to see people pile up pebbles, stones and even rocks in order to
obtain some more farmland", writes the local collaborator. To this he adds that
many respondents, strangely enough, did not complain of tack of land and seem unaware
of the problem, which, nevertheless, certainly exists. A systematic sample survey
is needed to determine for each subzone the degree of felt land-shortage.
2,1.4 The young in the fatm family
41. The status, position and degree of independence of the young are important
social topics for the proposed repopulation and settlement efforts that will
particutarly affect the younger farmers. The term "young" refers mainly to married
and unmarried young and often also to middle-aged sons who stitl submit to older
compound and lineage chrefs.
42. As noted above, individualization of farming is increasing throughout the study
area, so that more and more only the compound head and his wives and young children
work on the conrmon family plot. The l(assena-Nankani and Builsa tribes apparently
do not even have common plots but still all compound dwellers farm certain days for
the head "in recognition of certain services he renders, €.8., worshrpping of the
ancestral shrines or the family Fetrsh" (locaL collaborator).
43. Where the family land has not been spllt up into various farm units (as, e.9.,
in the Shiega zone, Bolgatanga Distrlct), the head has to reciprocate for the
services rendered, that is, he has to provide his dependants with all the basic
necessities and consult theB on the disposal of crops and other common farm revenue.
Otherwise, the younger ones "slip away to the south" (tocal collaborator). In
general, the s-ervices rendered to the family head by the younger members, particularly
the married ones, have become minimal. Nearly every young man, if he has not
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emigrated, exploits his own plot which he notmally receives as soon as he is adult,that is, at about 15 years of age, when he can farm fully. From the revenue he
buys personal effects andr/or helps his family head to pay his dowry. (The average
age of marriage for mares rs 22 years, and for femares 14 years.)44- "The ancient practice of commensalism of the extended family is also disappearingvery fast, particularty in the Navrongo District. Consequently, the bonds ofsolidarity' mutual interest and intimate knowledge of one another's affairs, which
once knit families together, are getting less and less articulated", observes theIoca1 collaborator. The emphasis in most compounds is increasingly placed on nuclearfamily relationships. The lasting and, ln the case of emigrated members, one of thefew tres that brnds the members of the extended family together is the ancestor cult,"the centripetal force in Iineage relatrons".45. The younger mqnbers of the family are on the whole increasingly less submittedto the authority of the older. Traditionally, the compound and nuclear familychiefs, followed by the lineage heads, are the most important authorities for theyounger men. The llneage heads usually gr.ve formal approval to marriages and inter-vene in cases of confLict. In some zones, e.g. in part of the Botgatanga District,with strong extended family ties, the younger men still have to obey unconditionalty.In other areas, however, they are becoming increasingly independent: they farm theirown plot; and they themselves, rather than thelr older relatives select a spouse
(if the older people do not accept her, they often marry by capture and emigrate);in the Builsa area several younger ex-emigrants are even reported to be buildingtheir own houses separately from the compounds; and last but not least, many emigratewithout thelr family's consent.
46. Intergenerational tensrons and conflicts are, however, seemingly and in general,not frequent in the study area. Those that do occur are mainly centred aror.rnd
matters of marriage (acceptance of spouse, dowry, etc.), the preferential treatmentof the young ln a conpouncl by the older, and further disrespect of customs and famityor lineage rmperatives. The cases of (overt) non-conformity by the young seldom
concern, however, the ancestor cult practised by all famrly members. Finally,formally or rnformally organrzed peer groups of the young (formed, for example, tobuild a house or clear and explort a plot of 1and) are practr.cally non-existent.Thrs could be explai.ned by the massive emigration and the very dispersed pattern ofsettlement in the area.
2.1.5 Diffusion ofa q ricultural innovations
47. The farmers of the study area, on the whole still rather tied to their traditionalfarming system, are reportedly becoming more receptlve to innovations. The degree ofpenetration of the innovatrons varies, however, according to the ethnic group andthe
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subzone. Although farmers from all over the area adopt or are willing to introduceon their farms such novelties as fertilizers, improved seeds, etc., the Kusasi and
Kassena-Nankani appear more lnnovation-ninded than the rather. traditional, closedBuilsa or the Fra Fra. The latter seem to prefer mostly commercial acLi.vities.The farmers'"proximity to the source of the gospel', (Iocal collaborator) is anotherimportant variable. It appears that the cultivators living near to demonstrationplots, agricultural research stations, settlement farms or bigger modernized privatefarms, become motivated more quickly to improve their farming methods. "Where theuse of fertilizers Is not common, this should be attrlbuted more to the non-availabilityof nearby examples and of financial means than to the disinclination to use them",notes the local collaborator.48. The Bo1eat anga area. The Regional Agricultural Office, BolBatanga, includessections dealing with crop production, irrigation, animal husbandry and heatth,mechanization and manpower (training).
(a) The crop production sectlon suffers from the general lack of agriculturalextension workers all over the Upper Region. It is assisted by the active agricul-tural development project sponsored by the Federal Republic of Germany which has itsmain office in Tamale in the Northern Region, The projectrs objectives are topromote modern farming inputs, storage facilities, mechanization, repair workshops,
rice mills, etc. A major activity of the section is the introduction of rice, notonly on private holdings but also through group rice farms financially assisted by
loans from the Agricultural Development Bank. One of the seven farms now functioningin the region ls located on a 60 hectare plot near Kologo and headed by an educated
farmer who asked some t2 friends to join him in the venture. The other Broup farms
are organized on a similar basis. [n 1972, 13 more farms were planned, one of whichis on a 4O5 hectare plot near F\urbisi, Navrongo. The participating farmers come
daily from nearby villages but miBht later install themselves on the farms wtrich,therefore, could be consldered as pre-settlement experiments. Apart from the farms,there are now numerous loca1s who have started to cultivate rice.
(b) One activity of the animal husbandry section was to create a state cattlefarm of about 2O2 hectares in Dobo, wtrich now provides bullocks trained for traction.The rather successful introduction of oxen traction through the BuIlock ploughing
Scheme should be regarded as a first step towards achieving mixed agrlculture in theregion. As in other parts of West Africa, the local farmers consider cattle not as
a means of productlon but as a klnd of savings-deposit capital, mostly entrusted tothe Fulani, who are semi-nomadic cattle tribes.
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Annex V[-lpage 14
(c) The manpower section is responsible for the Agricultural Manpower Training
Centre established in 1964 near Navrongo. This institute provides one-year training
courses in mechanized farming to elementary-school leavers (about 80 in 197O), some
sent by foo<i producinB agencies of northern Ghana and others coming from private farms.
A few years ago several of the trainees were given the opportunity of settling on a
state farm at Tono, but most cf them left, mainly because of the lack of social
amenities, and the project partially failed.49. Most agricultural development agents in the area realize more and more that the
presently weak agricultural extension service should be adequately organized at the
"6;rass roots" level and should receive priorj.ty in the development efforts. In the
I96Os, for example, over 2OO dams to regulate the water supply were built in the
region, but at the present, only about ten are still functioning. The loca1 people
have to be trained to make use of such opportunities through effective extension
work. Some extension efforts in the Bawku end Navrongo areas are described below.
50. The Bawku area. The Agricultural Office of the Bawku District has only Il
extensron workers who are equipped with motor cycles, for its 13 subdistricts and,
in addition, one technical officer to inspect tractors and another one to introduce
farming inputs (i.e., fertilizers, improved seeds, etc.). A main activity is the
promotion of oxen traction and bullock ploughs, at present adopted by 5OO and 3OOO
farmers respectively. Some 32 bigger farmers (of whom nine own over lOO hectares
of land) have a tractor. Rainfed rice, cotton (promoted by the Cotton Development
Board, Tama1e, rs assisted by the Compagnie frangaise des Textiles (CFDT)) and some
konaf are the new crops introduced in the area. The Agricultural Cooperative Union,
financially assisted by the Agricultural Development Bank, supervised some 7 prr.mary
cooperatives, all of which, however, have failed. It is probably too early to
think of cooperatrves in the area. The Bank r.s now turning to the provlsion of loans
to farmers on an individual basrs. The Presbyterian Mission of Caru, assisted by
the Christian Services Committee, carries out an active, non-governmental project
to diffuse agricultural innovations all over the study area. Sub-centres were
created in Binaba and Wraga (Navrongo), which are both staffed by volunteers, as
well as in Sandema (Navrongo). The project is successful in the diffusion of
improved seeds, fertilizers, bullock-ptoughing, grain silos, and so on, and it promotes
intensive poultry production and has plans for the creation of an agricultural credlt
union.
51. Ttre Navrongo Area. The Dlstrict Agricultural Office with its 13 extension
workers is actively engaged in spreading farminB inputs. It has introduced a bullock
plough into one of every three compounds, but most are now out of order and new ones
seem not to be available at present. A repair shop is still tacking. The Kassena-
Nankani zone near the Paga-Navrongo-Naga road has been developed and is accessible
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Annex vr-1page 15
by road. The locaL people are concentrating on rice production, wtrich was also
started around Chiana. lhe more isolated, traditional Builsa area still presents
many difficulties for the diffusion of farming inprovements. Infomtants say that
the area is "in the backwater".
52. The Agricultural Development ProJect of the Misston of Wiaga in the centre of
the area which collaborates with the Garu Project, has had some success. [t managed
to create about 40 self-help wells, over 150 dry season hand-irrigated vegetable
gardens, and about 12 graln sllos ln 6 vlllages. Furthemore, it distributed
bullock ploughs, fertllizers and improved seeds, proceeding ry compound.and not by
exploited farm. Not only the young but also nrrnerous middle-aged farmers partici-pated in the scheme. Ttlere is a small demonstration plot and pLans have been made
for a training farm with one-year courses, but, in contrast to the Navrongo Centre
mentioned earlier, it will be operated without mechanization. The Presbyterian
Church near the Builsa capital, Sandema, also runs, in collaboration with the
Garu Centre, an agricultural development proJect. It has a demonstratlon farm and
also diffuses farm inputs in nearby areas. Finally, mention shoutd be made of the
USAID assisted Focus and Concentration Programme.
53. The Navrongo District was selected as one of the six pilot zones in Ghana.
Under the supervision of t2Assistant District Agricultural Officers, some 60 capable
farmers in 12 vilLages spread all over the area, have been applying during recent
years the progranme's well-studied approach to better farn nanagement. This includes
measuring farm land, designing an adequate rotation system, estimating labour needs,
farm budgeting, planning a calendar of far:nring operations, recording achievements,
etc. The activity appears to have been quite successful.
2.L.6 Migration
54. Imlgratlon. [n contrast to the complex population movenents in the area in
the remote past (see 2.L.2), only soall groups of Yaangas, Busangas' Mossis and
Binobas now immigrate from adJacent areas abroad. Most of them settle in villages
already ethnically mixed and are reported to be well accepted. The strangers
combineagriculture with various other actlvlties, for example, the Yaangas have many
weavers, the Busangas blacksmiths, theMossis petty traders and the Bimobas hunters.
Many strangers, emigrants from Upper Volta and traders, pass through the Bolgatanga
and Navrongo distrlcts from time to time but few settle permanently.
55. Population movements withln the area. Mlgrant farming scarcely occurs in the
area, for example around the dense zone of Korhogo ln the lvory Coast which has
numerous canps, because little eopty land free from a serious onchocerclasis riskis available near the densely populated zones. Ttre past and ongoing movements of
local people from onchocerciasis-stricken rlverine zones to hlgher inland areas are,
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Annex VI-lpage 16
however, on a large scale. Figure VI-l.4 shows the retreating settlement frontiersduring the period. 1940-60 in the zone between the Red and White Volta rivers in theBawku District. A depopulation project after the onchocerciasis progranrme would
lower the average density of 95 persons p"" l*2 in the occupied area to 38 per ton2.
56. The local collaborator obtained field-evidence of the following acute depopu-
Lation trend.(a) [n the Bawku District: the entire area south of Garu, particularly
around Sinibaga and llariconbo. An agricultural adviser from Garu stated that, ofthe many villages he saw in thls fertile area in 196?, only three are left and these
are also shrinking. Most evacuees settled in the Kugri-Natinga zones, all along
the Red and l{lrite Volta rivers, particularly the Zongo-Yiri, Sepe1iga, Tili and
Windenaba areas.(b) In the Navrongo District Nakong area in the west I Kologu, Nagah areas
in the east; most southern zones like Kong, Wiasi, Fumbisi, etc.(c) In the Botgatanga District: the semi-circle of Arabe, Nangodi, Sekoti
and Pelungu areas. The gradual starvation of onchocerciasis zones started some
60 years ago and rs stilt going on, so that the human geographer speaks of "settle-ment collapse areas", that is, territories with smal1, decreasing populations doomed
to starve in the near future. The process has incisive and widespread economic and
social repercussions, such as the uprooting of nunerous comrnunities, the massing
together of people on less fertile, and now mostly exhausted, land in the interiorareas, etc.57. The reasons for withdrawal given by the locat people during the geographical
and social surveys are:(a) river-blindness I
(b) the blackfly and, according to some informants, also the tsetse fly;(c) seasonal flooding, hampering housebuilding and cultivation;(d) heavy soils near the rivers difficutt to cultivate by manual farming
methods;
(e) big game animals endangering man and damaging crops.
The local people are increasingly well aware of the fact that onchocerciasis or the
blackfly cause their displacement. Some of the older still speak of the "bad chu
chu", i.e., evil spirits, as a main reason, but these supernatural forces are
directly connected with the blackfly. The local collaborator found, however, that
some of the loca1 people do not know or agree that people are moving out because
their areas are stricken with onchocerciasis. I'he spread and degree of awareness
of the disease among the locals need to be verified more systematically through
sample surveys.
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Annex VI-lpage 17
58. Specific field-studies have still to be made in Ghana on the various forms and
phases of the process of abandonment in the villages of riverine zones. The general
features of the process are presumably similar to those descrrbe<l i-n t)r'C. Remy's
study on the Nob6r6 zone and summarlzed in the description of the White ancl ReC. Volta
river zone (see section 3). The displacement of a village might take place very
gradually or at once or successively in both ways. It is beyond doubt that, from
the moment the first families move out, the tightly knitted social structure of a
community rs seriously attacked. ltre remaining villagers become increasinglydemoralized and, after a palnful period of deliberation, more and more of them decide
to follow the first migrants.
59. Field data are also lacking on the process of reinstallation of the migrants.
Questions to be studied are: wtrere do they go? Wtry? Do they all go there or
only some of them, permanently or provisionally? What are their reasons? It may
be assumed that most migrants, sometimes after various temporary reinstallations,finally settle in villages further inland, where relatives or friends anafor members
of the same clan reside. Many of the younger who have not yet moved out probably
emiBrate to the south, as in similar zones in Upper Volta. The prospect of poor
farming in overcrowded zones certainly does not ture them into remaining with theirfamilies. A final range of questions concerrsthe attitudes, reactions, maybe the
frictrons and tensions of the host populatron in the reinstallation area(s) wtro
notice their farmland gradually contracted by these invasions. Although these
host areas appear peaceful on the surface, underlying tensions and conflicts may
plague (part of) the vitlages under stress.60. Hnigratron. North-eastern Ghana experiences considerable emigration. Table Ishows that the annual net migration loss in the Navrongo district is about 2.5%, inthe Bolgatanga district L.4%, and in the Bawku district O.8%. Also Fig. VI-l.2.5indicates clearly the vast scale of emigration in the area. Ttre sex ratios in the
various local authority areas vary from 58 to 76 males to every lOO women, in the
eeonomically active age-group 15-44 years. (The overall ratio for Ghana is 93:1oo)
Such low ratios have, of course, serious repercussions on family and community lifeas well as on the farming operations of the local people. Fig. VI-1.6 is a map ofthe sub-zones in north-eastern Ghana with net migration gain (probably due tolmmigration of locals of riverine onchocerciasis zones), and with net migi.ation
losses of which many are in "absolute decline". The loca1 collaborator estimates
that about ?5% of all young men migrate to the south. An informant in the Bawku
area observed that on the average one younB man per compound has gone and, further,that all men now present went out for about two years. According to a missi.onary,
one-third of the Builsa have emigrated.
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Annex VI-1page l8
61. Most emigrants are young, viz. t6-3O years of age, and on the average 23 years
of age, but some are only 12. they originate from aII types of family, from the
better-off and the poor, from those with many children and those with few. Frequently
the young move out wlthout parental permission; as soon as they have saved the lorryfare they leave. The majority of the emigrants work as cocoa-farm, conservancy and
brrilding labourers, domestic servants and watchmen in urban centres such as Accra
and Ktunasi. The literate loca1s, who nearly all emigrate, usually work as civil
servants in urban centres. Those who move out to take a chance generally go to
the nearer urban areas (Kunasi, etc.), while those who go further (coastal zones)
have jobs arranged beforehand by relatives livrng there. The illiterate emigrants
rarely have the opportunity, and are not interested, to become urbanizedl they work
for the greater part in rural areas not very dissimilar to their own.
62. There are several often interrelated motivations of the young to emigrate:
(a) to become economically independent from their (extended) family where
traditionally individual profitrnaking is not possible since common property and
revenue-sharing is the basic rule. The young usually have a strong desire to make
money on their own but most have poorly paid jobs in the rural regions to which they
emigrate and save onty a small sum, used to purchase "conspicuous" goods, such as a
radio, a bicycle, clothes, etc., or to help their family to pay the dowry;
(b) to escape from tight famity ties and paternal authority. Many do not
care to adapt themselves fully to their famity, farm and village any more and some
have had conflicts in their family, frequently about a bride not accepted by their
relatrves;(c) to avoid old-time subsistence farming on family land. The local
collaborator assumes that, if cash crops were l.ntroduced, emigration might break
down. This is, however, doubtful, because the emigrants have other motivations
too ;
(d) to enjoy urban life; this motivates above all the literate young with
their aversion to agriculture; they are in search of urban jobs;
(e) to keep up prestige among peers and friends; this motivates particularly
the very young migrants.
63. Most emigrants return for short periods to attend family ceremonies, thereby
maintaining family ties, and some to farm during the rain season. The single
people also return to select a spouse. Although a substantial number settle
definiteLy in thelr working area, most of them return home permanently when they
attain the age of about 45.
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Annex VI-Ipage 19
2.2 SETTLEMET.IT AND REPOPULATION
2.2.1 Settlement experiments ir1 Gh4qq
64. Ghana experienced in the 196Os a massive settlenent proJect in the man-nade
Volta Lake area which affected 84 OOO people installed in sone 52 new villages.
An evaluation of this project is not very useful in this document for the following
reasons. Firstly, it is an example of forced (because of the emergence of the man-
made lake) rather than the voluntary settlement as aimed at by the proposed project.
Secondly, the project is situated in southern Ghana with quite different ecological,
economic and social conditions. ltrlrdly, ample docunentation is avaiLable on this
operation, including the hunan and social aspects.
65. A number of mi.nor settlement experiments have been tried in northern Ghana.
The Agricultural Instltute of Damongo in the Northern Region ls a well-known proiect.
During the 194Os, the Gonja Devetopment Company settled a nuunber of local people,
mostly Fra Fra and Nankani-l(assena from the dense zones in the Upper Region on a
voluntary basis on empty lands near Damongo. The project failed and ceased to
exist in 1957 mainly because the settters lacked land-tenure security and felt
uprooted from their far-off communities. Many locals ln the study area still
remember, however, this misfortune. [n 1962 the Catholic Mission of Tamale
started, with the assistance of the Government of Canada, a new project with the
objective of trarning middle-school leavers from the north for two years in modern
agriculture and settling them thereafter on the abandoned fields of the liquidated
company. By 1973 the Government of Ghana will have taken over the project entirely.
At present, there are 32 inmates and 41 settlers belonging to some IO tribes. The
latter reside in groups of 3-4 in fanns with plots of 12-16 hectares. Mechanical
equipment is provided for each group. In total, about 2O2 hectares are under
cultivation. ltris costly project, with mechanized fanring, provides clearly few
useful elements for the kind of settlement to be proposed eventually by the Mission.
66. In the Upper Reglon there are three settlement farms, vLz., Bazua, Namoogo and
Vea, supervised by the Settlements Division of the Ministry of Agriculture. Their
origlnal objectlve in the early sixties was to settle school-leavers, but these allleft. In Bazua there are presently 26 illiterate farmers of whom only 13 are
installed on the farm (in 1970 the number ras 23); the rest of the participants
come daily from nearby villages. They are trained by a technical officer and
are each provided wlth a plot of land and fam inputs on loan, together with a regular
monthly income before the harvest. Ttrese advances are later deducted from the
revenue from their crops. Some 81 hectares are currently under cultivation with
groundnuts, millet and malze. The Namoogo and Vea resettlement fatms are run in
a similar way and have L5 and 13 settlers, respectively. The farms still struggle
with the problem of desertion: "the settlers take up farmring as a last resort"
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Annex VI-lpage 20
(Iocal coltaborator) and quit as soon as they become qualified in some way, e.g.
after obtaining a tractor licence. Many leavers are employed by big fanners in
the area or emigrate. Ttre reasons for the partial failure of the farms are the
inadequate selection of the settlers and the fact that they feel more like state
employees than independent farmers in spite of all attempts to avoid this. More-
over, the settlements are not viable communities since most participants reside in
nearby villages.2.2,2 Attitudes towards settlement and repopulation
67, According to the exploratory field-survey of the Local collaborator the attitudes
of the respondents (chiefs, older and younger farmers) in the study area towards
settlement are, on the whole, negative. His conclusions are quoted in part below:
68. "Whether in zones of dense population with bad land, zones not densely populated
with sufficient land, the response was generally in the negative. The pervading
factor to this negative attitude was the concept of home and the disinclination to
tear themselves away from their ancestral shrines . . . the cult of the lineage
ancestors is the supreme binding force in lineage relations, and the idea of
abandoning these places and seeking new homes in 'strange' horizons is absolutely
obnoxious to almost all respondents. t interviewed some people in a number of
vrllages (some 9 are mentioned) where people actually heap up stones and rocks in
order to get 'sufficient' farmland, but they would not hear of settlement at aII."
In many viltages (13 are mentioned) wtrich are particutarly infested with the Simulium
and tsetse flies, even the afflicted were opposed to the idea of settlement. "An
outside observer may find this difficult to comprehend but for these people the
concept of home, lineage, sacred attributes of the Earth, distincti.ve customs,
politico-ritual office peculiar to them, are more important than any economic
affluence - at least for the meantime. the older, settlement is a complete
transgression of tradition. The settlers, theyagree, would feel alrenated. This
was also the view of many of the younger respondents except for a few eLementary
school-leavers. The Iatter, nonetheless, stipulated that (if settled) they would
want to return to their natal homes and be burred among the shrines of their
ancestors." Also, the village chiefs, tendanas, clan and lineage heads, were not
in favour. "Would they (the settlers) not be whittling away the allegiances owed
to them?" OnIy the Sandemanab chief of the Builsas and the chief of Katiu would
permit some of their subjects to settle. The forrner suggested the Vaari and
yiyaasa areas (but these stitl faIl, however, under his competency), the latter the
Nakong area. AII the other chiefs were against settlement, but added that if their
sons wanted to, they would not stand in their way.
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Annex v t-1page 2l
69. Some respondents argued that "settlement would be in the disfavour of the
potential settlers because some would have no chitdren. (In the extended families
of the compounds, they alnrays have children even if these are of rela+-ives.) If
they mixed with other ethnic groups, they would be lost and also denied the services
of the children of their kinsmen back home" . . . "Others hinted that if the head-
ship of a compound, lineage or even a village came to the turn of somebody who had
settled, it would bring complications since he would have to come back to his natal
home to take up his office, thus leaving all his acquired wealth and new house
behind." In addition, the collaborator maintained that also goverrment officials,
agricultural officers, etc.,working in the area and quite faniliar with the locals
(most are moreover natives of the region), were not optimistic about the idea of
settlement. Ttreir overall reaction was that setttement would not work.
70. The PAG Mission's human.geographer arrived at seemingly different conclusions.
He states that all chiefs of the traditional states in the Bawku area would welcome
foreigrr as well as local settlers on their lands and exptains this by assuming that
the riverine chiefdoms with their ongoing population decline are in need of more
inhabitants, even strangers (as tong as these subjects acknowledge the chiefs), in
order to strengthen their weakening traditional authority. This difference in
reports of the chief's attitudes may be explained as follows. The chiefs contacted
by the local collaborator obviously got the impression that they would lose subiects
through setttement and, so, they were against the idea, while during the interviews
with the human geographer they thought that they would "gain" people, and accordingly
they were in favour.
?1. In conclusion, both the loca1 collaborator and the hrEan geographer advance the
same basic hypothesis, vLz., the aspiration of chlefs to increase the nunber of
their subjects or their concern about a possible decrease. In reallty, both
situations, and, consequently, both reactions might occur, depending on where an
eventual settlement project takes place. Some chiefdoms could become host areas,
and some departure areas for the scheme's settlers, while it is also possible that
one or more chiefdoms could include both types of area.
72. Ttle results of the consultant's interviews held in the area converge' to a
large extent, with the findings of his collaborator. The informants made it clear
that it would be rather difficult to settle local people outside their canton or
chiefdom and even more so outside the territory of their ethnic group. Some
missionaries asserted that the viltagers have flrst to be better educated (they are,
in other words, too traditlonal). A limited number of the young might still be
found to start settlement projects but most of them will not be backed by their
clans and villages. T'tte elementary school leavers, however, will only be willing
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Annex VI-lpege 22
to participate after experiencing "a phase of starving out", in other words afterconcluding that urban jobs are more and more out of reach, and that there is no
way to make a living ottrer than by farming. AIl informants agreed that repopulation
of (semi-) abandoned viLlages would be warmly welcomed by the people involved, and
that it would bring great benefits to the region.
73. The foregoing data show that the time is not ripe in north-eastern Ghana forone or more (large-sca1e) settlement projects to be started in empty, never inhabited
areas. The reasons are:(a) the inhabitants are, on the whole, still too anchored to their traditional
economic and socio-cultural systems and, above all, too attached to their present
home and ancestral shrines. An area-wide sample field survey wiIl, of course, be
needed to obtain more detailed and differentiated information on this topic;(b) the smalt-scaIe settlement experiments carried out in northern Ghana
were not successful, a fact that impressed many locals;(c) emigration is (stitI) the chaltenging alternative for all the young who
want to make money of their own, andr/or break somehow with tight family and villageties. Horryever, here we should remember that the numerous young actually working inthe south, some of whom are probably potential settlers, could not be interviewed;
a nrmrber of them might presumably prefer settlement in their own region to emigration.
It is clear that the project to be proposed by the Mission will have to concentrate
during its first phase(s) on the repopulation of abandoned riverine zones. In
successive phase(s) these operations could be followed by (small-sca1e) pitot settle-
ment schemes, some of wtrich could, in fact, be conceived as a kind of extension of
the repopulation schemes to be proposed. On the basis of these considerations, rt
will still be useful to indicate in the next section a number of obstacles to an
eventual settlement project. Some of these difficulties might, moreover, also
apply to the repopulation schemes.
2.2.3 [,and tenure
74. The findings of the local collaborator and the consultant, which are largely
convergent, are here presented briefly. "Systems of land tenure and the nature of
land rights are similar throughout the study area" (and the major part of sahelien
West Africa). "It rs also the same whether in populated or (nearly) uninhabited
and uncultivated areas". The extended farm family owns most of the plots operated.
Ownership of farmland, a precise juridical conception among all ethnic Broups, is
vested in a lineage and forns the most important part of the lineage patrimony.
When a lineage splits up, some of the land is apportioned among the resultlng seg-
ments (compounds) and each retains perpetual and exclusive ownership of its portion.
the rest of the lineage farm land renains the common property of the whole lineage.
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Annex VI-Ipage 23
A11 males of the lineage have the right to inherit lineage land, but control over
it is always vested in the lineage head, by rlght of seniority. He inherits full
usufructuary rlghts and shares part of it with his agnatic kinsmen. Non-kinsmen
can also borrow tand for a number of years, but the lineage head remains the owner.
A village chief or tendana may be tineage head and have, therefore, exclusive iuris-
diction over their patrimonial tand, but neither owns at1 the land in a given village.
?5. For an eventual settlement scheme, it will be necessary to claim exclusive land
rights in uninhabited and (nearly) uncultlvated areas. Most tracts of such "bush"
are, however, owned by Lineage heads; only a few have no "owners", either secuLar
or ritual. Ttre local people say that they have dled out. Anyone can build or
cultivate there. A man or agency wanting to do so will, however, try to find,
possibly through the chief of the nearest village, a tendana or clan chief to offer
sacrifices to the earth on his behalf, as a subsidiary legatee of the defunct
"owners". Thereafter, the man (or agency) can go on tilling the land for as long
as he likes. An annual gift of grain may also be offered to the chief or tendana
who made the sacrifice as a gesture of gratitude and not as a tegal obligation.
ln case land is needed for settlement, the pertinent canton and vilLage chief(s) as
weII as the tendana(s) are to be contacted. During the survey "not one of the
chiefs approached raised a voice of dissent" and all would concede empty land for
reinstallation of farmers from the reglon.
76. [n numerous vlllages people from forelgn ethnic groups, and also governmental
bodies and missionartes have, in fact, acquired land for building and cultivation
purposes. The manner of acquisltion of land for farming by non-governmental
agencies may involve the palrnent of compensation. (Governmental bodies pay no
conpensation since alL lands are vested in the Governnent.) In such cases, the
chief is consulted and assembles the people having, in his opinion, a clalm on the
Iand. The cmpensation consists of some cash and food as well as a drink. The
food is meant to sustain the alienated landou/ners in the interim period. Ttlen the
landowners declare on paper the transference of land, whilst the chief functions as
a witness. Ttle dectaration is handed over to the Lands Department for the legal
procedure, after which the land is owned for 99 years.
77. As the local coltaborator, in his capacity as Regional Officer, deals also
wlth land acquisition, it could be useful to add the foLlowing notes from his report:
"The procedure for the permanent acquisltion of land for the proposed settlement nay
be similar to the one followed for the settlement farms in the study area (see
section 2.2.L). The maln canton chief (e.g., the Bawku-Naba) should be approached
first because the proposed settlenent area will probably include parts of more than
one canton. He invites, thereafter, the chiefs of the cantons concerned and clears
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Annex VI-lpage 24
the matter with them. After this clearance by the traditional Leaders, the SitePlans should be requested to be drawn by either the Survey Department or Town
Planning Department in Bolgatanga or Bawku. !'hen an application,with the SiteP1ans as appendices, should be made to the Regional Administrative Officer,Bolgatanga, to get pemission to use the land. After requesting the pertinentDistrict Administrative Officers to invite the Site Selection Committee to determine
the sites' suitabillty and the subsequentapprovalby the Regional Commissioner,
Upper Region, the plans are sent to the l,ands Department for the Legal Procedure
of transference."2.2.4 Heterogeneitv and overall tibilitv of ethnic sroups
?8. lttis is a major element in the planning and implementation of workable settle-ment scheme(s). Of the 15 major ethnic groups found in north-eastern Ghana, the
Kusasi, Manprusl, Fra Fra, Nankani-I(assena and Builsa groups are the largest. The
local collaborator writes the following on these groups. "On the surface, alL
these ethnic groups live together amicably and at peace with one another, but a
closer acquaintance, however, reveals hidden undercurrents. I observed thatbeneath the overt stability and integration of the social order lie continuous
latent tensions." This is particutarly clear between the Kusasi and Manprusis inthe Bawku area. The former were for a long period dominated by the latter, theirlords. "thei.r animosity flared up recently as a result of the fracas over
chieftaincy in the late fifties" wtlen a political activist "went round the cantons
and diskinned all the Manprusi chiefs and enskinned Kusasis in their places. Iobserved also that the Kusasi utro were locked up in this conflict are good haters.When in 1966 the Chieftaincy Amendment Decree 112 was passed, they were very
aggrieved. This Instrument (Decree) deposed the Kusasi chiefs and brought back
the Manprusr.s. The Kusasis having then become (again)'serfs'in their own land,
want nothing short of a comp lete reversal of the status quo. The wounds of the
civil disturbances that erupted in 1966 are not yet healed. Paradoxically, Iobserved that the younger Benerations are more antagonistic to each other than the
older ones. Their keen sense of the importance of social obligations hides atendency to aggressive self-assertion. Does Bawku (area) not belong to them?" . .
"Their usual spirit of good-natured tolerance masks a proneness to suspicious
watchfulness. Throughout the survey, r.t was only Kusasis who told me in no
uncertain terms that they would on no account settle with Manprusis. No other
ethnic group hinted their incompatibility with any other group." During his field-visit, the consultant had similar findings which, because of their importance, were
rather extensively quoted.
a
t
t
Annex VI-1page 25
Zg. In the Navrongo District Live four ethnic groups) vLz., Kassena, Nankani,
BuiIsa and ctruchulini. Between the first two exist close relationships and
considerable assimilation as well as interrarriage. AIso between the Builsa and
Chuchulini many simllarlties in language, customs, farming systemst eLc., can be
noted. However, the Builsas are reportedly more traditional, closed and resistant
to innovations. Both groups would probabty live well together in the same settle-
ment area. Honever, according to insiders, they should not be settled together
with farmers of other tribes (e.g., the Kassena and Nankani) at least not during
the initial phases. In general, given the still rather traditional outlook, social
structure and "xenophobia" of the tribes in the study area, it is recommended that
farmers of different ethnic groups should as far as possibte be settled separately.
2.2.5 Attachment to presen t community and farm
80. Invariably, the informants asserted that people in the area cling to their
homes and land. Most inhabitants are indeed firmly rooted in their traditional
social structure and culture of wtrich the place-bound ancestor worship forms a
centrat iten. "Earth is considered as a goddess and you cannot Leave the piece
of tand given you by this supernatural force, nor quit the shrines and fetishes of
the forefathers without being punished." Follow-up surveys should, however,
demonstrate to wtlat degree the young are still adherents to these beliefs. For
example, are most of them only overtly conforming to the customs and ceremonies
without being really convinced (any more)?
81. Other considerations are the following: The locals live in a well-organized
traditionat power (authority) structure. After settlement - some interviewees
remarked - not a few mlght lose the right to (inheritabte) posltions in the power
structure (see para. 6?). Another problem is that, according to the locals,
"money is best spent at home", in other words, how wilL they satisfactorily express
the prestlge-value of the Eoney earned in a far-off settlement area? fitey would
like to show their achieved richness in their ancient home coEmunlty. Though most
evacuees of the (semi-) abandoned riverine zones were eager to return to their
ancient villages, fotlow-up studies should detennine to wtlat degree they reintegrated
and became later on attached to their present villages. This is, of course,
indispensable for adequate planning of a repopulation programme.
2.2.6 lntergenerational relations82. The section of the young in the farm fanily (2.L.4) shows that the young are
increasingly less suhitted to the authority of the o1der, that is, family, llneage,
clan and viltage chiefs. Nowadays, most of them solect a spouse for themselves
and many marry and emigrate without the pemission of their lineage elder. Actua1ly,
the possibility of emlgrating has undennined a great deal of the once stable authority
a
Annex VI-1page 26
of the older people. Accordingly, quitea lot of chiefs and older interviewees
said that they were opposed to the settlement of their sons, but if they insisted
then they would let them go, even if reluctantly. To this should be added the
ongoing process (indicated in 2.1.4) of the decline of extended family relations'
or of increasing famil-y nucLearization.
83. In view of the foregoing it may be assumed that most of the young wanting to
settle elsewhere wiLl. find little or no difficulty in obtaining permission. Even
when they do not obtain the consent of the older people they will simply move out.
In most cases, this wilI not create insurmountable tensions with their relatives
left behind after the initial "shock". To the above should be added that middle-
gggg! farmers who still have to listen to older authorities are generally in a better
position once they want to settle as they are anyhow less submitted to older
relatives and less dependent on them.
2.2,7 The fear of local oeoole to return to onchocerc iasis-cleared river ine zones
A4. This fear could constitute a big obstacle to a settlement proiect and more so
for a repopulation project as the evacuees moved out mainly to avoid contracting
onchocerciasis. In the absence of case-studies and sample surveys on this topic'
only the following can be suggested. Most inhabitants, particularly those Iiving
in or close to seriously onchocerciasis-infected areas, are reputedly aware of the
blackfly as the cause of river-blindness, although this knowledge is frequently
mixed with supernaturaL beliefs, especially among the older peopte. By means of
an adequate publicity campaign it should be possible gradually to convince the local
people, particularly the young, that the blackfly has been controlled. Initially,
some of them witl harfe the courage to reinstall themselves in the valley areas, and
they will be slowly followed by other farmers. The acute land-hunger i.n some zones
wi1l, however, also persuade many loca1 people to take the risk. Some reportedly
cultivate even now plots in river areasr e.B. south of Caru.
2.3 TOWARDS PROJECT IDET.ITIFICATION
BS. Ttre fotlowtng notes are concerned mainly with the mode of intervention needed
and possible in the pilot zone from the social point of view, and are meant to
contribute to the identrfication of a suitable project. The (final) formulatron
of such a project will of course only be possrble with the results of follow-upt
feasibility studies.
2.3. r. Intesra rural development reDoDulation and set tlement
g6. From the information provided on north-east Ghana, it follows that the proiect
to be proposed should aim at integrated rural development including a maior component
of repopulation of totally or partially abandoned onchocerciasis-stricken zones.
The settlement of locals in never-inhabited river areas should not be considered,
at 1east in the near future. The main reasons to emphasize repopulation in this
project are:
ta
a
!
Annex VI-1page 27
(a) a number of (serni-) abandoned zones are for.rnd all over the region which
affect a large part of its inhabitants (see para. 56);
(b) consequently the number of locals wtro would benefit from repopuLation
will be considerable and anyhow much greater than fron settlenent;
(c) the expLoratory social survey shows that most evacuees have a strong
desire to return to their fomer lands.
8?. The proJect should not aim, at least in its initial phasesr at specific pilot
settlement scheEes for the following interrelated reasons:
(a) the local people showed in general negatlve attitudes towards settlement
(see 2.2.2) i
(b) they are on the wtrole stlll strongly attached to their present cornmunities
and farms (see 2.2.5) and too embedded in their traditional socio-cu1tural systems;
(c) the fallure of past and ongotng minor settlement experiments impressed
nunerous loca1s as well as non-traditional authorities (see 2.2.L).
88. Other reasons to concentrate efforts on repopulation rather than on settlement
are:(a) the reinstallation of locaLs on their former lands will be less
problematical than settlement slnce their house plots and land ownerships are
already mostly define4 at least in village areas from where they mlgrated not too
long ago;
(b) there will be fewer problems of inter-ethnic compatiblllty as the
groups to be transferred wilt belong to the same tribe and possibly the same cLan.
The problerns of fitling vacancies in the local leadership will be less serious;
(c) the possibillty of returning to and developlng onchocerciasis-cleared rlver
valleys will be denronstrated more qulckly and easily and in a clearer way to the
people through repopulation than through rather compllcated settlement schemes;
(d) once the repopulatlon operations are functiontng welt ' numerous locals
will become notivated to move and also to enBage in improved farming. Srnall-
scale settlement experlnents could then be tried as a kind of ertension of the
repopulation programme I
(e) finally, in vlew of the Eany vast (seni) abandoned zones, the repopulation
progratme wlll incur such great manpower and organizatlonal commitments that the
nore complex, risky and costly settleEent operations would not be opportune. After
aII, repopulation w111 yield Eoro benefits with lower costs.
2.3.2 Objectives of the pToject
89. The general obJectlvea c,ere proposed ln the Mlssion's draft agro-economic main
report and are brlefly as follows:
a
Annex VI-lpage 28
(a) the achievement of socio-economic benefit for the largest possible partof the population of the project area through the elimination of sub-standardnutritional levels and a better balance of human and land resources. Ttre clearanceof large areas of land from onchocerciasis will provide excellent opportunities toachieve this aim. Ttre development approach should be on a smalt-farm basis, ratherthan through large-scaIe, capital intensive projects;
(b) the raising of the greatest possible number of people from below
subsistence level to a cash crop level, together with the promotion of sociatwelfare by means of an integrated rural devetopment project. This type of projectis indispensable as the pilot zone has a weak infrastructure and health, educationand other services are badly needed;
(c) to decrease the massive emigration to urban and plantation areas insouthern f,est Africa and keep the active people in their own region.90. The specific objectives of the project are:
(a) to relieve the poputation pressure l.n densely inhabited zones byguiding the former inhabitants of (semi) abandoned riverine zones back to theirhome lands;
(b) to promote and guide the movement of other locals from dense zones toriver valley areas;
(c) to ensure that the fullest possible benefit from the relief in populationpressure is achieved in the densely inhabited areas.2.3.3 Selection of actron areas
91. As indicated above, the project to be proposed should bring benefit to thelargest possible part of the population of the pilot zone. However, as firstLy,this zone is extensive and densety populated, and secondty the country offers onlyIrmited investment and manpower possibilities, the project must concentrate on partof the target populatlon. Its action areas should therefore be selected in terri-tories where integrated rural development and repopulation projects can be fruit-fully combined. In other words, the territories to be considered should includethe host (A) and departure areas (B), vrz. overpopulated plateau lands whrch had toreceive the people who moved out of adjacent riverine zones. The integrated ruraldevelopment project will be carried out in the entire action area whereas therepopulation operations will naturally focus on the village areas where people wilIbe reinstalled and also on those from where they will depart.2.3.4 Possibte action areas in north-oastern Ghana
92. A number of (semi) abandoned zones and nearby densely poputated areas are found
in the districts of Bawku, Bolgatanga and Navrongo (see para. 59). Although follow-up studies should detennine in more detait the location and characteristics of both
types of areas, on the base of the information gathered thus far, the followingaction areas are among the first to be selectedi
a
Annex VI-1page i9
(a) the area south and north-west of Caru (Bawku Distrlct);(b) the area of Binaba between the White and Red Volta (Bawku District);(c) the area of Nakong, thtiu and Chiana, east of the Sissili River
(Navrongo District);(d) the area of Datoko, Sekoti and Nangodi, west of the Red Volta
(Bolgatanga Distrlct ).93. Apart from these four priority areas, other depopulation zones are found, forexample in the southern parts of the Navrongo Dlstrict, but these have no over-
populated land pressure areas in the close vicinity. Finally, action area (a)
Garu, includes also fertile, never-inhabited tracts of land near the Morago and
Tanne rivers, sultable for eventual settlement schemes at a later stage when the
repopulation operations have proved successful
2.3.5 The mafn lingp qf actlon fqr 3gral develop4en!
94. On the base of existing development possibilities, necessities and onBoing
efforts (the crucial socio-economic, socio-cultural and institutional aspects and
implications were indicated earlier in this report), a ntmber of lines of action
are required. Although follow-up studies should determine these action lines more
in detail, the following appear to be indispensable: the provision of a basic
infrastructure, services and facilities such as primary and secondary road networks;
wells; health centres and medical posts for the control of disease and the treat-
ment of onchocerciasis patients; agricultural development including the creation
of elementary agricultural infrastructure and of an efficient extension service(see 2.3.6).
95. Among the actions needed in the field of educational development are
(a) the provision of rural schoots with programmes designed to keep the
younB in farming, and to prepare capable locals to participate actively in the
development efforts in their owlr region;(b) the creation of trainlng facllities for farmers' wives with, for
example, courses in home economics, hygiene, mother and child care, nutrition,family planning, handicrafts (to promote dry season, secondary income activities),etc. ;
(c) the organization of adult education courses geared to the local culture,interests, etc., and stimulating cooperation in agricultural development efforts.
96. The provision of health services with (mobile) medical teams to control diseases
is also needed.
97. Publicity and public relations is an important field of action to inform the
Iocal people (particularly the traditional and other leaders) about the project's
aims and activities and to persuade them to cooperate in the project. Apart from
Annex VI-lpage 30
the agricultural extension and other field workers, who are involved indirectly in
such activtty, a special team is required to inform and consult local leaders
continuously about the project's plans and activities, and to organize teach-in
meetings, cinema shows, etc.
98. A main guidelrne for all these activities should be the principle of aided
self-help. The local people must be involved as much as possible through small
self-help projects on the village levet. Ghana has adopted this policy for some
years, and people in north-eastern Ghana have some familiarity with this kind of
approach.
2.3.6 Agricultural development
99. This broad field wiIl include several lines of action to increase agricultural
production at the farm level. Some of these have to be planned in order to
enlarge anafor intensify the present deveLopment efforts. The following are among
the activities most needed: the creation of an elementary agricultural infra-
structure, particularly the provision of wells and small dams to supply water for
cattle and small-scaIe irrigation (e.g., for vegetable gardens); storage facilities
(silos for grains and other produce); distribution centres for farm inputs;
repair shops for farming implements, animal traction equipment, etc.; multi-
functional meeting rooms for extension work, training courses, etc.
100. The enlarsement and intensifi cation of existinq extension serv ].CeS ,tobe
organized on the base of an evaluation of the organizational structure, personnel,
projects, methods, activitr.es, results and difficulties of the present extension
work. It will be essential to train as early as possible a ntmtber of extension
workers and further to frnd out and appty suitable extension methods fitting into the
local social structures and farming systems. A key policy of the proiect should be
to create a network of group leaders ("animateurs"), capable local farmers who will
collaborate on a part time basis with extension workers at the "grass roots" level;
the (further) promotion of animal traction ("culture attel6e") to expand the farm-
land operated and to introduce eventually suitable forms of mixed aBriculture; the
provision of agricultural credit facilities; tmprovement of land tenure systems,
e.g. through stable and better defined land rights, land consolidation and so on.
The fomation of fixed production units could be opportune particularly in the river
areas to be repopulated, as well as in dense zones where more land is expected to
be.:ome available. Finatly, mechanized farming should not be promoted for the bime
being because this would create a small 6lite of bigger farmers and frustrate masses
of small farmers. Moreover, the build up of adequate maintenance services will be
difficult and too costly in these remote rural areas.
a
a
Annex VI-lpage 3I
2.3.7 Main lines of action for repopulation
1O1. A specific project is needed flrstty to reinstall the local people fron
the selected action areas on their fornrer onchocerciasis-stricken lands and secondly
to demonstrate to inhabitants of similar areas the possibllity of returning to their
ancient villages. It should be stressed that the operatlons to be organized will
necessarily imply an (initiat) trlal-and-error process. Preparatory operational
studies wilt be indispensable for the shaping of a workable project. These studies
should indicate:(a) the location, sizes and demographic, economic and socio-cultural features
of the various zones from wtrere and to where people moved I
(b) the location of host villages in densely populated zones;
(c) the living and farminB conditions of the evacuated families in these
host villages;(d) the numbers of families wtlo deslre to return and the location of the
ancient villages where they are to be reinstaLled;(e) the tocation and sizes of their former house plots and farm fields as
well as the lands near rivers with undefined or expired ownership;
(f) a workabte plan of oparations including provisions to avoid a massive
uncontrolled return of former river-zone inhabitants, as well as spontaneous
teEporary resettlement of other locals.LO2, Although most of these data are not now available, the following major lines
of action appear necessary:
(a) adequate, ongoing publicity campalgns to convince people that the cause
of onchocerciasis has been or wilt be elimtnated, and that they can return to their
Iand without risk. To this should be added that the preparatory operational
surveys referred to above eould be conceived also as a kind of lndirect means of
publicity in as far as many locals w111 be notified through them of the coming
events. The campalgn has naturally to start as early as possible, far in advance
of the actual transfer operations;(b) the creation or restoration of baslc infrastructure and services in the
starved-out zones, particularly vitlage platforrns, roads, wel1s, health centres and
rural schools;
(c) it is nost desirable that treatment of onchocerclasis should be instituted
to the greatest extent feasible, not only because the farnring capacity of many
inhabitants in the actlve age is considerably reduced by this malady, but also because
many local people inslstently asked for it;
Annex VI-lpage 32
(d) the training and formation of reinstalLation teams with the fotlowing
functions: to prepare and guide the transfer operations; to assist people to
reinstall themselves properly; to help them overcome adaptation problems; to
contribute to the creation of viable communities with sound forms of leadership;
to create favourable conditions for starting the cultivation of food and cash crops.
1o3. The teams shoutd include a social werfare and riaison officer (to coordinate
the activities of the team members; to create efficient relationships between
responsible government officials, repopulation officers and traditional leaders;
to assist in community building; to make the desirable assistance effective, etc.);
a technical- officer (to implement all technical and logistic aspects of the transfer
inctuding transportation and the eventual provision of tocal house building materials);
an agricultural extensionist; a rural heatth officer and a (female) family welfare
specialist.
IO4. Specific rural development actions must be undertaken not only in the villages
to be repopulated but also in the present host (future department) villages. The
fact that the reinstalled families will again start farming on their own lands and,
on the other hand,that the villagers of dense zones will be left with more farm l-and,
will probably be a favourable condition for the rntroduction of improved farming
methods. However, a rather gradual procedure is recommended because the reinstalled
people need time to readapt themselves to their new community and to its different
farming conditions. Atthough the major rural dev,:Iopment action Iines will be
similar to those indicated in 2.3.6, some should received priority or to be intensified,
e.g., the buitding of elementary agricultural infrastructure and the creation of an
efficient agricultural extension service.
tOS. A specific action field is the control and guidance of newcomers ln the river
areas, that is those who start with (migrant) farmirg and eventually settle there.
It is foreseeable that once the repopulation operations are going on fairly wel1,
many other farmers wilt follow spontaneously and start haphazardly new (small)
settlements. If sizeable numbers of settlers of this kind are not integrated'
accepted or tolerated by the repopulated villages, it is recommended that small
and simply organized settlement schemes should be started on lands ceded or not
claimed by these villages. The haphazard cultivation of reclaimable land will have
to be tolerated as long as concrete development schemes for such soils are not in
s l.ght .
tO6. Some inrportant considerations for making repopulation successful are as
fol1ows. As the first transfer experiments will be essential for ensuring the
project's success, the selection of the first cluster(s) of departure and destination
villages, needs careful attention. It woutd be most convenient to start where
these two types of village are rather close to each other and to include some
a
a
Annex VI-lpaeni/i+
semi-abandoned villages. The return of local people will probably proceed rnitially
rather slow1y, but might tater accelerate in a rather abrupt and uncontrollable vay
if repatriation is not well regutated. A further problem to be taken into account
is that only some of the former inhabitants of an abandoned village wrIl finally
return, some having died or perrnanently emigrated and some might prefer to remain
where they are already living. Those who return might bring with them a number of
new inhabitants, relatives and/or friends. Consequently partralty new conmunities
are likely to arise with problems of leadership, inter-clan relationships and'for
Iand ownership, etc. The reinstallation teams proposed should be prepared to tackle
these problems.
2.3.8 Note on organizat I reouirements
10?. As the future project aims at integrated rural development connected with
repopulation, lt will have to deal wj.th several problem areas in the sectors of
agriculture, water provision, education, health, public works, social welfare, etc.,
which faII under the competence of various Oovernment agencles on the national,
regionat, and district leve1. A specific, possibly semi-autonomous Rural Develop-
ment, Repopulation and Settlement Centre (RDRSC) should therefore be created to plan'
coordinate and implernent the various operations to be carried out. It should
preferably be located in the Regional Office rn Bolgatanga. Sub-centres should be
set up in the marn centres of the various actlon areas, e.g. in Caru, Binaba and
Chiana. The central staff of RDRSC must include specialists in the fields of land
and water resources, land tenure, agronomy, animal husbandry, agricultural extensron,
public works, public health, social welfare, publr.c relations and applred ethnology
(for ongorng operational studies). The Centre wr11 collaborate closely not only
with public administratron aBencies but possibly also with non-governmental
rnstitutions operatlng in rts action areas, e.B. the Christian Services Commlttee
Centre rn Garu, catholic missions active rn agricultural development, etc. (see
2.r.5).lO8. As the country lacks to a great extent the qualified personnel needed to
carry out successfully the proposed project operati.ons, particularly in the field of
agricultural extension work, a specific training centre should be organlzed by RDRSC
long before these operations are implemented. As far as possible, the trainees
should obtain field practice rn the pr.lot zone, thus familrarizlng themselves
sufficiently with the economic and social conditrons of their future action areas.
Annex VI-Ipage 35
+3.1
3.3
SECTIO{ 3. UPPER VOLTA COUI{TRY REPORT
Contents
BACKGROI'ND INFMMA'TIoI{ CE{ THE AREA STUDIED
3.1.1 Population . .
3.1.2 Ethnic groups . . .
3.1.3Agrlculture......3.1.4 The young 1n the farm fanlly . . . .
3.1.5 Dlffusion of agrlcultural innovations . . .
3. 1.6 Mlgratlon
3.1.7 Populatlon novenents within the area . . .
SETTLEMET.ITAT.IDREPOPULATION ....3.2.1 Attltudes towards settlement and repopulation . . . .
3.2.2 Condltlons for settlement and repoputation expressedbyIocals...........
3.2.3 Landtenure .. ....3.2.4 Heterogenelty and overall coDpatibility of ethnic groups . .
3.2.5 Sone other posslble probleos of settlement and repopulation
3.2.6 Potentlel settlers . . . . . .
3.2.? Settlement experiments in the country
TOWARDS PROJECT IDEI,ITIFICATION
3.3.1 lntegrated rural developnent, repopulation and settlement
3.3.2 Objectiees of the proJect . .
3.3.3 The s€lection of actlon areas
3.3.4 Poasible ectlon areaa in the Dl6bougou-Gaoua zone
3.3.5 tlain lines of actlon of rural development .
3.3.6 Main llnes of actlon of.rppopulation actlvity . . .
3.3.? Notes dr settlement
3.3.8 Note on orBanizational requireDents
Page
36
36
37
38
39
39
41
4L
43
43
23
45
45
46
46
47
48
49
49
50
50
51
52
52
53
55
Annex VI-1page 36
3.I BACKGROT'ND INFORMATION ON THE AREA SII'DTED
IO9. Upper Volta. includes, according to the Mission's SEDES report, two possible
pilot zones, viz. the Bougouriba and the White and Red Volta rlvers area. The
consultants of the Mission including the sociologist focussed mainly on the former
zone. The Fonds d'Aide et de Coop6ratlon (FAC) completed recently a pre-
feasibility study on the latter zone and will start soon factibitity surveys as wellas some experimental farms. A Voltaic sociologist, Mr R. Sawadogo, the localcollaborator of the consultant, completed, however, a one{onth exploratory socialsurvey in both zones. For reasons indicated, more infornation and elements forproject identification became available on the Bougouriba area.
l1O. The study area of the sociologist and his collaborator included the totalterritory of the Di6bougou and Caoua admlnistrative districts which is larger than
the Bougouriba pilot zone delimited by the SEDES report team. This larger area was
selected in order to provlde a more adequate and complete description of the socio-
economical, socio-cultural and ethnic characteristics as well as development
possibilities of the area. Overpopulated territorles to be considered as potential
departure areas outside the two above indicated zones could not be studied because
of the lack of time, but a study is desirable as the country is composed of various
areas with extremely high population densities and scarce land resources (e.g. the
Yatenga plateau). The gap was, however, no handicap to the exploratory surveys
because overpopulated areas are also found wlthin each of the pilot zones studied.
In other words, within these zones such acute problems of redistribution of theirpopulations (from overcrowded to empty areas) have been found that the pilot
repopulation and settlement projects proposed would be more than justified.,
111. The study area conprises two administrative districts, viz. Di6bougou (?O8? km')
and Gaoua (fO 36f fm2). It forms part of the Gulnean savanna belt and is rather
hilly. Ttre zone borders on Ghana and the Ivory Coast and has a fairly isolated
and peripheral posltion as it is connected with the rest of the country only by
secondary roads. The nearest maJor urban centres, Bobo-Dioulasso and Otagadougou,
are moreover respectively some 15O and 25O km away. Infrastructure is, on the
whole, very defici.ent, e.g. the roads are in bad shape and none of them asphalted;
no bank is found ln the Di6bougou area; the lnsufficient educational and sanltary
servlces are beyond reach of numerous villages, etc.
3. I. f Population
Ll2, According to the local censuses of the period 1968-1971, the total population
of the Di6bougou administrative area is about 165 OOO, of Gaoua an estimated 178 OOO.
The study area counts in all no less than 343 OOO inhabitants and has a yearly rate
of increase of about 2%. The Di6bougou admlnistrative district, subdivided into
a
Annex VI-1page 37
four units, vLz. Dt6bougou, Dano, Dlasin and Tiankoura, includes 13 cantons plus
one..groupementi,(aclusterofvlllagesforoingnocanton).TheGaouaadministrativedlstrict divided into four sub-units, viz. Gaoua, Kampti, Bati6 and Naka, and
26 cantons. Table VI-I.2 presents more data on Dl6bougou, but slmllar data on
Gaoua are not yet avallable. the population of the study area is spread over
countless small villages, most with less than 5OO lnhabitants and a dlspersed pattern
of settlement. The admlnistrative dletrlct capitals, Di6bougou and Gaoua, have
about SOOO and 600O lnhabltants, respectlvely.113. The Di6bougou admlniatrative dlstrlct with an average denstty of 24 persons
2per km- includes some densely populated cantons llke Koper, Dlssin and Dano wlth up
to 90 porsons pe" kr2. The Gaoua dlstrlct with an average denslty of 1? persons2per km- comprises a strip of dense zones along the B1ack Volta. Howeverr a tract
10-15 km wide along this rlver is entlrely depopulated. Cathollc mlssionaries have
worked in the area for decades and nov have seven actlve parishes. There are also
a few protestant mlsslons wlth small groups of adherents; the imigrated Mossi are
mostly muslims. There are elementary schools and rural education centres, the
latter being rural schools which provlde also practlcal training ln improved farmlng
methods. The average rate of school-golng children ("taux de scolarisation") is
higher, vtz. 11.?%, than the natlonal rate of LO.2%. However, over 90% of the
Iocals are stiIl illiterate.3.1.2 Ethnic groups
114. Ten ethnic groups tive in the area, the oaln trlbes belng the Dagarl and Wil6
(together numbering about ltO OOO) and Lobi (about 14O OOO)1 followed by the
Birifor and minor groups of the Pougoull, Dian, Gan as well as scattered clusters
of Mossi, Pulani and Dioula. The Dagari and Wil6 (whlch nowadays have so mrch in
comnon that they rvlll be referred to as Dagarl-Wi16) and also the Blrifor, who all
have simllar languages and custoEs, orlBlnate presuoably fror[ the Mossi. They
moved like the Mossl ln the remote past from the Dagonba territory in Ghana, but in
a western direction, dlspersing the autochthonous Lobi and Pougouli. The latter
groups as well as the Dian are still rather traditlonal and closed. Thls is
conflrmed by nr.merous informants, lncludlng mlssionarles who say that they retain
thelr animistic beliefs and agricultural extenslonlsts have asserted that they had
a hard time to diffuse innovetlons anong then. Ttre Dagarl-W116 and Blrlforr on
the contrary, appear to be more lnnovatlon-Dlnded and adoptive; they accept more
easily non-traditional beliefs and agrlcultural developnent efforts are rather
successful anong these trlbea. Desplte the dlfferent characteristlcs of the tribes
mentloned, there are, partlcularly ln the Gaoua area, nany ethnically mlxed villages,
where Dagara, Birlfor and tobi even lnter-narry.
Annex VI-lpage 38
1I5. Unlike the Mossi with thelr well organized political structure, the Dagari-
Wi16, Birlfor, Lobl and other ethnlc groups in the area, have a far less hierarchized
and centralized social organlzation. They are, further, matrilinear in heritage
and patrilocal. in residence. Ttle tribes consist of a number of patriarchal clans
which form the major soclal unit spread over various vlllages. The clans are
rather independent and not organized in a hierarchical pyramid. The villages,
usually a cluster of widely dispersed compounds, are less significant for the local
people. In fact the extended family lineage residing in a compound is their basic,
most important social unlt, followed by the clan. The function of canton and
village chiefs, key figures aoong the Mossi, were artificially created in this zone
during the colonial period and do not belong to the traditional social structure of
the tribes. At present the canton chiefs have some influence on their people, but
the highest (nora1) authority is in the hands of the clan and lineage chiefs, while
the village heads, mostly elected by the compound chiefs, have less importance.
The cuatodians of the land (land chlefs, "chefs de terre") have mainly sacred
functions (see also 2.2.3). Being usually the oldest members of the clans who first
arrived in the area, they are influent ln the Dagari-Wi16 territories where they
enjoy rather sizeable areas of competence, e.g. the canton of Koper has three earth
prlests wlth delegates in various sub-zones. Among the Lcbi there are no specific
custodians of the earth; their functlons are performed by the compound chiefs.
116. Looking broadly at the total populations of the study area, the following
four main categorles of lnhabitant,formlng the layers of a loose social stratifica-
tion, can be distinguished:(a) the non-Ioca} and non-traditional leaders and influential people, such
as civil servants, agricultural agents and missionaries;(b) the tradltional leaders: clan, Iand, canton, village and lineage chiefs;
(c) the merchants, usually irmigrants and, in general, the Mossi;
(d) the farmera who, on the whole, live under similar conditions wlthout
any clear soclal stratification.3.1.3 AgriculturqIt?. By farm family is meant the extended family living in a compound. These are
built like small fortresses in the middle of the farmland. In the Dagari-Wit6 area
the farm family comprises 15 persons on the average; many familles contain, howevert
2O-3O members, belonging to 4 or 5 nuclear families. The average size of the
Iobl famllies in the Gaoua area is smaller, viz. IO persons. The general charac-
terlstics of the farm families are similar to those of the upper region, of Ghana
and most of the West Afrlcan savanna area (see 2,L.3, 2.I,4). Ttre compound members
traditionally exploit (part of) the family land, owned by inheritance, on a conrmon
a
a
t
Annex Vl-1page 39
basis. However, also 1n this zone a growing process of individualization of farming
can be noted, partlcularly anong the Dagarl-Wi16. More and Eore the nuclear
families and unmarrled adults of a conpound exploit on their own account one or more
plots of land allotted to then by the fanily chief. Thls tendency has even a
vislble expresslon, ln that numerous conpounds have more than one entrance. Usually,
however, all compound members still asslst the chlef in cultlvating a common plot.
In general, the males carry out the heavy farning operatlons, the women help in
seedlng and harvesting, while the chlldren usually tend the animals and assist with
llght tasks. Ttle slze of the land owned by the farm familles varies considerably
in the various parts of the study area, averaging over ? hectares in the thinly
populated (lobl) areas and about 4 hectares in the densely poputated Dagari-Wil6
zones near the Black Volta rlver.3.1.4 The young in the farn fanilv
I18. Each family member who has not yet achieved a decisive role in important
fanlly affairs, is considered as young. However, between the status of married and
unmarried young there exlsts a marked dlfference, since the latter cannot dispose of
thelr own faElly labour and thus can exploit only a sEall plot. Consequently, the
slngle adutts depend at least partially on their extended famlly, and are thus more
subDltted to its authorities, i.e., to parents, lineage chief and older relatives.
Many younger people nowadays cultlvate cash crops on their plot in order to make
some money for personal expenses (clothes, radio, bicycle, etc.). And many more
emigrate, frequently sithout asklng pernlsslon of thetr family chiefs. By-passing
old cugtoms, most younger people select a spouse themselves and afterwards ask for
the approval of thelr older relatives. As ln the other pllot zones (see 2.1.4), a
growlng difference, leading sometiDes to tenslons and conflicts, is noted between the
older and younger generatlons. Many of the younger generation no longer believe in
the traditions and cereEonies, and dlslike or refuse to behave in conformity with the
o1d custons and rttes.
3. 1.5 Diflusion of agricultural lnnovations
119. Although subsistence agriculture wlth traditional methods still prevails in
the area a slow process ol modeat lmprovement and change has been taking place for
a decade. The "Compagnle Internationale de D6veloppement Rural" (CIDR), which
operates through its sub-group the "Soc16t6 Afrlcaine d'Etudes pour Le D6veloppement"
(SAED), has been responslble slnce 1963 for agricultural development in the Di6bougou
and Gaoua "cercles". The agency ls still managed by some six expatriates. Since
196? the Governnent has financed lts activitles whlch wiII in the future be taken
over by the recently organlzed "Office R6gionale de D6veloppement" (ORD) No. 3.
For lnfornation on the objectives, progranEes, actions and results of CIDR, we refer
Annex VI-1pag€ 40
to its yearly reports, the latest of whlch,entltled "Compte Rendu Technique et
Financier",was published in JuIy 19?2.
t2O. The most important activitles of CIDR are listed below:
(1) The creation of a network of acricultural extensionists: in the 6 sub-
sections over 8O extenslon workers operate at the present, including about 50 group
leaders ("animateurs"), capable, influential local farmers who are paid on a part-
time basls. ltre formatlon of these auxiliary extensionists ls a valuable key
policy of CIDR. However, there is still a great lack of full-time extensionists.
It ls hoped that these will be provlded by the FAo-assisted "Centre Agrlcole
Polyvalent" (multi-disciplinary Agrtcultural Training Centre) of Matourkou, near
Bobo-Dioulasso. This Centre gained considerable experience in the improvement of
local farming systems through various field experiments carried out mainly for
training purposes;
(2) The introduction of cash crops: cotton, rice and groundnuts. After a
difficult period at the start, cotton production is now movinB forward, particularly
among the Dagari-Wi16. The introduction of paddy rice, mainly in the Gaoua area,
is also promising.
(3) Ttre training of local peop le in imDroved farming methods and the diffusion
of farming inputs (improved seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, etc.) as well as oxen
traction, now adopted by over lOO farmers;
(4) The formation of "regroupements" , i.e., a kind of pre-cooperative.
At present there are over 23 of such groups of farmers with a number of adherents
varying from 2O to 4OO. One of the main objectives of these groups is to consolidate
(part of) their members' land for the blockwise cultivation of cash crops;
(5) Itre traini and installation of local artisans to construct oxen traction
equipment, silos, wells, etc.;(6) The creation of local bodies for providl farm credit: this activity
started recently;(?) Training of women is another iDportant operation wrth a pilot centre in
the canton of Koper. Local women are instructed in improved farming methods,
hygiene, motner/chiId care, handicrafts, etc. In this important field a centre
also operates in Dissin, in collaboration with CIDR and organized by the "Centre
d,Etudes Economiques et Sociales de liAfrique Occidentale" (CESAO) in Bobo-Dioulasso.
Its activities, carried out by four feoale expatriates and covering some 10 vlllages,
are mainly in the field of soclo-nedical extension.
L2I. CIDR, well known for its preference for integrated rural development based on
the search for and application of adequate Dethods at the "grass roots[ leveI, has a
difficult task in its still rather traditional action area. Anong some inncvation-
Annex VI-lpage 41
mlnded ethnic groups such as the Dagarl-Wl16 (partlcularly ln the cantons of Dano,
Koper and Dissin) and the Birlfor, pronlslng results have been obtained, whereas
amonB the nearly impenetrable, traditlonal Lobi and Dlan ln the Gaoua area, who
stick to their old ways of farning, extension work gave doubtful results. [n view
of this ethnic variation in receptlvlty for agrlcultural lnnovationa, it isunderstandable that CIDR concentrated to some extent its actions, unfortunately
limited by lack of manpower and funds, ln the Di6bougou area, although in recent
years special attention is paid to the Gaoua admlnlstratlve dlstrict. The overallresults of the company's efforts are satlsfactory, the agriculture in the Dl6bougou
administratlve district is more advanced and developlng more qutckly than in the
rest of the territory under study.
3.1.6 Mlgration
L22, Since the late I96Os an lncreastng number of small groups of Mossl have
infiltrated into the area, particularly tn the northern parts .near the Pa-Dano road.
Some of then come from adjacent areag, but Eost come from high density zones
(yatenga plateau) in the north-west of the country. It is reported that the
process is usually as follows. Flrst, a few nen, after amlving ln a vlllage, ask
the earth priest for a ptot of land; thls ls never refused. As soon as cultivationand social accllmatlzation are satlsfactory, they brlng in thelr families. The
result is that nowadays numerous huts, canps and small villages, nornally built at
some dlstance from a native vlllage, are seen in the area. fitis has recently
started to upset some locals, and land is given wlth reluctance if not actually
refused in sooe cases. Some locaI leaders observed sourly that the Mossi clear
part of their bush by fire. Data on the numbers of Mossi imlgrating from land-
hungry zones are not available. Although this influx is not yet large, it willprobably lncrease considerably in the near future. The land-pressure in the dense
departure areas is, according to some iEnlgrants, so great that even house plots
are becoming scarce. Others declared that they noved ln because of acute food
shortages in the pre-harvest period; sorghum, maize, etc., are available earller in
the pilot zone than in their own Dore northern terrltorles. Sone of the Mossi are
(also) dedicated to comerclal activtties and sol[e snall groups of Dioula, traders,
and the semi-nomadic Fulanl are also moving lnto the area.
3.1.? Population moveEents wlthin the area
L23. Some fifty years ago the banks of the Black Volta rlver were reported to be
densely populated, but since then people have retreated gradually from these heavily
onchocerciasis-infested territorles and have resettled further lnland leavlng behind
tracts of fertile land 1G15 km wlde. Countless remants of the former settlements
can still be seen along the river. The process of population contraction, which
Annex VI-lpage 42
has by now nearly cone to an end, resulted in a densely populated riverine strip,
mostly lnhabited Fy tne Dagarl-W116. The land-pressure in these zones, particularly
1n the cantons of Dissin and Koper, has increased to such an extent that a growing
number of farners move daily, in spite of the rlsk of onchocerciasis, to the rivervalley in order to cultivate a plot of land; some huts are even to be found there.
L24. Data on the number of people affected by the retreat from the rivers, and
where and how they resettle are regrettably not available. The general characteris-
tlcs of the process of depopulation probably resemble those presented in Dr Remy's
study on the Nob6re area and sumarized in the description of the White and Red Volta
river zone below. In any case, action-oriented studies on these subiects are
indlspensable.
125. Also in thls pilot zone emigration has become a major socio-economic
characteristic, particularly.slnce the late 195Os. qrantitative data are
unfortunately lacking but, according to local informants, in every compound one or
more of the younger people are absent. Not only in the dense zones, but also in
the thinly populated lobl area, numerous families even run short of farm labour slnce
it is mainly the older people and chlldren who remain. Several chiefs declared
that in their villages the greater part of the young men moved out. Parents often
refuse thelr sons permi.ssion to leave the farm, but they nevertheless slip away, in
some cases even by night. The age of the emigrants varies from 17 to 35 years;
most are (single) males, but not a feur women, once married, ioin them. Their
destinatlon was up untll recently southern Ghana and the lvory Coast, both bordering
the study area. Since ln 1969 Ghana limlted drastlcally the entry of foreign
Iabour and its currency was devalued, eraigrants travel by and large in trucks to
the plantation or urban areas of the Ivory Coast. During the colonial perlod
emigratlon was frequently permanent; since 1960, however, it has been mostly
temporary. A minor part of the eEigrants are seasonal workers; the remainder go
for longer perlods, but even those who stay away for one or more periods of up to
five years eventually return hone definitely.
L26. T'he notivations of the emlgrants given by the interviewees and listed below,
are similar to those mentioned in other pilot zones (see para. 64):
(1) desire to earn nKrney that can be kept and spent personally. some typical
responses of younger interviewees are: "the older keep aII the money made out of
the cotton cultivated together and give us only little bits"; "they say we don't
need and spoil the money by buying clothes, bicycles, etc."1 "we need money to
conquer a spouserr;
(2) to eacap€ from parental authority and traditional living and farming
condi t ions;
Annex VI-lpage 43
(3) the soclal pre8tige achieved by those who have earned money abroad;
(4) to mar.ry a glrl not accepted by the f,arily;
(5) easy availabllity of work opportunities.
L27. The motivatlons for returnlng temporarlly, and eventually definitely, to
their hone are:
(1) a desire to Eeet relatives and fellow villagers, especially on the occasion
of farnily ceremonies (burials, etc.);(2) to show the fruits (money, durable goods acquired, experience gained) of
the venture abroad;
(3) slngte men return nostly (also) to look for a gpouse;
(4) in some cases to invest the capital earned in a local enterprise.
3.2 SEITLEIIIENT AI{D REPOPUIATTON
3.2.L Attitudes towards settleEent and 10n
L28. During the exploratory social survey a distinction was made between re-
population of zones abandoned because of the intolerable presence of onchocerciasis,
and settlement in empty areas that have never been inhabited. The reactions toward
repopulatlon of abandoned zones of traditional chiefs, of young and old in dense
host areas, were all very posltive and enthusiastic. SoDe typical answers are as
follows: "there are rlch lands there. After you have killed all the flies, I will
nysetf bring back aII ry fanity" (a fanily chief, 60 years o1d, who had had to leave
hls fields ln the river vatley). "You will not even be able to control all the
people sho silt move ln there from all parts" (a canton chief). "If it is
succeseful, we w111 work there inEtead of far away (abroad)" (a young man). Many
fanlly chlefs interviewed were prepared to return wlth all their relatives. One of
their maln reasons is that land near the river is much more fertile than in their
present, often over-cropped fields. These very positive attitudes of the "displaced"
locals as well as of their hosts is quite obvious, as repopulation means for the
forner returning to their anclent crnpE, for the latter to obtain more space for
cultivation.129. Autochthonous villagers, who live more inland and are therefore less
directly affected by the evacuees, were also asked if they would like to move to
the valley areas. ltre attitudes of these locals, particularly the older ones,
were of course more regerved. Sone examptes of responses: "T'he younger will
certalnly accept to faro there, but we cannot move any more" (an old man).
'Ye could not oppose the departure of younger to far off zones (abroad), so this
tiEe they wllt go nearer and we will neet more frequently." Ttre problem is that
locals of these vlllages would be golng to foreign lands, and would have to request
land from the local ownerg.
Annex VI-1page 44
I3O. In the overcrowded villages adjacent to abandoned zones, the attitudestoward sc'ttlement in new, i.e. never-inhabited areas, were positive. Many
younger people appeared inclined to grasp such an opportunity. The older were
not only willing to let their sons move out but declared also that they would
follow them once they had built houses there. In the more interior villagesof densely populated zones, e.g. around Dissin, the older would permit some oftheir sono to settle for a few seasons, but their definite reinstallation would
only depend on their desire. The young themselves declared they were not
sure they could leave their native village for ever, and they conceive settlementas a form of temporary, nearby emigration, at least initlally. some of the
following, typical answers illustrate the above. "We are all right here, there
is only lack of land" (l) (an old interviewee). "why don't you deverop thezone here, construct dams, provide us with water, so that we can work all year
round and are assured of a minimum income?" (village chief). "If there is work
down there, we will leave and see whether we can or cannot remain there"(an unmarried young man, twice emigrated). "Anyhow, we will have thepossibility to return to our (home) village, won't we?" (a young man). In the
thinly populated zones of the study area (north-west of Di6bougou and the
western parts of the Gaoua "cercle"), where land is sufficiently available,some of the locals, particularly the younger ones, appeared to favour and some
of them to be opposed to settlement.
131. Problems found during the survey. Many locals (but not the former
inhabitants of abandoned zones) regard settlement in areas never inhabited, and
also repopulation, as a kind of nearby temporary emigration or migrant farming(in the sense of going and returning whenever one wants), which eventually could
lead to permanent reinstallation. T?re reason and the problem is that they
have no concrete examples of repopulation and settlement in their own region towhich they can refer. A second problem met all over the area, is that some
interviewees were worried by the prospect of being eventually responsible forrunning a farm in a settlement project. The younger people had never
experienced such a responsibility, either at home or in distant immigration
areas where they worked as labourers. On the other hand, the older people
fear that their sons might develop an individualistic mentality and accordingly
neglect them. Another serious difficulty is that some chiefs are reluctantto accept settlement, because they might lose some of their subjects and
consequently their prestige (see also 2.2,2).
Annex VI-1page 45
132. Conclusions:(a) a repopulation project w111 receive the active support of all locals living
close to abandoned zones. Sone of the (younger) locals fron the lnner villages of
dense zones wl1I also wish to partlcipate;(b) a settlement project will meet poaitive response from some of the inhabitants,
particularly those of the dense zones and fron younger farners. A sufficlent number
of participants will probably be found for a pilot scheoel
(c) finally, although a repopulatlon and settlement proJect appears to be
possible in the area, nore differentlated and detalled lnformatlon should of course
be obtained, through area samplo social surveys, for the plannlng and lmplementation
of such projects.
3.2.2 Conditions for settl ernent and reDoPulatlon sed by locals
133. The onchocerciasis control prograrme wlll be waroly welconed by the locals,
but they also made it clear that they have a strong desire that sufferers from the
disease should be treated. The interviewees stressed further that health and
educational services (nedical and maternlty posts, hospitals, and schools) should be.
provided and in view of the very irregular annual ralnfall, they feel further a great
need for a regular water supply for men, anlmals and crops.
3.2.3 Land tenure
f34. The traditional land tenure system in the area does not dlffer substantiallyfron those of the other pilot zones. In para. 1I5, the role of the land custodians
was briefly described. The land priests are reported to be rather independent,
particularly as the tribes in this study lack a centralized polltlcal system.
However, they usualty exercise their non-ceremonial functions (e.9. the allotment of
land to strangers) after consulting the clan anafor lineage chiefs of their area of
competence. The concept of selling land is unknownl the land belongs to past,
present and future generatlons and to the land spirlts. Usufructuary rigbts on
uncultivated land are, however, aeldoE refused, elther to kinsEen or to strangers.
The latter have to recognize, of course, the authorlty of the land priest and pay
for the sacrifices of the land-transfer rites. Land-tenure conflicts, reportedly
occurring more frequently in recent years, particularly ln the dense zones, are
mostly among neighbours, each c1alninB a certain plot of land or refusing the
restitution of land "rented out" for a number of years.
135. It appeared during the survey, that enpty, uncultivated land without local
ownership is hardly to be found in the area. All the land cuatodlans contacted
declared they would not refuse empty Iand to the strangers of a possible settlement
scheme. However, their favourable reactiona should, according to the local
collaborator, be accepted with conslderable reserve because, followlng thelr customs
Annex VI-lpage 46
they cannot cede land permanently and noreover they have not yet experienced cases
of land transfer to larger groups. For an eventual repopulation and settlement
project it is indlspensable to obtaln through specific surveys detailed information
on the sizes and limits of land owned by villages and lineages and also on the
location and areas of competence of land priests as well as on the traditional
land-transfer procedures and rites. Ttre Law No. 77/60 of July 1960 on private land
and particularly the Law No. 29/63 of JuIy 1963 which authorizes the Government to
reserve land for special development purposes and to declare public property thinly
populated areas, might both be applied to obtain settlement land. However, most
traditional chiefs are not acquainted with or hardly understand these laws, so that
before their appllcation, due consideration should be given to these leaders to
avoid negative repercusslons and loss of goodwill among the loca1s.
3.2.4 Heterogenelty and overall coEpatibility of ethnic grouDs
136. As indicated in 3.1.2 and para. 121, the Dagari-Wi16 and Birifor have close
affinities and relationships and are moreover rather innovation-minded. As the
repopulation and settlement project to be proposed will be carried out in densely
poputated zones, which are all mainly inhabited by these tribes, major difficulties
of ethnic compatibitity and of cooperation between these ethnic groups wilI probably
not arise. The Lobi, Dian and Pougouli tribes have rather different languages,
customs, etc., and appeared more closed, traditional and resistant to change.
Further, they are fairly isolated in extensive areas where there is no land pressure.
Except for some open-minded younger farmers, settlement of these tribes would not
work, particularly if they were to be reinstalled together with different tribesmen
In fact, it is not necessary.
3.2.5 Sone other possible problems of settlement and repopulation
13?. The attachment to present community and farm will hardly constitute a problem
in a repopulation project in as far as it affects locals who abandoned their own
fertile lands not too long ago, and have a strong desire to return. Also, for the
extension of a repopulation project to other locals and for a settlement proiect in
never-inhabited land, a sufficient number of farmers in dense zones appeared prepared
to leave their present community. Ttlis not only because they belong mostly to the
tess traditional Dagari-Wi16 and Birifor tribes, but also because a number suffer
from land shortage or exhausted soiIs.
138. As noted in section 3.1.4, the young in most farm families are increasingly
less submitted to their older relatlves, sonte now emigrate and/or marry without
their consent. It may therefore be assumed that most of the younger settlers wilI
meet no or little resistance from thelr elders, and that many will in any case follow
their own way.
Annex Vl-lpage 47
139. Ttre fear of local peopte to return to onchocerciasis-cleared river valleys will
probably not creat€ any serlous problen. Durlng the survey lt appeared that in this
pllot zone algo the lnhabltanta of rivorlne areas are well aware of the blackfly as
the maln cauae of onchocerclaais, but nevertheless some of them cultivate plots close
to the rivers. An adequate publiclty canpalgn wl11 probabty convince a sufficientnunber of the open-ninded Dagarl-W116 and Birifor that they can reside near the
rivers wlthout risk after the spraying operation. The fear of the remalning locals
will be reduced gradually when they wltnesa the flrst groupsr of settlers livingunharmed ln the rlver valleys.14O. Although emigratlon abroad wl11 probably continue to attract many young
locals, it is clear that especially those farmers who moved out some time ago, as
well as uany mlddle-aged farmers, wlll prefer to earn noney in thelr own region by
inproved farnlng in a repopulatlon or settleEent project than to emigrate. Nearly
all enigrants, including those who work away for a long period, finally return tothelr home vtllage; emlgratlon betng a tenporary solution for nost of the locals.The livlng and farming conditions of the densely populated land-hunBer zones will,Doreover, deteriorate to such an extent that repopulation and settlement will ,be
welconed aa a way out for a substantial nuober of farners.3.2.6 Potential sottlers141. l{hlch tribes, subzones, age group, and categorles of farmer are likely to
provide nore candidates for a settleEent project? Although follow-up studies are
required to provide oore speciflc infornatlon, the follosing conclusions may be drawn
on the basls of the flndings already descrlbed:(a) the Dagari-Wi16 and Birlfor will yield far more settlers than the tobi,
Dlan and other tribes;(b) potontial settlera witl be found mostly in the densely populated tand-
hunger zonesr, parttcularly those of Diesln and Koper.
In practlce, (a) ana (b) w111 depend naturally also on the g!j!g of the settlement
proJect as gll ar€as usually provlde oore settlers than diatant ones;
(c) Eost settlers w111 be young and nlddle-aged farmers. Ttle very young ones
will probably prefer to enlgrate at leaat for some tlme because most will feel too
inaecure to start their own faro. trlany mlddle-aged farners will be inclined tosettle as they have Dore larmlng erperlence and are also less dependent on theirextended fanlly and thus in a better positlon to take a decislon to leave;
(d) 1t ls unllkely that potentlal settlers witl coDe frorn speclfic categories
of faro faully such as those wlth too many sons (farm labour) or a shortage of farm
land. Like the emlBranta, they s111 presuoably orlBlnate from any type of farm
faoi ly.
Annex VI-1page 48
3.2.7 SettleEent experiEents in the counlry
142. The following information was obtained on the two settleDent experiEents in
Upper Volta, viz. the Kou Paddy Rlce ProJect and the Gondo-Sourou Project. The
Paddy Rice Project started in 1970 with the help of specialists of the Province
of Taiwan in the swarnpy valley of the river Kou near Bobo-Dioulasso. It aims at
reclai.ming I2OO hectares of land for cultivation of irrigated rice by settlers.
At present about 60O families have been reinstalled on 600 hectares, each having
received usufructuary rights on a plot of I hectare. The numerous applicants who
turned up after the possibility of participating in the schene was made known all
over the country were "selected" by the same procedure as the national lottery.
Thus the actual settlers belong to many ethnic groups. [n regard to rice production
the project is rather successful mainly because of its large team of Chlnese extension
workers. For every 15 first-year and for every 25 second-year settlers, there is
one extenslon worker.
143. On the other hand, the project at present faces serious social problems; the
first rice crop yielded to each famlly an average income of over US$ 4OO. As the
settlers were not accustomed to handling so much money at any time and the projectrs
objectives did not include educational, social welfare, and other activities, the
earnings were generally spent in a very unproductive way. Other problems are related
to the fact that most settlers came with only part of their families, resulting in a
very unbalanced composition of the population. There are nearly twice as many males
as females. Furthermore, the settlers lack land-tenure security, since only
usufructuary land rlghts are provided. Finally, concentration on the cultivation of
one crop will not satisfy most settlers ln the long run. The overall conclusion is
that the difficulties of the project are mainly due to the absence of a broader
rural-development approach.
L44, The small-scale settlement project of Gondo-Gouron in the Dddougou administra-
tive area forms part of the devetopment activittes carried out since the late 195Os
in the region and described in the publicatlon "Agriculteurs et 6leveurs de Ia R6gion
du Gondo Sourou" (CVRS, Oragadougou, 1969). Ttre settlement affected some 25O families
who came from densely populated Mossr. areas and were reinstalled in the v1llage
Guiddougou. I'he experiment had a very limlted success and some of the settlers have
left, particularly during recent years. Among.the various reasons are shortages of
experienced personnel and friction with nearby, rather dlfferent, ethnic groups.
a
Annex VI-lpage 49
3.3 TOWARDS PROJECT IDEITTIFICATTON
I45. The following notes deal wlth the neans of intervening ln the Dl6bougou-Gaoua
pilot zone mainly fron the social polnt of viec, and are Deant to contribute to the
identlfication of a suitable project. For the final formulation of such a project,
feasibility studles will be indispensable. As the proJect to be identified will
not differ substantially in its general set up from those to be planned ln other
pilot zones, particularly north-easterr Ghana. references are nade where possible to
the Ghana country report (see section 2).
3.3. t Integrated rural developnent. repopulatlon and settleEent
146. From the information provlded on the Di6bougou-Gaoua zone, it follows that the
future project should ain at lntegrated rural developnent including a maior component
of repopulation of abandoned zones as well as pilot settlenent proJects in never-
inhabited areas. Repoputation should obtaln flrst prlority in thls proJect for the
following reasons: a large part of the pilot zo e, vi-a. all the densely populated
territories atong the Black Volta rlver, are affected by the retreat of local people
away from the river (see section ?). Consequently, the nunber of locals (that isthe evacuees as well as the autochthones of the host vlllages) who would benefit from
repopulation witl be considerable and in any case higher than from settlement.
L47. The exploratory social survey ghows that most evacuees have a strong desire
to return to their former lands (see section 3.2.1). The reinstallation of locals
on their abandoned home lands will probably turn out to be less problenatical than
settlement since house plots and the ownership of land are already mostly defined,
at least in villages from where they moved not too long ago. Ttrere will also be
fewer problems of inter-ethnic compatibillty as the grouptl to be transferred will
belong to the same tribe and possibly clan. Problens of fllling up vacancies in
the local leadership will be less. Ttre possibility of returnlng to and developing
river valleys cleared of onchocerciaals witl be deuonatrated in a quicker, eaaler
and clearer way to the people lnslde and outslde the pilot zone by neans of a
repopulatlon proJect than through Eore complicated settlement gchenes.
148. Pilot settlement schenes shou ld, however, also form part of the project for
the following reasons: the Didbougou-Gaoua territory includes various suitable areas
for settlement. A sufliclently large sectlon of the people of dense zones'
particularly the younger farners, would llke to settle elsewhere (see section 3.2.1).
In some dense zones such as the canton of Dissln, land is lacklng anafor overused to
such an extent that these areas need to be "decompressed" not only through repopula-
tion but also through settlenent proiects.
Annex VI-lpage 50
149. TYro types of settlement schene could be planned, vLz.:(a) one or oore pilot gchemes dlstinct fron repopulation projects set-up in a
never-inhablted area from the start of the project;(b) small-scale pilot schemes conbined wlth repopulation and organized after
the inltial phase of the repopulation proJect.
Ttre advantages of these schemes are that once the repopulation operations are going
well, numerous loca1s will becone (nore) motivated to move and also to engage in
improved farming. Ore or more of these schemes could then be tried as a kind of
enlargement of the repopulation operations. Moreover, the schemes would be one of
the adequate provlsions required to control and guide the local people who will
probably follow spontaneously the previous inhabitants of abandoned zones and,
starting with raigrant farming, eventually settle haphazardly on the Black Volta river
banks. As it can be foreseen that sizeable numbers of these newcomers will not be
integrated, accepted or tolerated by the repoputated villages, small and simply
organized settlenent schenes should be started in time on land ceded or not claimed
by these villages. Fina1ly, the schemes could not only utilize part of the
organizatlonal input and personnel of the repopulation project, but wiII also require
Iess effort and manpower than type (a) schemes started from scratch in empty areas.
The schenes would accordlngly require less of the very limited investment and local
manpower resourcea of Upper Volta.
3.3.2 Objectives of the Dro.iect
15O. The general and specific objectives are the same as indicated for the proiect
proposed ln north-eastern Ghana (see sectlon 2.3.2). The two pilot zones were
selected wlth the same crlteria and have many physical, demographic, economic and
social characteristics in comon. One speclfic objective should also be mentionedt
it is to relleve the population pressure of dense zones by pilot settlement schemes
in never-i.nhabited river zones, thus preparing for ful1 utilization of the fertile
lands to be reclained after the clearance of onchocerciasis.
3.3.3 Th€ solection of action ar€as
151. According to section 2.3.3 on the general guidelines for the selection of
active areas, the future project can only concentrate on part of the target population
(which anounts in the Di6bougou-Gaoua area to over 165 OOO). The action areas are
therefore to be selected in territories where integrated rural development, repopulation,
and posslbly also settlement projects can be combined fruitfully. In other words,
those territories have to be considered which include host (A) and departure areas (B),
viz. overpopulated plateau lands (A) which receive the people moved out of adjacent
rlver zonesi strlcken wtth onchocerclasis (B). The integrated rural development
project should be carried out in the entire action area whereas the repopulation and
Annex VI-1page 51
type B settlenent operations will of course focus on the reinstalment as well as
departure village .areas.
152. Ttre selection of one or more areas for a settlement schene in never-inhabited
tand (type A) Eust take lnto account from the social standpolnt the following
consideratlons:(a) the area or areas should not be located too far from the dense zones where
most potential settters appear to reside. Exploratory social surveys show that
candidate-settlers want to (and at least tn the initial period will) maintain close
relations with thelr home villages;(b) the territories close to the project area or areas should preferably be
inhabited by not too closed, diffldent, traditional tribes in order to avoid negative
attitudes and reactlons. The proJect or projects would moreover provide a better
denonstration when innovatlon-mlnded farners live ln the nelghbourhood.
3.3.4 Pogsible actlon areas in the Di6bougou-Gaoua zone
153. Fol,low-up studles are needed to determlne ln detail the location and
characterlstlcs of the (seni-) abandoned and nearby dense zones. However, based on
the lnformation gathered so far, the following action areas are among the first to be
selected for lntegrated rural developnent comblned with repopulatlon:(1) the canton of Dissln (Di6bougou administrative diatrict);(2, the canton of Koper (Di6bougou adninistrative dlstrlct);(3) the area East and South of Nako, particularly the canton of Dapola (Gaoua
adninlstratlve dlstrlct).
154. T'hese three areas are aII located in the densely populated strip along the
Black Volta rlver and are consldered for first priority selection because:
(1) they have within the dense strip the highest population denslties and
land-pressuree; tho canton of Dissln ia reported to have much exhausted land;
(2, they probably recelve the greatest numbers of evacueesl
(3) they are inhabited by the Dagarl-Wi16 and Birifor who have proved to be
rather lnnovatlon-mlnded, a favourable condition for startlng a rural development
proJect and Eaking a auccess of lt;(4) the people of these areas, particularly the evacuees, have shown a very
positive attitude towards repopulatlon. Moreover, some of the (younger) not
evacuated faruers would also Ilke to settle on fertile rlver land.
Further reagons for the selection of these areas are as follows:(5) slnce the cantone of Dissln and Koper are adjacent, a number of activities
could be organlzed Jolntly;(6) the actlon areas can be oxpanded easily in successive phases not only to
other parts of the dense strip along the Black Vo1ta, particularly southward, but as
Annex VI-lpage 52
far as rural development actions are concerned, also towards interior territories,
e.g. the canton of Dano.
155. A suitable area for a settlement acheme of type (A) is the empty Bougouriba
river area north of Di6bougou because the area is located not far fron the dense zones
of Dissin, Koper and Dano where most potential settlers live (see section 3.2.1);
the land rights on this area will probably be claimed mostly by the more open-minded
Wi16 and to a lesser extent by the still traditional tribes living further west,
Dian and Pougouli. The action areas are on the whole chosen in such a way that
initially the more adoptive ethnic groups wiIl be affected whlle the more traditional
ones such as tobi and Dian could be reached later. The latter tribes will, after
witnessing the development along the Black Vo1ta, probably become more motivated to
participate in agricultural and other development efforts.
3.3.5 Main lines of action of rural develo
156. As these tlnes in general will not differ from those described for the proiect
in north-eastern Ghana (see sections 2.3.5 and 2.3.6), they are summarized below:
(1) the provlsion of basic infrastructure, services and facilities (roads, welIs,
etc. );(2) agricultural development schemes including an elementary agricultural
infrastructure; the enlargement and intenslfication of exlsting agricultural
extension services; promotion of animal traction and mixed agrtculture; provision
of credit facilities, through credlt unions; for example, the improvement of land
tenure systems;
(3) educational development in regard to the provision of training for
farmers'wlves, socio-medical extenslon work, etc. (see also sectlon 5.2, which
indicates some useful precederrts in these fields, viz. the pilot centres of Koper and
Dissin, respectively, of CIDR and CESAO);
(4) the provision of health services;
(5) publicity and public relations.
IS?. Aided self-help in the various fields of action should also in this pilot
zone be promoted as much as possible, in spite of the fact that Upper Volta has less
experience of this policy. The country is on the other hand better acquainted than
Ghana with the creation of networks of group leaders, i.e., farmers assisting
extension workers at the village level.
3.3.6 Main lines of lation activit
IS8. These lines are on the whole the saEe as those proposed for north-eastern
Chana (see 2.3.7):(1) on-going publicity campaigns to convince people they can return to their
abandoned land;
a
Annex VI-Ipage 53
(2) the creation of a basic lnfrastructure and services in the starved-out
zones;
(3) onchocerciasis treatnent canpaigns;
(4) training and the forraatlon of reinstallation teams;' (to the reports on
this line of action in Ghana should be added that one reinstallatlon team will be
fully occupied for at least slx nonths ln each cluster of 5-1O vlllages to be
repopulated);
(5) specific rural developnent actions;(6) control and guidance for newcomers in the river areas, for which,
according to para. 145, small settleEent achemes are recotmended. During the
follow-up studies and the initial period of repopulatlon ways of planning and
impleEenting these schemes will have to be found.
3.3.7 Notes on sottlenent159. Several considerations for the planning of one or raore pilot settlement
schemes in never-inhabited areas (type A), e.g. ln the Bougourlba rlver area northof Di6bougou as EugBested in sectlon 3.3.4 are as follows. Posslble forms ofsettlement range from enforced settlenent (e.8. in man-made lake areas) to provoked
and spontaneous settlement. Countless past and present (seui-) spontaneous
migratlons of West Africans have occurred and nunerous candidates have applled forrecent settlement experiments, for exauple in the River Kou scheme in Upper Volta(see section 3.2.?). To make settleEent successful in the pllot zone, it isnecessary, according to local infornants, first of all to glve posslble candidates
the feeling of spontaneous reinstallation and personal inltlatlve. The most
sultable kind of project is therefore a semi-guided proJect: the organizational
arrangeBents, guidelines and regulatlons for selecting, relnstalllng and givingfarming guidance to the settlers should be kept to the ElnlmuD necessary to ensure
the farmers' welfare and the agricultural developoent ol the reclalmed land on the
one hand, and that the costs will not erceed the low investEent and manpower
possibilities of the country on the other.160. For the planning and inplementatlon of settleEent scheEes a number of problem
areas must be taken lnto account. sone cruclal ones were indicated in 3.2.3, 3.2.4
and 3.2.5 and concern land tenure, the conpatibllity of ethnlc groups, the fear oflocal people to return to onchocerciasls-cleared river valleys, etc. The projectto be proposed will be a pllot scheme lnvolvlng both settlenent and rural development.
Such a scheme implies a difficult on-golng procesa of trlal and error on the part ofthe settlers as well as of the schen€'s personnel. A start should therefore be
made with a relatlvely small number of settlers that could be lncreased gradually.In the flrst year not more than 50 nuclear fanllles should be relnstalled, in the
Annex VI-lpage 54
second 75, in the thlrd 1OO, in the fourth I25, and in the fifth year 15O families -a total of 5OO fanilles in five years. As most of the settlers will be young, the
average number of menbers per fanlly after five years is estimated to be six; the
scheme will therefore affect about 3OOO persons. Each farm family will probably
represent on the average 2-3 farm labour units, taking into account the fuIl-timefarming of the head and the part-tine contributions of his wife or wives and older
chi ldren.
16I. The schene w111 provide the necessary infrastructure such as access roads,
internal road network and wells, and smalI centres with basic services and facilities
for health, education, religion, agriculture (extension centres, storage facilities,farn input distribution centres, repair shops, etc.)1 commerce and social welfare(e.g. a multipurpose clubhouse). Further, plots will be established - the size to
be deternined by the agronomists - to ensure sufficient revenue for a nuclear family.
The project should not include a costly housing scheme. Settlers usually prefer to
build their own houses on their plots, and this agrees with the local habits of the
pilot zone where a concentrated pattern of habitat is hardly to be found. However,
if necessary, credit facilities for better loca1 house-building materials could be
provided.
162. The recruitment area for settlers should preferably be the total pilot area.
As very few candidates will be found in its thinly populated parts (which are moreover
mostly inhablted by traditional tribes), it will not be necessary to limit the
recruitment area fornally to the dense zones. If the recrultment area had to be
extended to overpopulated regions outaide the pilot zone, rt would be preferable to
settle local farmers together, at least initially, and not with "strangers". The
oost workable solution is to organize two separate schemes, viz. one for locals and
one for "strangers". A scheme set up for the latter only would of course create
resentment among the local tribes and negative attitudes towards the entire project
including the repopulation programme.
163. As for selectlon crlteria for settlers, the criterion of age need not be
apptied as reliance can be placed on the process of natural selection: older farmers
will probably not move out. To select exclusively married candidates will not even
be necessary; single farners who wish to settle will soon frnd out that it is
difflcult to live permanently in the settlement area without a family. Accordingly
they wilt probably look for a spouse before their reinstallation or soon after.
The only selection crlteria should be:
(1) that the candidates are really willing to leave forever their village and
farm and to settle perEan€ntly elsewhere;
a
Annex VI-lpage 55
(2) that they are capable and adaptable farnerg prepared to iEprove fannlng
Dethoda and lollos the lnstructlons of the gcheEe'8 extenslon workers.
As only a llElted nunber of tarners can be settled each year, sone klnd of screening
of the probably too nutrorous appllcants could be nade, posslbly on the basls of
lnforuatlon on thelr prevloua farning perforoance. A probation perlod of two or
three yeara sill also be necesaary.
164. One of the conditlons for agricultural development in the schene will be the
pronotlon of lndlvldualizatlon of larn productlon. Ttrls lmplies that land titlesshould be glven to the sottlers after an lnitlal probation period. Moreover, each
plot allocated should be occupled as far as posslble by only one nuclear famlly.
thls Elght turn out to bo dlfllcult in nany caaes as the concept of nuclear family israther flexlble anong Afrlcans, but the subdlvlClon of an allocated plot of land
anong extendod faully unlts or EoEbers rutrat be prevented ln some way. The plots
w111 be hand-cleared by the settlora thenselvea. Mechanlcal Qlearing would not only
be too expenslve but oight also give rise to unreallstlc expectations of Dechanlzation
arKrng the settlers and prevent theo from beconing sufflclently attached to their plots.
An adequate intenslve agrlcultural extension service has to be created for the settlers.Horev6r, during the flrst years only a gradual lnprovenent of thelr traditionalfarning syaten will be posslble as their reinstallatlon lteelf wl11 be a difficultadaptatlon proceas. Inltlally, the provlslon of sufflclent neans of subsistence
should bo the Ealn target and cash-cropplng should be promoted gradually. Reinstalla-
tion teaEa 1111 be indlspensable to prepare and gulde the settlers before, during and
aftcr the transler to thelr new envlronnont. The teams w111 have a simllar composition
and functlon as thoae proposed for the repopulatlon operatlons (para. tO2 d).
During the transitlon perlod, the asslstance of the World Food Programe would be
very opportuno.
3.3.8 Ngte on organlzqtional requlreaents
165. As noted in 2.3.8, the future proJect alulng at lntegrated rural developnent
repopulatlon and settlenent, wl1l have to deal wlth the sectors of agriculture, water
provlsion, publlc health, public works, educatlon, soclal welfare, etc., that fallunder the coEpetency of varlous illlnlgtrles and other governDental agencles at the
natlonal and lower levelg ("d6partenent" and "cercle"). Ttrerefore, a first need islor a klnd of comlttee at the natlonal level (in Oragadougou) wlth sufficientcoEpotonce to deal dlrectly wlth the Mlnlstrles and nediate betseen them and
governnent bodles at losor, reglonal levels. ltre conolttee should further create
aa soon as posslble a aeEl-autononous rural developnent, repopulatlon and settlement
centre (RDRSC) elther at the natlonal level with naln branches in each of the
propoaed pllot zonea or one for each pilot zone (e.8. Dl6bougou-Gaoua and
Annex VI-lpage 56
White and Red Volta rlvers zone). The centre wilt plan, coordinate and implement
the various opera.tions to be carrled out. Its tnain offlce in the pilot zone
Di6bougou-Gaoua should preferably be located in Di6bougou, with sub-centres in the
principal ptaces of the various action areas, e.g. Dissin, Koper and Nako (or
Dapola).
f66. The central staff of RDRSC will need to include specialists in the fields of
land and water.resources, public works, land tenure, agronomyr animal husbandry,
education, extension, social welfare, public relations and rural sociology or
apptied ethnology (for on-going action-ori€nted studies). The Centre should of
course closely collaborate not only with public adninistration agencies but also
with non-governmental institutions operating at "grass roots" tevel in the proiect's
action areas like CIDR, CESAO, cathotic and other missions, etc. (see 3.1.5).
16?. As Upper Volta lacks to a great extent the qualified personnel, particularly
agricultural extensionists, required to carry out the proiectr RDRSC should create
or arrange as soon as possible facilities to provide (middle-level) training for
extension workers, members of the reinstallation teamsr €tQ. For exanple, a
specific section could be organized for thls purpose in the FAo-assisted Centre
Agricole Polyvatent at Matourkou near Bobo-Dioulasso. collaboration would also
be desirable with the "centre d'Etudes Economiques et sociales de ltAfrique
Occidontale" (CESAO) in Bobo-Dioulasso. As the traininB of some personnel such as
nurses takes three years, a start should be made in 19?3 otherwise the proiect
cannot beBin to come into effect in 19?6. The trainees should as far as possible
obtain fleld practice ln the pilot zone, thus faniliarizing themselves sufficiently
with the econonic arld social conditions of thelr future action areas'
a
a
4.1
4.2
SEqTION 4. TVORY COAST COMITRY REFORT
Contents
TItTRODUCTION
PI(YT ZONE BANDAMA.BOU (ST,BPRETIECfT'RE OF NIAKARAMANDOUGOU)
4.2,L Populatlon
4.2 .2 Mlgratlon . .
4.2.3 The diffusion of agrlcultural lnnovetlona .
DET{SE ZOIIE OF KORTIGO .
4.3.1 Populatlon
4.3.2 Mlgratlon
4.3.3 Notos on agrlculturo and dlffuslon of innovatlona .
SETTLEII{ENT
4.4.1 Overall attltudes . .
4.4.2 Conditlons of settlaont4.4.3 [.and tenure probleua
4.4.4 Other possible probleo areaa for settlo[ent .
4.4.5 Potontlal settleraTOWARDS PRO.'ECT TDEIfTIFTCATION
4.5.1 Integrated rural develolnent and settloDent . .
4.5.2 Intogreted rural develorent4.5.3 Notes on s€ttlaent plannlng
4.5.4 Noto on orgenlzatlonal requlreoenta . .
Annex VI-lpage 57
Page
58
59
59
60
61
65
65
67
68
70
?o
7L
72
73
74
74
75
76
77
?9
4.3
4.4
4.5
Annex VI-lpage 58
4.L INTRODUCTION-
168. This report.ls divided lnto four naln parts:
4.2 Pltot zone Bandana-Bou (subprefecture of Niakaramandougou)
4.3 Dense zone of Korhogo
4.4 Settlenent/attftuaes, condi.tions and constraints
4.5 Towards Project tdentification.Ttrvo study areas were covered by the sociologlst. vl-zi the subprefecture
of Nlakaranandougou (whlch lncludes the pilot zone Bandama-Bou) and the dense
zone of Korhogo, respectivety the host and departure area for prospective
settlers. Ttre reasons were as follows. First1y, the thinly populated
subprefecture of Niakaramandougou ls not a reservoir of potential settlersfor the Bandana-Bou pilot zone. The latter will have to be recruited from
one or nore dense zones outslde this area. The dense zone of Korhogo
appeared in fact to be the only posslble departure area. From the available
documentatlon and the consultant's fleld visit it became clear that the
present currents of enigratlon from the upper half of the country are alldirected southward. Ttre Baoul6 of the dense areas in the central region
(Bouak6) w111 probably not go to the north with its rather distinct physical
(savanna) and ethnic condlrions. Also the farmers of the Katiola zone (iust
south of the pilot zone) will not move up\r'ards as they already have sufficlentfarmland.
f69. In three countrles of the onchocerclasis mission area, vtz. in Ghana,
Upper Volta and Togo, exploratory social surveys lasting two to three months were
carried out by Afrlcan soclologists but no direct information could be
gathered from the "grass roots" Ievel (i.e., farners and prospective settlers)ln the Ivory Coast. Only a short (one week) fietd visit to the
Niakaranandougou area and part of the dense zone of Korhogo could be nade but
durlng thls vlsit meetlnBs were held with a limited number of administrative
authorltles and traditlonal leaders. Thls country report consequently
provides only a general plcture for project ldentlfication as well as approval
to continue operatlonal, social and other studles ln order to obtain more
detalled and differentlated fleld infornation for the formulation of a
feasible project. Recently (March 1973) an up-to-date document on the
Niakaranandougou area becaoe avallable; the report entltled "Ana1yse zonale
de ta Prdfecture de Katiola" presents the results of a regional study proposed
by the Minlstry of Plannlng and carrled out by the Bureau pour le D6veloppement
de Ia Productlon Agrlcole (BDPA). A number of data fron thls report (hereafter
referred to as the BDPA report), have as far as posslble been integrated into the
followlng descrlptlon of the Bandama-Bou zone.
a
a
Annex VI-1page 59
4.2 PILoT ZO.IE BAI.IDAII{A.BOU (SI,BPREFECTURE OF NTAIGRAITIANDOUGOU).
1?O. The study a.rea conslsts of the subprefecture of Niakaramandougou (known for
short as Nlakara) which covers nost of the Bandana-Bou zone. The area belongs to
the prefecture of Katiola (constituted ln 1969) whlch forns part of the vast,
thinly populated savanna area between the dense zones of Bouak6 in the south and of
Korhogo ln the north. A plcture of the exlsting and planned infrastructure,
services and facilltles ln the area is presented in the BDPA report and in
Annex I-1. A few notes follow below.
I?I. The zone ls crossed by the iEportant rallway Abldjan-Katlola-Ferkess6dougou-
Upper Vo1ta (Bobo-Dioulassou) as well as by the international Bouak6-Katio1a-
Ferkess6dougou-Upper Volta road. The road will be asphalted in the near future,
and 1t ls planned to restore the brldge over the Bandana rlver near Congo and the
Niakaramandougou-Korhogo road that now passes Sinkaha and Tenindieri. After
these lnprovenents are completed the area w111 be wetl connected wlth the maior
urban centres of the country. As to pubtic heatth, the only rural health centre
is located ln Niakara. The nearest hospitals are in Katlola and Korhogo and a
Daternity centre wltt be constructed soon ln Niakara. As to education, there are
ll public and 4 prlvate prlmary schools, used by less than 40% of the children of
school age. The nearest secondary schools are in Katlola. There ls a catholic
mlssion ln the clty of Nlakara.
4.2.L Populat ion
L72. Accordlng to data provided by the local adninlstration of Niakara the total2
populatlon of the subprefecture (4780 km-) was about 20 8OO in 19?O. The BDPA
report, using ORSTOM-PIan data, glves the nunber of inhabitants ln t97I as 18 ?75,
of whom 4660 lived ln the two urban centres (Niakaramandougou and Tortlya) and
14 115 ln rural areas. According to the worklng paper "Population rurale et
urbalne par d6partenent et par souspr6fecture" (Ministdre du PIan, Directlon des
Etudes de D6vetoppenent Feb. 1970), the population of the subprefecture was
18 tOO ln 1965, 18 ?OO tn 1968, and it is estimated that lt will have increased to
2L 7OO by 1980, assuBlng that the present conditions of the area remain unchanged.
I?3.Ttreareaisd1videdintotgocantons,naBeIy,[email protected] area of about 27OO kn2, 18 vlllages and 14 343 inhabitants, and Kenbigu6 in the
north with an area of about 19OO fm2, 14 villages and 6442 lnhabltants. Most
people reslde near the Katiola-Niakara-Tafi16 axls while the areas near the rlvers
Bandana and Bou are practlcally unlnhablted. There are two major centres, vLz.
the capltal Niakaranandougou (49IO lnhabitants) and the diamond-mlnlng clty of
Tortlya (about 6O00 inhabltants). (These data also do not coincide with those in
the BDPA report). The renalnlng places are all small, rather concentrated,
Annex VI-1page 60
vlllages wlth fewer than 5OO inhabitants. Most of these villages have therefore
been regroupecl in. rural zones each wlth a central vitlage ("vlllage centre") and
an average of nine other habitats. The central vlllages are selected on the basis
of their geographic position, the presence of services and thelr political ana/or
ethnic importance.
L74. The study area includcs four such central villages, viz. Petokaha,
Niakaranandougou, Nlediekaha and Tortiya-Tenindieri, with 6, 9, 6 and 2 "satellite"villages respectlvely. Tlrere are also 9 isolated villages. The population
density of the area is very low, i.e., 3.9 persons p"" k.2 against 5.6 persons2per kn- for the total prefecture of the Katlola (BDPA report). The population-
composition (pyramid) is characteristic for rural savanna people. The
population has, according to a 19?1 BDPA survey, the following structure:
O-4 years L8.2%
5-14 years 3O,4%
15-24 years 13.4%
25-59 years 34.L%
59 years andover 3.flo
1?5. Ethnic groups: most lnhabitants are Tagouana, an ethnlc subBroup of the
Senoufo, who occupy a large part of the northern Ivory Coast. The Tagouana are,
like the Senoufo, matrilinear and, furthermore, reportedly rather closed,
traditlonal and attached to thelr old farming system. Most have remalned animists
tn spite of the influence of Islam, the predoninant religion of the Senoufo groups
north and east of thetr area; in recent times many have becone christians. The
areas west of the river Bandama are populated by the rather different, patriarchal
and patrilinear Malinkd, who are reported to be more innovation-minded.
4.2.2 Migration
I?6. Unllke the areas upstream (Korhogo region, see section 4.3.2) and, to a
smaller degree, downstream (Katiola zone), the population movenents withln the
Niakaramandougou zone are practically nil. The local farmers of the area have
abundant farmland around their villages and very few (only neer LonBo) move toward
the Bandana river banks to cultivate a plot. There is no Iarge scale immigration
in the area at present. Ttre movement of locals from the densely populated
Napi6oledougou and Korhogo zones downstream for migrant farming has hardly touched
up to the present the Niakara area but will probably stretch out more to the south
in the near future. Huts and camps as well as a recently created village
(Bemakaha) are found already just north of the study area (aee sectlon 4.3.2).
The Bandama village, founded in 1970 near the Bandama river between Sinkaha and
a
a
Annex VI-lpage 61
Tenindieri, where over 4OO lrtrlgrants of the Korhogo reglon have settled, is also
an indication of future movements. Although the village is still an exception,
it might provide a precedent for other settlements of ionigrants.L77. A specific type of lnnlgration ls taklng place 1n the area of Tortiya, where
the SAREMCI Company has exploited a dlanond mine since 1950. Ttre place grew
rapidly lnto a small, rather modern centre and now nunbers over 600O lnhabitants,mostly migrants from other regions of the country and from abroad. Ttre nine now
employs 625 well selected labourers of whom about ?O% cone from the north, (5O7o
Senoufo, 20% Dioula) and 25% ot the south Baoul6). The population of thls isolatedconrmunity is rather stable due to the low turnover of the labourers who nearly allbrought their families wlth them. Tortlya should therefore be regarded as an
island in the area on account of its very mlxed population, separateness, and
urban features.
f78. As ln aII the north€rn and central parts of the country., numerous young
people, mostly males, emigrate to the coffee and cocoa plantations and urban centres
of the south. Accordlng to the BDPA report, a mlnor section of the migrants of theprefecture of Katlo1a move (flrst) to the urban centres of Kattola (22%) and
Bouak6 (27%) and the rest to the south. No speciflc studles are avallable on the
out-migratlon of the study area, but insiders stated that about two-thirds of the
young look for work in the south. Ttre emigrants include as usual nearly allliterate and seni-literate people who have in general an averslon to agriculture orat least to the tradltional type of farning practised by thelr familles. It may
be assuoed that the reasons of the locals for emlgration are similar to those
indicated in para. 64 and 125. The emigrants, usually attracted by relativesana/or friends already employed in the south, start nostly as seasonal labourers.Many return less and less frequently to their home vlllage and not a few onlyoccaslonally, e.g. to find a spouse. A minor section of the enlgrants, includlngsome who have becone skilled in non-farmlng trades, return definitely to thelr home
coEmrnity.
4.2.3 The dlffusion of aBricultural innovatlons
179. Over 90% of the active populatlon ls dedicated to agriculture. According
to a sample survey carried out by BDPA in 1971 on 316 farning enterprlses in the
prefecture of Katiola, there are 2390 farra holdlngs ln the subprefecture ofNiakaramandougou. Each has an average of 5.9 persons of whom 2.6 are fullyoccupled and 1.5 partly occupied ln farmlng. The average area of the holdinBs is16.2 hectares of whlch 2.49 hectares are under cultlvatlon, the rest remains fallowon a ?-year basls. Each actlve person operates about O.94 hectare of land(O.4I hectare per inhabitant). Tlre area has stitl a large potenttal for
Annex VI-lpage 62
agriculture: of the 7L.2% of the arable surface of the study area only 9.1% ls
cultivated (BDPA Eeport, Page 69).
I8O. Although the local farmers are reportedly stlIl attached to their traditional
farming systeE,. based on the subsistence crgps, maize, yams, and millet, a growing
number are adopting cash-crops (cotton and rice) and lmproved farming nethods.
Ttre BDpA report indlcates that the cotton farn is typical of the Niakara area. On
the averager SS% of the cultivated land of these farms produced cereals Ln L}TOfTL
(3O% maizer 20% rLce, 5% nillet), 2& produced yans, and 15% cotton. The spread
of agricuttural lnnovatlons ln the area is carrled out by nainly three agencies'
vlz: (1) Conpagnle Frangalse pour le D6veloppeoent des Textiles (cFm);
(2) Soci6t6 pour le D6vetoppement du Riz (SODERIZ); (3) Direction D6partementale
de 1'Agriculture du centre (DDAC).
IgI. CFDT, whlch promotes the production of cotton in the tvory Coast, obtalned
remarkable results ln the study area. Thls in contrast to the subprefecture of
Taflr6, where it had to cease its activities mainly because of insufficient response
among the locals. The latter are more interested in growing yams and cereals,
which are easlly Barketable ln urban centres reached by means of the nearby railroad.
The CFIII sector of Katlola, which conslsts of the area of Niakara, had in October
l9?1 one sector ch1ef, flve subsector chlefs and 58 "monlteurs", i.e. (extenslon
workers). On tne averaBe one extenolon worker was available for about 27O farms or
for about 90 cotton growers. the latter cultlvated on the average about I hectare
of cotton. About 35% of the farns are reached by CFDr. The area of Niakara-
mandougou had ln October 19?1 two subsector chiefs and t9 extension workers, who
reached not less than ?I% of the farns (these data are derived fron the BDPA report).
The productlon of cotton, lntroduced in the area in 1964, has increased considerably
durlng recent years and reached 1106 netric tons in the season Lg7Lf72, The average
production per hectare was O.? tons. Cotton was grown on a total of 1518 hectares
of land by 1696 farners from 30 villages. CFDT planned to clear in the near future
a plot of 8O hectares near Nlakaramandougou on which selected farmers from nearby
villages will cultlvate cotton. The company hopes also to start soon thet diffusion
of oxen tractlon.:..g2. SODERIZ is a state-dlrected company and slnce 1969 has successfully lntroduced
rice lnto the Nlakaranandougou reglon. By the end of 1971 a total of l43O hectares
of land were growlng rice, vlz. 1265 hectares with ranified rlce (of which ? hectares
were denonstratlon plots) and 165 hectares with irrigated or paddy rice (of which
52 hectares were pilot ptots). the coEmercial yield was 42Onetrictons in 197I. The
SoDERIZ zon€ of Katlola falls under the "Direction R6gionale du Nord" in Korhogo.
Accordlng to the BDPA report, the zone had ln October 19?1 one sector chtef'
a
Amex VI-lpage 63
3 assistants and 16 extension workers ("encadreurs") of whon 1 assistant and 5
extenslonists operated 1n the Nlakaramandougou sub-zone. In the Katlola zone one
extenslonlst was avallable for about 30 pilot plots in private farns (altogether
there were 5OO pilot plots in the zone). Overall, there was one extensionistfor about 9?5 farmers. As with CFDI for cotton, SODERIZ has the responsibilityfor the marketing of the rice.I83. The prefecture of Katlola, falling under the Direction D6parteEentale de
1'Agriculture du Centre (DDAC) of Bouak6, comprlses two "Secteurs de
D6veloppement Rural" (SDR), vi-z. of Katlola (to which the Niakaramandougou area
belongs) and Dabakala. Each SDR includes services for agriculture, forestry,"Animation Rurale" (i.e., agricultural extension) and plant protection. According
to the BDPA report, the Niakara subsector had in October 1971 one subsector chigf,three agents for agriculture, two for forestry, one for plant protection and one forextenslon work. The SDR has at present lnsufficient personnel and lnadequate
financial resources.
184. A general extension prograEme called "Anination Rurale" was carried out untilrecently by the Regional Office of the Ministry of Agriculture (DDAC) in Bouak6
(whlch covers the central reBion of the country). Part of thls programme is now
being reorganlzed under the title "Promotlon de Jeunes Agriculteulg" (Pronotlon
of Young Farners). It became evident that extension work should be focussed
closely more on the nation-wlde problem of how to (re)engage the younger ruralworkers, partlcularly the llterates or semi-literates, in farming. In other words,
how to make agriculture more attractlve to them in order to reduce the masslve ruralexodus. ltre new prograrame includes two flelds of actlon, vi-z. (f) the
encouragement and lnstruction of local farmers in order to increase thelrparticipation 1n ongoing agricultural development efforts, and (2) the trainlng inmodern agriculture of young volunteers installed ln camps of the "Servlce Ci.vique".
One such camp or "Centre de Jeunesse Rurale" functions near Dabakala, where localyoung people (about 7O in l9?1) are trained on an 18 hectare plot cultivated withranified rice and cotton (BDPA report).185. The DDAC subsector of Niakaramandougou badly needs personnel for extension
work and has only one agent responsible for the area. This agent is however
assisted by a group leader in a number of vlllages. The maln actlvltles of the
subsector during the season l-g?OhL were as follows:(f) the organlzatlon of a ls-day and a S-day course to train 44 group
leaders ("anlnateurs") (i.e., local farmers who propagate good farnlng methods inthelr village);
Annex VI-1page 64
(2, I? field meetings (which reached over 20 villages) to promote improved
farming methods, nethods for cultivating cotton and rice, and better housing,
hygienlc and conmunity developnent activities, such as the construction of roads,
schoots, latrines, wells, etc.
(3) the promotion of blockwise cultivation on comEon plots ("regroupements"),
cotton: in collaboration with CFDT, 36 fietds totalllng 539 hectares were laid
out and cultivated by about ?OO farners of 14 villages; rice: in collaboration
with soDERIZ g fields totalline 116 hectares were orBanlzed by 52 farmers in 7
villages; yams: 3 fields; tobacco (seedlings): 20 fields;
(4) the promotion of better coomercial handting of yams and rice.
lg6. Ttle Centre rural de Ia mission catholique de Niakara was organi.zed in 1969.
A demonstration farm includes pilot plots of ricer Ysrr maize, millet, etc" and
with the help of two French volunteers it has tried to diffuse among the local
farners improved agricultural methods, includlng animal traction and even
mechanization.
18?. Some important agricultural development efforts of the past are also to be
mentioned. tn the period Lg5gf68 a progranune of integrated rural development was
promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture in various pilot zones alL over the country'
One of these zones comprised the villages of Petokaha and Kananwolo (and later
also sinkaha and Longo), some 20 kn north of Niakaramandougou. In this zone CFDT
organized from tg65 to 1968 intenslve extension activities as well as crop trials.
In splte of the positive reactlons of the local people, the activity ceased mainly
because the villages were too isolated. Another earlier experience was the pilot
sugar-cane plot near Sinkaha during the period Lg62f6g. Ttle trials were later
carrled out near Ferkessddougou.
I88. Reviewing the agricultural development efforts in the study area' the
foltowing conclusions may be reached:
(a) There has been a remarkable increase in the cash cropst cotton and rice'
This caused a Considerable decrease ln maize production, whereas yam producti'on
remained stationary.(b) The introduced cash crops boosted a process of indivldualization of
farDingasyoungerfarmersparticutarlytendtogrowcottonandriceandindlvldual plots to make some profit for themselves'
(c) The agricultural extension work at the vitlage level is carried out by
various agents operating single-coEmodity agencies (CFDT; SODERIZ, etc'); this
kindofapproachisnotentirelyapproprlateasitmightconfusethefarmersand
bringtheninthelongrunlessbenefitandwelfare.Anintegratedrural
devetopment policy is preferable because it includes the promotion of adequately
balanced cropping Patterns' etc.
Annex VI-lpage 65
4.3 THE DE.ISE ZONE OF KORHOGO
I89. As lndicated above, the dense zone of Korhogo will constltute the main
departure area of prospectlve settlers in the Bandana-Bou pllot zone. The
boundaries of this zone were determlned by the tean of the 1965 SEDES report(descrlbed below), which used mainly the criterla of high population density and
considerable emigration. The zone (2835 km2) covers an area wlth a radius of 3O-4O
kn around the regional capital of Korhogo. The following descrlptlon lsunfortunately incomplete as no exploratory social survey could be carrled out inthls soclo-culturally rather complex area. Such a survey is lndlspensable before
the detailed planning of any project including settlenent can take place.tgO. TVo lnportant reports were available on the area: (a) an extensive roportentitled "R6g1on de Korhogo - Etude de d6veloppement soclo-6conooique" was
published in 1965 and the study was carrled out on behalf of the Governnent by
SEDES (Soc16t6 d'Etudes pour le D6veloppeoent Economlque et Soclal, Parls). ltre
report consists of 8 speclfic reports, aEong whlch are a "Rapport Sociologique"
and a "Rapport D6raographique". The former presents the results of the only socialsurvey carried out in the region, whereas the latter devotes sone sections tonlgrational movenents, on which toplc no other studles seened to be avallab1e.(b) The second report "Etude Pr6lloinalre i une op6ratlon de Mlse en valeur des
Aires de D6gagenent de la Zone Dense de Korhogo" was pubtished 1n 1969 by theBureau National d'Etudes Technlques de Ddveloppement (BNETD) in Abldjan. The
study lndlcates the possibtlltles of "deconpressing" the dense zone of Korhogo by
gradual repopulatlon and agricultural development of mostly uncultlvated and thinlypopulated adjacent areas. The denographlc data were, accordlng to the authors,taken from the SEDES report mentloned above. The two reports are subsequontly
referred to as the SEDES and BNETD reports.4.3.1 Populatlon
191. Some overall data. The dense zone of Korhogo covers the subprefectures ofSlnenatiall and Pokaha and partially those of Korhogo and Napldoledougou. Populationdata on thls area are presented 1n Table VI-l.3. They are derived fron the workingpaper "Populatlon rurale et urbaine par d6partement et par sous-pr6fecture.Estination 1965 - Proiections 19?O-75-8O", MlnlstBre du PIan, I97O. Although theproiectlons provided by this paper are dlsputable, the data for 1970 colncide to a
large extent wlth those collected through periodical censuses ln the various
subprefectures (these data appeared, however, to be inconplete and thus unsuitablefor presentation tn thls report). In the working paper all inhabltants of the
subprefectures of the dense zone are classified as rural, except those in the town
of Korhogo and, fron 19?O onward, those in the city of Sinenatlalt. The paper
Annex VI-Ipage 66
assunes further that the rural potrrlatlon of the northern region wl11 decrease by
3.I% in the perloC 19?0-?5 and by 2.5% durlng the period 1975-80. This explains
the steadlly decreaslng rurat population nunbers presented in Table VI-1.3 from
143 600 ln 1970 to 12O 4OO in 1980.
]-g2. Atthough, accordlng to the B,l.lEm report, the total poprlation of the dense
zone w111 renain Eore or less constant during the period 197O-8O, 1ts rural
poputation wilt decrease by an overall rate of 2% from I3O ?5O in 19?O to l2O 29O
in 19?5 and to lto 6?0 in 1980. Ttrls decrease is, according to the SEDES and
BNEDT reports, not due to the natural population growth rate which wlII rlse from
I.5% ln l9?O to 2.3% in 19?5 as the natality rate will remain constant (4.5%) and
the mortallty rate will decrease from 3% in 1970 to 2.27o in 1975 due to an
improvement in the health services, etc. The overall decrease of the rural
populatlon can consequently only be explained by the considerable and growing
emlgratlon which has charactertzed the area sj.nce the early 195Os (see section
4 .3.2) .
tg3. Population densitles. Ttre poplrlation density in the region of Korhogo
vari.es considerably ln each subzone; i.e., according to the BNEm report, from 6 too
over ?O persons per kn- around the city of Korhogo. The SEDES report therefore
delinlted a dense zone with a radius of 3O-4O km around Korhogo. This zone2 -_ 2
covering 2835 km- had in 1965 an average density of 53 persons per km and in some
places, €.go ln the subprefecture of Napi6oledougou, the density reached even
12o persons per km2.
r94. Populatlon distribution. Apart from the rapidly growing urban centre of
Korhogo and the snall city of Sinenatlali population is very dlspersed' the greater
part of the villages havlng not nore than 3oo inhabitants (the SEDES report uses in
this respect the tern "habltat en n6buleuse"). The population of the adiacent
territorles, south and west of the dense zone, is on the contrary nainly concentrated
in bigger vlllages. Tab1e VI-1.4 presents the numbers and size-categories of the
vlllages of the subprefectures of the dense zone. These data, derived fron the
SEDES report, resulted from sample censuses held during the period 1954-59. From
the table it appears clearty that villages with less than 3OO lnhabitants prevail
in the dense zone, e.g. 90% of the villages of the subprefecture of Sinematiali
belong to this category.
f95. Ethnlc qrouDs Most inhabitants of the dense zone are senoufo divlded into
the Nafaro, to rphlch the greater part of the population belongs, and the Kiembara
subgroups. Ttle Senoufo are reported to be stitl rather traditlonal and attached
to thelr vlllage and farms, as well as to their traditional animistlc bellefs.
The Dioula, a subgroup of the Malink6 and mostly muslims, constltute a rninority;
Annex VI-lpage 67
they llve malnly 1n urban centres and are usually dedicated to coEnerce and
handlcrafts. ltle soclologlcal report of the SEDES study is the only research-
based source that provides ample lnforEatlon on the ethnlc groups of the dense zone.
The publlcatlon descrlbes successively thelr religious beliefs, vlllage llfe,matrlnonlal system, and the status and roles of wives, children and young nen. Italso presents an analysls of their lntrlcate land tenure system, their attitudetowards cattle, the clrculatlon of goods and services, their external relatlons,Elgratlons and ftnally the Dioula lnlluence on the evolutlon of their country.
196. Level of educatlon. Accordlng to the SEDES report, 9% of. the rural Senoufo
were llllterate in the early slxtles. About L7% of the school-age population
(whtch forms approxlmateLy 20% of the total populatlon) attended school in 1963/64.
In most rural areas the rate was only 11%. Although the level of educatlon rose
during the last decade, lt 1s stlll nuch lower 1n the Korhogo Region than 1n the
southern parts of the country.
4.3.2 Mlgration
197. Population Movemonts in the area. Considerable migrant farning has been
practised for a long time by the peasants of the dense zone in adjacent, Iess-densely
populated areas where numerous caops are found. The SEDES report distinguished three
types of camp. Firstly rudiEentary caops near the hone villages that serve the
farmers who oove daily to thelr plots. Ther€ are also seasonal and permanont canps.
Over 55 of the latter type existed in the late 195Os in the subprefecture of Korhogo
alone. The caEps had a populatlon varying from 2O to 7OO inhabitants, but mostly
between 50 and 15O. Apart from the nunerous camps north of th€ dense zone, there
are also several south of this area, particularly in the thlnly populated $uthernpart of the subprefecture of Napi6oledougou close to the fertile west bank of the
Bandama river. Some of theso camps where land-hungry farmers cultivate rice and yams
gr€w lnto villages; this is the case at Lanviara (also called Bemakaha), a recentlyfounded large vlllage with over 4OO hectares of rice land.
198. The movement downstrean, particularly relevant to a possible s€ttlement
scheme ln the BandaEa-Bou zone, will probably expand into the Niakaramandougou
subprefecture. Ttre recently created Bandana village whose inhabitants orlginatefron the dense zone (see 176) might be an indication of this trend. The eastern
bank of the Bandana river with its extensive forest reserve of Silue has, however,
so far remalned enpty. The continulng outflow from the dense zone southwards isat present seriously hampered by onchocerciasls and several camps near the Bandama
rlver had to nove lnland. However, as soon as these territories are cleared ofonchocerclasls, the spontaneous movenents of farners will probably increase conslderably.
Annex VI-lpage 68
Igg. It should be added that probably few farmers w111 nove toward the BandaEa
banks fron the subprefecture of Dlkodougou, west of the Bandana-Bou zone; firstly
beceuse thls subprefecture is far less densely populated and secondly because the
Ilmited number of niBrant farmers prefer to move southwards to the nearby eEpty
river Bou areai. tt was, however, also reported that peasants fron the more
densely populated canton of Gui6nb6 cultlvate plots near the Bandana rlver south
of Kierssou, partlcularly along the so-caIIed "oncho-tract". Durlng the short
field vlslt to the dense zone only the Iln1ted general lnforEatlon presented above
could be obtained. A speclflc operatlonal survey 1s required to provide a conplete
picture of the complex populatlon novenents of the reglon.
2OO. Emigration. The reglon of Korhogo, and particularly its dense zone, is
marked by considerable enigration. The demographlc and sociological parts of the
SEDES report present the results of a specific survey carrled out in 1963 on
migratlonal Eovements. It was found that every year 1OOO-1IOO men and about 3OO
women left the region deflnitely and IOOO-11OO nen for an average of 20 months.
The permanent eEigration often resulting from seasonal movements will increase up
to 3OOO persons yearly by I9?5. The greater part of the emigrants originate from
the dense zone and over 5O7o of the nale entgrants are in the age-group 15-34 years.
Women migrate nuch less, forming only about one-quarter of the Eigrants. The study
indicates further that 1O-I5% of the total population in the villages of the dense
zone were Blgrants. One thlrd to a half of then returned pernanently to their
home comunlty. Nearly 8O7o of. the Eigrants nove to the centre and south-east of
the country; the towns of Bouak6 and Abldjan alone absorb 37% of them. Althou8h
recent studles on emigration are unfortunately lackinB, there is no doubt that, in
splte of the agrlcultural development efforts in the reglon' the nunber of
emigrants is steadlly increasing.
4.3.3 Notes on asrlculture and dlfluslon of lnnovatlons
2O1. Ttre following notes result nalnly from a short fleld vlsit to part of the
dense zone, whlch in 19?O had a rural population of about 13O OOO' Not only is
there a great shortaBe of land, but Dost of the cultlvable land ls ov€r-used'
Accordlng to the SEDES report 85% of the farntrolders own less than 4 hectares
against 52% in the yam area south of the dense zone. The indlviduallzation of
farnlng is on the increase, but it ls reported that nany younger people can no
longer obtain a plot. I'hese conditions turn the dense zone more and more lnto a
zone of land-hunger and a departure area: lt is exp€Cted that some 20 OOO rural
lnhabitants wllt leave the zone deflnltely ln the perlod t9?O-8O (see Table VI-I'3)'
Annex VI-1page 69
2O2. Most of the farDers are stlIl engaged in a traditlonal subslstence farming
system based on the cultivatlon of nillet, nai.ze, sorghun, yans and some peanuts.
the extended farn family of, on the average, L2 persons constltutes the traditionalunlt of exploitatlon, in spite of the fact that a growlng nunber of the young also
exploit a plot of their own. Most farns are located in the niddle or close to the
rather fragmented farmlands. [n recent yoars nunerous farmers have adopted
agrlcultural innovations such as the cultlvation of rice, the use of fert1llzers,pesticides, etc. The dlffuslon of these novelties ls carried out by various semi-
autononous "sectoral" organizatlons responslble for the productlon and
comrerclallzation of speciflc crops. An lntegrated agrlcultural development
approach ls up to the present hardly favoured ln the country.
2O3. T'he most lmportant agency for agricultural development ls SODERIZ, created
in January 1971 to boost rice. productlon, which was before one of the tasks of
SATMACI. SODERIZ has already obtained remarkable results in the dense zone as well
as ln adjacent areas. Irrigated rice has been introduced now on over SOOO
hectares of land of which IOOO hectares yield yearly a double crop ("i deux cycles").
Countless farmers have started a rice plot of about O.25 hectare and nearly allhave become acquainted with rice growing. As water provislon constltutes a nain
problem, 17 dams financed by FED and the Federal Republic of Gernany wlll be builtln the Korhogo Reglon. SODERIZ has planned in addition the settleEent of about
4OO fanilies in 5 new villages in the Solomogou valley, where 8OO hectares of land
will be prepared for cultlvation of irrlgated rice. A start will be made in 19?2
with 20 families, all volunteers. An atteDpt wlll be made to reinstall settlerscoming froE the same vitlage as far as possible together. It alns not only at
targe-sca1e dlffusion of rlce growing tn the dense zone but also plans to develop
successively all suitable, thinly populated adjacent areas, startlng in Solomogou
and contlnulng "clockwise" durlng th€ next 1O-I5 years. Thus, the Bandama-Bou
zone night be one of the ultlmate targets of thls plan.
2O4. In addltlon to SODERIZ, various other agencies operate ln the dense zone
includlng CFm (the area appeared, however, to be less suitable for cotton
production), CAIT for tobacco, SODEFEL which successfully introduced vegetable
crops, SODEPRAT for anlmal husbandry, and SODESUCRE for sugar production.
SODESUCRE will become important after completion of the dam in the Lokpoho rlvernear the clty of Ferkess6dougou. Its "Projet, Sucrier" conpri.ses near the dam a
scheme of 6000 hectares of irrigated sugarcane whlch will start in 1972 and produce
45 722 metric tons of sugar by 1975. The project will provide employment to about 4OOO
farners and thus bring benefit to over 30 OOO local people. Most of the labour
will be recrulted from the area of Sinenatlali which will probably lead to a decrease
Annex VI-lpage 70
of potentlal settlers fron thls part of the dense zone for the Bandana-Bou zoneproiect. Another proiect whlch nlght affect the nunber of prospective settlersls the proposed Kena Scheme of soue 22 OOO hectares near Tafir6, which wouldabsorb at least SOOO labourers. However, the neans of flnancing this project havenot yet been found.
2O5. The Regional Sectlon of the Minlstry of Agrlculture coordlnates theagrlcultural developnent efforts of the various agencies operatlng in the reglon.The Sectlon lacks fleld personnel, partlcularly extenslonlsts. The sector"Anlnatlon Rurale" (rural extension) started in 196g wlth a pilot project of two
settleEent vlllages. Ttrls project ls an early attempt to decompress the congesteddense zone of Korhogo atong the rlnes of the BNEm report (see para. 19o). Ttletwo snall vlllages are Sandonakaha (ln 19?o - 118 inhabitants) and Kandonakaha,
located close to each other and at some 20 kn east of Napi6oledougou. Ttre
settrers sere lnvlted to engaBe ln modern cash-cropping (yans, potatoes, rice,maize) on counon fields ("blocs de culture,,) cleared in part nechanically and inpart by hand.
2o6. Although the attttudes of the settlers were on the whole positlve, theproiect so far appears not to be successful. The reasons are lack of extensionistsand funds; the presence of onchocerclasis and probably the too-abrupt transltionfron tradltlonal to modern, blockwlse farming. The two vlllages lack moreover a
balanced populatlon composition: over 60% of the men are below 30 years of age and SOTo
of the Pdren younger than 15. People aged 45 years of age and over are not present.Flnally, the ltlportant lnnovation of oxen-tractlon should be mentioned. It isreported that over 5OO pairs of oxen have been lntroduced ln the northern regi.ons
and another 3OO have been requested.
4.4 SETTLEMEM
2O7. The followlng consideratlons concern mainly overall attitudes, conditions and
constraints ln vlew of the proposed settleEent of farmers fron the dense zone ofKorhogo to the Bandana-Bou area.
4.4.L Overall attltudes2O8. The tradltlonal, administratlve, and other leaders intervieured statedunanimously that many farners fron the dense zone would be prepared to resettle lnthe Bandama-Bou zone as soon as sultable condltlons are created there. some
informants polnted out that although the farrners around Korhogo are rather sedentary
and attached to thelr vlllage and faro, nany would nonetheless move out because ofland-hunger; farnland ln the greater part of the dense zone 1s poor, over-used and
there is a shortage of peat. The present slzeable migratory flow to the centraland southern parts of the country and aLso the numerous canps north and south of the
Annex VI-lpage 71
dense zone are signiflcant, the local farmers being forced to look for a solutlonoutslde thelr zor\e.
2O9. Ttre present policy of intenslfication of agriculture in the dense zone by
lrrigated rlce plots, etc.,wlI1 not brlng sufflclent rellef. Thls 1s also realizedby SODERIZ, whlch has therefore planned various resettlenent schemes, such as the
Solonogou Project, in adJacent areas (see para. 2O3). However, the nlgrant farmlngnow taklng place haphazardly around the dense zone and frequently resultlnB lnpernanent or seni-perEanent settlenents ls of course rather dlfferent from an
organlzed settlenent schene. In such a schene the settlers w111 have to bulld up
new coEEunltles and cannot continue to ldentify themselves fully with their home
vlllages. Soue lnfornants polnted out that ideally the project area should
therefore be located rather far from the settlers' villages. Other lntervieweesstressed the need for systematic campalgns to lnform the locals of the departureareas as well as the host areas and to provlde a clear picture.of the onchocerciaslscontrol programile and the organlzatlon and requi.rements of the settlement scheme.
Flnally, the informants confirmed that the villagers of the Niakaramandougou area
would probably not be inclined to settte in other places as they have sufflclentland. However, some might be tempted to engage in small-scale migrant farming on
the Dore fertile land near the Bandama rlver.4.4.2 Condltlons of settlenent21O. Unfortunately, ln the absence of a social survey, no direct lnformation on
these condltlons could be obtalned from the potential settlers themselves. However,
sone lnterviewed leaders put forward the ldea that "as soon as roads and water pointsin an unlnhablted, cultlvable area become availabte, people will move out". Inother words roads, water provision and suitable land are baslc conditions to attractsettlers. In order to secure stable, viable, permanent conEunities othercondltlons are, however, also indispensabl€, vlz. sone basic health servi.ces,handlcrafts and commerclal servlces, includlng facillties for the marketing ofagricultural produce. Some of the settlers wl1l also require educational facilitlesfor their chlldren. Finat1y, security of land tenure and agricultural as well as
soclo-nedlcal extension services are also baslc necessitles for successful settlenent.211. The locals are usually less consclous of these condltlons because they oftenregard settleEent as a kind of prolonged mlgrant farnlng which they practisenowadays and which eventually could take the form of pernanent relnstallation as,e.g.,ln Lanviara (see sectlon 4.3.2). There are no major settlement schemes lnthe area whlch could provlde a frane of reference to the locals. Ttre snal1,unlnpresslve settlen€nt experiDent ln the two p1lot v1llages of Sandonakaha and
Annex VI-lpage 72
Kandonakaha are hardly a satisfactory exa6ple. Again, also for this reason, an
adequate publicity canpaign is indlspensable.
4.4,3 Land tenure problems
2L2. The land tenure system among the Tagouana of the Niakaranandougou host
area ls rather sinllar to the systeE of the Senoufo of the Korhogo Region to whom
they are ethnlcally related. The sociologlcal parts of the SEDES report lncludes
a valuable description of the lntrlcate Senoufo land tenure systeE' Its nain
charactertstics are slnilar to those of other tlest Afrlcan savanna areas (see
sections 2.2.g and 3.2.3). In addltlon to the foregoing references and ln the
absence of a speclflc study in the area, some notes follow below.
213. tn the Niakaramandougou zone a few land prlests or land custodlans are
found descendlng from ancestors who ln the remote past took possession of the Iand
firstly by custonary ceremonles. lhey conceded usufructuary land rights to the
vari.ous clans who successively moved lnto their territory. In practice, however,
those rlghts were inherlted by later generations. The land priests of the zone
have a rather vast area of competence, in sone cases up to the canton Ievel, but
they can delegate thelr power to a local notable who is rarety a vlllage chlef'
Apart from the perlodic rltuals, the main function of the land priests consists of
medlattng between clans or families ln conflicts about a ptece of land and'
further, of allocating land to stratrgers and performlng the transfer of sltes'
2L4. The proposed area of settlement 1s Ealnly located in uninhablted and
uncultlvated land. Most of the area falls nevertheless under the rights of land
priests, and part of it will probably be clalEed by specific clans of nearby
vitlages. The area to be reclaimed w111 have to be "exproprlated", e'g' by
declaring it of publlc lnterest (which ls possible according to existin8 laws) in
order to obtaln land-tenure security for the future settlers' Dr'rring the field
vlslt it was apparent that the land priests are stlll influentlal although their
power, tlke that of most traditional leaders, is deClinlng. In any Case they
shoutdbeapproachedcorrectlyandintinetorequestlandrightsrotherwisethesettlers oight have trouble with the tocals anafot night even be roluctant to
farm on land belonglnB to alien ancestors. To remove the latter soclo-psychological
obstacle, transfei sacrlfices will have to be perforned by the land priests' WiIt
the ratter concede land to forelgners? In generat, as long as few strangers request
farm land, they never "refuse food". But thelr attitude mlght change when larger
Broups coEe in. Recently many locals living near the new Bandaoa village (see
sectlon4.2.2)conplainedabouttheexploltationoftheirlandbythenewcomersand even went to the subprefect. I1te case was eventually settled but it
demonstrates the llmited degree of tolerance to strangers on the part of locals'
Annex VI-1page 73
One canton chief stated firnly that his subJects would not allow the cultivation of
their enpty tand by a slzeable number of strangers. However, such opposltlon willprobably be reduced constderably after the provision of solid guarantees that the
Iocals wlll be left wlth sufficient farm land and wilt also largely benefit from the
land to be developed.
215. A concrete but speclal and najor case of land acquisition in the area is the
dianond-nining terrltory of Tortiya obtalned ln 1960 lron governnent by the SAREMCI
Conpany and located mostly ln an uncultlvated zone. Flnally lt wlll be indlspensable
to carry out an operational, detalled study of the present land tenure systen in the
Bandama-Bou zone inctuding the location of land custodlans and clans and the napping
respectively of their areas of competence and rlghts.4.4.4 other possible problem areas for settlement
The following notes concern varlous possible obstacles or constraints that
requlre to be studied in follow-up surveys.
2L6. Heterogeneity and overall tibi 11 tv of ethnic groups The Tagouana of
the host area have close ethnic affinitles with the Nafara and Kiembara of the dense
zone, all being ethnic subgroups of the Senoufo. The question remalns, however,
whether the more closed Tagouanawlll accept, and even cooperate wlth, the settlers
after thelr arrival in larger numbers. Nowadays few contacts exlst between the
ethnlc subgroups, and newcomers wlll be regarded as strangers. However, as only
few Tagouana vlllages are located close to the proposed settlement area, ethnic
inconpatibllity will probably not be a najor probleD.
2L7. Fear of potentlal settlers to contract onchocerciasis. Most inhabitants of
the dense zone are reported to be acquainted with onchocerclasls and nany have seen
various regional anti-onchocerciasis campaigns during recent years. Most locals
wiII presumably have little difficulty in overcominB their fear of residing in a
settlement area formerly stricken by onchocerciasis, particularly after a strongly
recomended nass publlclty canpaign in the region of Korhogo. To this should be
added that many farmers forced by land-hunger, cultivate agaln and agaln plots near
the Bandana river in splte of the serious presence of onchocerclasis.
2L8. Attachment !o preqe4t community and farm. In general thls ls reportedly
strong. However, on the basis of the widespread nigrant farnlng and considerable
emlgratlon it may be assumed that there will stlll be a surplus of settlers,certalnly after the first results of the scheme turn out to be positive. Initiallymany settlers will probably not come with their fanllles but w111 walt and see,
keeplng close contacts with their hone village. As soon as the new livlng and
farning condltions look suitable to theE, they wlll brlng their famllles or marry,
and gradually new communitles wl11 arlse.
Annex VI-lpage ?4
2L9. InterRenera tlonaI relatlons. Various aspects of this problern area need tobe studied, for example, the degree to whlch the younger potential settlers aresubmltted to the older (fanily, clan, vlllage) chiefs, partlcularly in view ofthelr obtalntng pernisslon to settle. However, as extended family ties areloosening, nore and more of the young cultlvate their own plots or enlgrate and
as land-hunger lncreases, the older will ln tDost cases not be opposed to plans ofthelr sons for settleEent.22O. Preference for emlBratlon. Will moet potential settlers of the dense zone
prefer emlgratlon to settlement? Anticipating a field study on this problem, itmay be assuned that sone of the locals, particularly the married and temporary
emigrants, will be more lnclined to settle near to their own zone than to work
among and for strangers ln far-off areas in the south.
4.4.5 Potentlal settlers22L. ltttrlch subzones of the dense zone of Korhogo are likely to provide most
settlers? Although follow-up studies should provide detailed lnformation, it isnot dlfficult to foresee that more farners will move out from the subzones withparticularty high population denslties and land-hunger. Moreover, from the
southern dense zone, v|z. the subprefecture of Napi6oledougou, more settlers can
be expected, not only because thls area is nearer the proje.ct zone, but also because
the northern dense zone wlIl be nore affected by the labour-absorbing Sugarcane
Project near Ferkess6dougou.
222. To what categorles of farn fanilies wilt the settlers in general belong?
To fanilies with nany children, with poor or insufflcient land, etc.? Although
most farners of the dense zone llve and farm in similar conditions, research-
based infornatlon is needed on thelr comunity life, types of farm-families, farming
systems, etc.,ln order to answer these questions. These data are also lndispensable
for the plannlng and lmplenentatlon of a sound settlement scheme, ln so far as the
farning system to be proposed to the settlers should take into account their actual,traditional ways of farming.
4.5 TOWARDS PRO.'ECT IDEMIFICATTON
223. The followlng notes concern the mode of intervention in the pilot zone
Bandama-Bou mainly fron the soclal point of view and are neant to contribute to the
identificatlon of a sultable project. For the final formulation of such a projectfollow-up feasibillty studies as well as discussions with relevant authoritles and
agencles wlll of course be lndispensable. As the project to be identlfied willhave a nunber of polnts in comrnon with those planned for Upper Volta (Di6bougou-
Gaoua Zone) and north-eastern Ghana, references are made where posslble, to the
respective country reports.
Annex VI-1page 75
4.5.1 Inte8I4led rural developnent and settlement
224. Fron the lnformation provlded on the Niakaranandougou areas and dense zone
of Korhogo 1t ls clear that the forner zone ls malnly characterlzed by:
low population density;ln general, traditional farning;nodest dlffuslon of agrlcultural lnnovations such as the cash crops
(cotton end rlce).The Korhogo zone has the followtng naln features:
hlgh poprlatlon denslty;on the whole, tradltional farnlng;successful diffuslon of the cash-crop rlce and other farmlng lnnovationsltendency of locals to mlgrant farElng ln adjacent areas.
225. On the basis of the soci.o-economlc characteristics and development
posslbltities of both the Nlakaramandougou (Bandama-Bou) zone and the KorhoBo region(host and departure areas respectively) and further takinB lnto account the
overall obiectlves of the WHO/FAO project as well as the low investment posslbllitiesof the Ivory Coast, the most feaslble developnent approach is a pilot integrated ruraldevelopment project lncluding a maln component of settlenent of farners from the
dense zone of Korhogo. As there is ln the Niakaramandougou area practically no
retreat off-rlver of locals due to onchocerclasls, a repopulation proJect will not
be necessary.
226. Sone guldellnes for project fornulatlon should be the followlng. The project
has to provlde economic and soclal beneflts to the greatest posslble nunber oflnhabltants of the actlon areas (Bandama-Bou zone) as well as of the departure area
(dense zone of Korhogo). It should accordlngly a1m at provldlng a satisfactorylevel of llvlng for the enti.re target population by the eliolnatlon of sub-
nutrltlon, the promotlon of cash-cropping, and the provislon of elenentary services
and facllittes. Emphasis wlll have to be put on the development of snall farnenterprlses wlth lnproved food and cash crops and not on capltal-lntenslve large-scale proJects such as vast lrrigatlon schenes. The pilot integrated ruraldevelopnent approach wlll be very opportune and needed in a country such as the
Ivory Coast whlch has llttle experience with lt. Up to the present most
agrlcultural developnent efforts are carrled out through "sectoral" production-
agencles responsible for the pronotlon of a slngle commodlty such as rice, cotton,tobacco, sugar, etc. (see sectlons 4.2.3 and 4.3.3).227. fire developnent approach for the Bandana-Bou pllot zone cannot be lsolatedfron the overall reglonal developnent plans and efforts of the Korhogo area ofwhlch the pllot zone, in splte of its porlpheral locatlon, forms an lnteBral part.
Annex VI-1page ?6
Ttre inhabltants of the pilot zone are further not only ethnlcally close to those of
the Korhogo region but they also depend lncreasingly on the region's urban servlces.
Moreover, the enpty Bandana-Bou area w111 be (and partly ls already) a challenge to
the land-hungry farmers of the dense zone. The present spontaneous southward flow
will probably increase considerably after the rlver valleys have been cleared of
onchocerciasls.
228. The proposed EettleEent scheme will be very opportune for the fol1ow1ng
ressons. Accordlng to the Mission's "Etude de pr6-fact1b111t6. Esqulsse du
p rojet de mise en valeur de la zone Bandama-Bou" (July I9?2) there are some
69 OOO hectares of fertile farmland available in the Bandama-Bou area. Tlre zone
could eventually receive 66 OOO persons or 11 OOO nuclear fanllies (wlth an avera8e
of 6 members), taking into account that each farm family witl need about 6 hectares
of tand. Nunerous farmers of the dense zone, particularly the younger ones, would
like to be reinstalled ln the proposed proiect area (see section 4.4.I). A large
amount of farmland in the dense zone ls poor and/or over-used. Land is moreover
lacking to such an extent that the area needs to be "decompressed" urBently through
settlement schenes. Settlenent will also be one of the means of reducing the
massive eEigratlon from the dense zone to the south'
4.5.2 lnteBrated rura I development
229. Actlon area. A welt-studied rural development proiect should not only
lnclude ln lts actlon area the settlement scheEe territory (Bandama-Bou zone) but
also (part of) the subprefecture of Niakaranandougou. Ttre reasons are as follows:
(1) part of the land of the host vlllages around the setttenent area will
have to be appropriated for reclamatlon;
<2) the autochthonous farners EiBht be resentful when attentlon is paid only
to non-local settlers;(3) by virtue of their location near the setttement area, these villagers
could contribute a good deal to the spread in the surroundlng territorles of
agricultural innovatlons introduced to the settlers;
(4) the rural development efforts will flnally be more efflclent and less
costly when carried out in one action zone which includes the settlenent area and
a nunber of adjacent viIlages.
Main llnes of actile4
23O. These witr ln general not differ from those descrlbed for the proiects in
north-eastern Ghana (see sections 2.3.5 and 2.3.6) and Upper Volta (Di6bouSou-Caoua
zone). A sunmary of these lines follows:
l. Itre provlsion of basic infrastructure, services and faclllties (roads,
welLs, etc. ).
Annex VI-lpage ?7
2. Agrlcultural actions lncluding: provision of elenentary agricultural
lnfrastructure; enlargement and lntenslfication of the exlsting extenslon services;
promotlon of aninal traction and mixed agriculture; provision of credit facilities,
e.g. through credit unions; improvement of land tenure systems.
3. Educationat developments such as adult educatlon, soclo-tnedlcal courses,
etc.4. The provlslon of health servlces (also for the control of endenlc
dlseases ) .
5. Rrbllcity and publlc relatlons.Alded self-help should be promoted as m,rch as posslble 1n the various action fields,
although the Ivory Coast has, like the Upper Volta, less experlence with thls
pollcy than has Ghana, for example.
4.5.3 Notes on settlement plannlnB
23L. Possible forms of settlenent range, as known from enforced settlement in
the man-made Kossou lake area, for example, from provoked to spontaneous
reinstallatlon. As to the latter forms, the countless past and present spontaneous
or seni-spontaneous migrations of West Africans may be recalled. To make
settlement successful in the pilot zone, it israccording to tocal informants, first
of all necessary to give prospective settlers the feeling of spontaneous
relnstallation, of self-inltlative, as in the Upper Volta. Ttle nost suitable form
is therefore a senl-guided scheme: the organizational set-up, guldellnes and
regulations for selection, reinstallatlon and farnlng guldance of the settlers should
be the minimum necessary to ensure the farmers' welfare and the agricultural
devetopment of the reclaimed land, on the one hand, and that the costs will not
exceed the low investment possibllities and manpower potential of the country on
the other.
232. In the planning and lmplementatlon of settlement proiects a nuDber of
problem areas are to be taken into account. Sone crucial problems were indicated
Ln 4.4. The project wlll include a pilot setttement proiect whlch inplies a
difficult, continuing process of trial and error on the part of the settlers as well
as of thescheme'spersonnel. It is therefore best to start with a relatlvely small
nunber of settlers which would be increased gradually. In the first year not more
than 50 nuclear familles should be relnstalled, in the second 75, in the third 1OO,
in the fourth 125, and in the flfth year 15O families; i.e., a total of 5OO familles
in flve years. As most settlers will be young, the average nunber of members per
fanlly is estlmated to be slx; the schemes wiII therefore affect about 3OOO persons.
Each family wl11 probably include on the average tuo-thre€ faru labour units,
taklng lnto account that the head of the fanity will farm on a full-tlne basis,
and his wlfe or wlves and older chlldren part-tiEe.
Annex VI-1page 78
233. The schene will provlde the necessary lnfrastructure, such as access and
internal roads' wells and snall centres with basic services in the sectors of health,education, religion, agrlculture (extenslon, storage, farm infnlt distribution,nai.ntenance, etc.), conmerce and soclal welfare (e.g. a clubhouse). The size ofplots w111 be deternined by agronomists but it will ensure a sufficient revenue fora nuclear fanlly.234. The project should not tnctude a costly housing schene. Settters usuallyprefer to bulld their own houses on thelr plots; this is in line with the loca1customs. If necessary, credit facllltles for (improved) tocal house buildlngmaterials should be provlded.
235. The recrultnent area for settlers should be the dense zone of Korhogo as wellas the subprefecture of Niakaramandougou to prevent possible resentment among thelocals. However, ln reallty, there wllt be very few candidates from the latter area.It is preferable to avoid, at teast initially, joint reinstallation of farmers fromdifferent sub-zones and ethnic sub-groups.
236. Selection crtteria for the settlers would be the following. The criterion ofage need not be applied as rellance can be placed on the process of natural selectionolder farmers will probably not move out. It witl not even be necessary to selectexclusively married candldates. Single farmers who wish to settle will soon flndout that it ls difflcult to live permanently in the settlement area wlthout a family.Accordingly, they wlll probably look for a spouse before or soon after theirreinstallatlon. The only selectlon criteria should be:
(1) That the candidates are really willlng to leave forever their villageand farm and to settle perEanently ln a new place.
(2) That they are capable and adaptable farmers prepared to improve farmingmethods and follow the instructi.ons of the scheme's extensionists. As only a
limited nunber of farmers can be settled per year, some klnd of screenlng of theprobably too nuEerous appricants could be made, possibly on the basis ofinformation on their previous farming performance. A probation period of two tothree years will also be necessary.
237. One of the condltions for agricultural devetopnent in the scheme will be thepromotion of indlvidualization of farm production. This lmpties that land tittesshould be given to the settlers after an initial probation period. Moreover each
plot allocated should be occupied as far as possible by only one nuclear family.This might be dlfflcult in oany cases as the concept of nuclear farnily is ratherflexible among Afrlcans, but in any case sub-division of an allocated plot of land
among extended family unlts or members must be prevented in some way.
238. The plots will be hand-cleared by the settters themselves. Mechanical
clearlng would not only be too expensive but might also give rise to unrealistic
Annex VI-lpage 79
expectatlons of Bechanizatlon aDong the settlers and prevent then fron beconlng
sufflciently attached to thelr plots.
239. An adequate lntensive extenslon service has to be created for the settlers.
However, durlng the flrst years only a gradual loprovenent of thelr tradltionalfarnlng systen w111 be posslble as thelr relnstallatlon ltse1f will requlre
already a dlfllcult adaptatlon process. Inltlally, the provlslon of sufflclentneans of subslstence should be the maln target whereas cash-cropplng shouLd be
pronoted gradually.
24O. Relnstallatlon teaEs wlll be lndispensable to prepare and gulde the settlersbefore, during and after the transfer to thelr new environEent. The teans w111
have a slnllar conposltlon and functlons as the ones proposed for the repopulatlon
operatlons (see sectlon 2.3.6) of the Ghana country report. Dlrring the transitionperlod, the asslstance of the, World Food Progranme would be very opportune.
241, After sone 35 years a total of 66 OOO persons could eventually be reinstalled
in the Bandana-Bou zone. In each of the total 73 vlllages foreseen, an average of
I5O fanilies (in all 9OO persons) w111 be settled. Each vlIIage will cover an area
of 19OO hectares of which about IOOO hectares w111 be under cultivation (see the
Misslon's report lndlcated ln para. 228).
4.5.4 Note on organizatiqne! reqgireqe4le
242. As noted ln sections 2.3.8 and 3.3.8, the future proJect, almlng at lntegrated
rural developnent and settlenent, wlll have to deal with the sectors of agriculture,
anlnal husbandry, water provlslon, p,rblic health, pr.lblic works, educatlon, soclal
welfare, etc., whlch fall lnto the flelds of conpetence of vari.ous nlnlstrles and
other governnent agencles at nationat and lower levels ("pr6fecture" and "sous-
pr6fecture") includlng the important co@odlty conpanles CFDT, SODERIZ, SODESUCRE,
etc. A flrst step should therefore be the creation of a conlrlttee at the natlonal
Ievel (in Abldjan) capable of deallng dlrectly with Elnlstrles and other government
agencies and nedlatlng between these and offlclal bodles at lower, regional levels.The comlttee should organlze as soon as posslble a semi-autonoEous Rural
Developnent, Repopulatlon and Settl€ment Centre (RDRSC) in the action area. The
RDRSC wllt ptan, coordlnate and lnplenent the various operatlons to be carrled out.
Its Ealn offlce ln the pllot zone should preferably be located ln Nlakaranandougou
wlth one or nore sub-centres ln the dense zone of Korhogo (departure area).
243. The central staff of the RDRSC needs to lnclude speclalists 1n the flelds of
land and water resources, publlc works, land tenure, aBronomy, aniEal husbandry,
educatlon, extonslon, soclal welfare, p.rblic relatlons and rural soclology or
applled anthropology (for on-Boing actlon-orlented studles). Ttre Centre should
of course closely cooperate not only wlth ptrblic adulnlstratlon agencles and the
Annex VI-Ipage 80
comodlty coEpanles (CFDT, SODERIZ, etc.) but also wlth (other) non-governEental
instltutlons operetlng at "grass roots" level in the proieot's actlon area (e'g' the
,,Centre rurale de Ia Elsslon cathollque de Nlakaranandougou", see gection 4'2'3)'
244. As the l.vory Coast lacks the quallfled personnel (particularly agricultural
extenstonlsts for lntegrated rural development) requlred to nake the proiect
successful, the RDRSC should create or arrange as soon ae posslble facllitles to
provide nlddle-level tralnlng for extenaLon workers, the meubers of the
relnstallatlon teans, etc. As the tralnlng of sone personnel such as nurses'
sanitatlon officers, etc.,takes over three years, a start should be nsde ln 1973'
otherwlse the proiect's operatlons cannot begln in 19?6. the tralnees should as
far as posslble obtain field practice ln the pllot zones, thus fanlllarlzing
thenselves wlth the econoElc, social and ethnlcal condltions of thelr future
proJect zone.
Annex VI-lpage 8I
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
5.9
Page
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83
83
83
84
84
84
84
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84
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SECTTON 5. TO@ COUDIIRY REPORT
Contents
BACX(GROUI'ID INFORIT{ATION ON THE AREA STUDIED . .
5.1.1 Some overall data
5.1.2 Admlnistratlve unlts . .
5.1.3 C@munlcatlons. .....5.1.4 Public health
5. I.5 Education
POPUIATION . .
5.2.1 Some overall data
6.2.2 Population densities5.2.3 Rellglon . .
5.2.4 Level of educatton .
ETHNTCGROUPS ....5.3.1 Overall review . .
5.3.2 Notes on soclal organlzation .
MIGRATTON ......5.4.1 Inmlgratlon .
5.4.2 Emlgration..ACRICULTT'RE
5.5.1 Farm famlly .
IAiID TENURE
DIFFUSTON OF AGRTCULTI'ML INNOVATIONS
5.7.1 SORAD . .
5.7.2 lnnovatlons dlffused tn the savanna reglon
ATTITUDES TOTfARDS SETTLEMEM .
5.8.1 In the departuro zones . .
5.8.2 [n the,host area . . . . . . . .
CONCLUSIONSANDRECOTIMENDATIONS .....
Annex VI-lpage 82
5.1 BACKGROI'I{D IIIFORMATION ON THE AREA STUDIED
245. L three-Donth exploratory social survey was carrled out for the pAG Misslon inNorthern Togo by the local collaborator, Mr A. Ku6vi, Attach6 de la Recherche of theInstitut Nationsl de la Recherche Sclentiflque ln lom6. The following descriptionis bas€d nalnly on hls report. As the consultant hinself could not collect fieldinforEatlon by lntervlewlng lnfornants on the national, regional and local levels(as ln Ghena, Upper Volta and the Ivory Coast), it would be preEeture to outllne a
feasible soclo-economlc developnent proJect ln the pilot zone sansannd-Mango.
246. Moreover, the proJect should take into account the recently proposed SF/FAO
Project fogo 72/AI which would cover northern Togo and was planned as an extensionand follow-up of the SF/FAO Proiects Togo 8 and 15. The latter projects, respec-tively entltled "Studies for the Agricultural Development of the Kara Region" and,Asslstance to the Developneqt Agency of the Kara Region" were carried out fron 196?
to 1968 and fron 1969 to end l9?2, respectively. The follow-up project entitled"Progranme dram6nagenents dans le Nord Togo" should have become operational inMarch 19?2 but, as problems arose concerning lts future management, it is stilluncertain whether and when it will start. Before theso uncertainties are resolved,a project in the Sansannd-Mango zone cannot be proposed.
247. rl'he study area consistod of three distinct zones:
(a) zone of DapanBo, coverlng the adnlnistrative district ("circonscrlption")of hpango;
(b) zone of Mango, coverlng the admlnlstrative district of Mango. The
Missionrs SEDES Report tean dellnited in this area a pilot zone for an agro-economicproject after the clearance of onchocerciasis. This zone comprises mainly the
valleys of the rj.vers Oti and Koumongou where some 30 OOO hectares of fertile land
could be reclained;(c) zone of L€ma-Kara and Pagouda which covers the Kara Region subdivlded lnto
the districts of l.ana-Kara and of Pagouda.
The first and thlrd zones are both densely populated and are therefore to be regarded
as possible departure areas for settlers in the thinty populated Mango zone.
248. Ttre short preparatory phase of the exploratory survey included the search forrelevant and available docuDentatlon on the study area. During the field phase
(Juty and August L972) a number of exploratory interviews were held wlth zonal
admlnlstrative and other leaders as well as with two or three older and younger
farmers (potentlal sottlers) ln each of the villages visited. The available tinepermitted only an €xploratory survey, and the villages and interviewees could not
therefore be selected according to a stratlfied area sample. The villages visitedwere in fact selected on th€ basis of inforEation on the extent to whlch they
Annor VI-lpage 83
represented the goclo-econoulc and ethnlc characterlstlc8 of the various subzones of
the study aree. . In all, 26 villages, spreed over the study area, were explored by
lntervlewlng ln 10, 5, 4 and 7 villages in the dlstricts of lbpango, Mango, Iana-Kara
and Pagouda, respectlvely. The lntervlewlng was handicapped by the dlfficulty ofaccess to Dany (nountalnous) subzones and also by the rains durlng the Eonth ofAugust. The leaders and far"uers lnt€rvlesed w€re, accordlng to th€ local collabo-rator, Doat cooperatlve.
5.1.1 Soue overall data
249. Togo can be divldod lnto thre6 ualn reglons,vlz. th€ south, centre and north.Ttre lattor, stretchlng out fron Sokod6 to Dapango, includes all three parts of the
study area. The Kara reglon ls Dountainoua, wlth altitudes of up to 9OO m, rhereas
the Dapango and iltango ar€as are nalnly plalns of the sudanian savanna tJn)e. The
ManSo zone is crossed by the,Otl, a tributary of the Volta river, whlch ofteninundatos vast parts of lts basln. I'h€ Bountalnous Kara reglon ls hydrographically
favoured, wlth an average yearly ralnfall of 16O5 mm, against 1088 m ln the DapanBo
area. TtIe north has a dry season fron October to April and a wet one fron April toOctober. The naxinum average ralnfall ls in August. Finally, l1ke the northernparts of Dahoney, Ghana and the lvory Coast, the north of Togo ls also far less
doveloped than the south wlth 1ts urben and plantation areas and better codunlca-tlons.5.1.2 Adrlnlstratlve unlts2fi. Northern Togo consists ol thr€6 reglons: the Rdglon Centrale, the Rdglon
de la Kara and the R6glon des Savan€s. Ttre Kara reglon conprlses the adDlnlstratlvedlstricts of taDa-Kara, Pagouda, Nlantougou and Kand6; th6 savanna reglon those ofDapango and Mango. ltle dlstrlcts are subdivided into cantons, created during the
colonlal period.
5.1.3 Comunications
251. Ttre intornatlonal road No. I Lpn6-Ouagadougou cross€s the three zones of the
study erea and connectlr the towns of LeDa-Kera, Mango and Dtpango. By th€ end of1974 the entlre road w111 be asphalt€d. Ttre secondary roads are Eostly in bad
shaPe and ln the rainy season partly lnpassable so that uany vlllages remaln lsolateddurlng that perlod. Ttvlce-weekly bus gervlces of the Soci6t6 G6n6rale du Golfe de
Guln6e ensure the connexlons between the dlstrlct capltals.5.f.4 Hrbllc health
252. Eech roglonal capltal has I hospltal wlth a capacity of about 5O beds.
Dlspensarles ere avallable ln all canton capitals.
Annex VI-lpage 84
5.1.5 Educatlon
253. Prlgary scbools were found in nearly all villages vlsltod. Ttre towns of
[.ana-Kara, Dapango and K6tao have secondary schools and the cathollc missions of
Dapango and Lana-Kara each run secondary schools and a prevocational centre. There
are lmportant Earket plac€s ln K6tao, Dapango, Lama-Kara and Slnkassd. Banks are
not avallable ln the study area, the near€st one belng located ln SokodC.
5.2 POP]'IAT.ION
5.2.1 Some overal lda ta
254. Table VI-1.5 shows the rapid populatlon growth of the study area ln splte of
the conslderable emigratlon. Accordlng to a report on the savanna region of the
Mlnistry of Rural Econonics ("Bilan et Progranme 19?0-?1", prepared by SORAD), the
natural populatlon growth rate of the Depan8o area is an estimated 2.4% per yeat,
wher6aa, accordlng to a report. of June 19?O of the seme Minlstry, the rete was 2.8%
for the Kara reglon. The population of the Dapango area ls partlcularly young;
accordlng to the above-mentioned report' 4s.3% of the lnhabltants are aged o-r4 years
and only 2.& 60 y€ars and ebove. Recent data on the population conposition of the
Kara region are not available, but a LrN report of 195? ("tes populatlons du Nord-
Togo") shows thet 39% of the populatlon are aged O-14 years; 56.5%, 15-59 yoars;
and 4.Str), 60 y€ara and over. Ttre average age for Earrlage of nen in the study area
is between 20 and 25 Years.
5.2. 2 Populatlon densitlas
2SS. Table VI-l.5 shows also the extrenely hlgh population densltles of the two
admlnlstratlve dlstrlcts, taEa-Kara and Pagouda, of the Kara region wlth' respectively,
90 and g3 persona per kn2 in 19?O; theso nLubers are the Eore r€Darkable ln view of
the Eountalnoua topography of this area. Ttre overall density of the "clrconscrlption"2
Dapango is 40 persons per km-, but the population is very unequally distributed-
I,he cantons around the town of Dapango reach densities of ?O-1OO p€rsons per kn2 and2
those ln the €ast only 1O-2O persons per km- (see maps of populatlon denslties).
5.2.3 Religion
256. Ttre greater part of the inhabitants are anlmists but sEall groups of catholics
are lound ln Yad6 (tana-Kara), Boubouaka and llapango, capital of one of the two
dioces€s in the north. Mango is a Eajor nuslim centre, and tslam prevails aoong the
Tchokossi trib€. Cathollcs and Eusllms are generally found 1n urbanized areas
(e.g. 85% ln tou6 and 69% in other urban centres)'
5.2. 4 Level of education
257. Though quantltative data are lacklng, llllteracy prevails by and large in the
study area. Indlcative are the low percentages of chlldren of 6 to 14 years who
attend priuary schOols, viz. for the dlstrlcts of Dapango, Mango, IAEa-Kara and
a
Annex vr-1page 85
Pagouda, respectively, Lg.%, 2O.7%, 48,9% and 34.2% (average for Togo: 45.L%).
Most children l€&rre school after about three years. The fes who coEpLet€ prinary
school usually @igrate in search of an urban Job.
5.3 ETHNIC GROUPS
5.3.1 Overall review
258. The dlstrlct of Dapango comprlses two naln ethnlc groups, vlz. the liloba and
tho GourDa. Both orlginato fron the Gour:Eantch6, speak the sa[e languago, B€n,
and have approxioetely the sane cuatoua. The Moba donlnato ln the f,oat and the
Gourma ln the eest (see map of ethnlc groups) but nowadays they are mlxed to such an
extent thet a stranger would not be able to dlstlnguish one froD the other. Other
snall Elnoritles llke the Yanga (nostly in the canton of Tlnbou), the Fulani in the
north-east, and the Manprusi and Busans6 live in the area.
259. In the Mango dlstrict the Tchokossl, NBan-Gan and Konkouba are most nutnerous.
The Tchokossi, whose own name for thenselves is Anufom, orlginate froE the Mandingo
but they have also asslnllated traits of the Ashantl (Ghana) and Baoul6 (Ivory Coast).
Ttris forEerly warrior tribe arrived after a long odyssey from thelr hone country Agni
(in th€ present tvory Coast) to Togo ln the period 1760-70. They founded a kingdon
that covor€d a large part of northern Togo fron Bassarl to Dapango but ceased to
exist ln the colonial perlod (1905). Ttre Tchokossi, Eostly musllus, live nowadays
ln larger centres where they are dedlcated to handlctafts (weavlng) and trading.
260. The Kabr6 doDinate by and large ln the Kara region, which is therefore also
called Kabr6 land. They are dlvided lnto the subgroups lama, lamba, l.osso and
Naoudeoba. According to Patoktd6ou (1970) they cene fron the Sudan and were pushed
lnto their pres€nt Eountaln reglon durlng the DJema ralds of the 19th century.
The Kabr6 used to emigrate ln large nLubers to central and southern Togo and they
are well acqualnted with those areas, whereas very few 8o up to the Dapango area.
From the other side, the inhabltants of the lbpanBo and Mango area just pass the
Kabr6 land on their say to Ghana or Lon6.
26L. Flnally, an idea of the sizes of the trib€s Eentioned above ls Blven by the
followlng data, derlved fron Attlgnon (I9?1):
Kabr6 27L 688 13.89% of the total population of Togo (ln t97O:
1 955 916 inhabltants). They forE the second largest
group of Togo.
Moba 93 692 4.79% of the total population
Gour:na 85 6?3 4.38% " " 'r rr
KonkoEbe 28 558 f .46% , * rr rr
Tchokosgl 28 558 1.46% " " . tt
NBan-Gan 20 342 L.U% ir tr * tr
Annex VI-1page 86
5.3.2 Notes on soclal orgenlzatlon262. The varioug trlb€s of northern Togo have on the whole a sinllar socialorganizatlon. The extended fanlly llving in a coEpound (Soukhala) is the basicsoclal unit and is headed by the oldest nmber of the oldest generatlon. The fanilyis patrllocal and patrilinear and has on the average 15 nenbers. Ttre lineageconsleta of varlous related extended fanilles and ls headed by a chief who has alsoa sacred role; lor example, h'e brlngs the sacrlfices to the ancestors. Ttre clanlncludea a ntnber of related llneages usually spread over various vlllages. Ttre
traditlonal local political power is in the hands of the village chief, his functionbeing Eostly heredltary. Nowadays, however, a village chief needs the agreement ofthe adminlstrativ€ authorities before taklng up his function. The canton chiefsdo not belong to the traditional power structure as the cantons were created in thecolonlal perlod.
5.4 MIGRATION
5.4.1 lnnigratlon263. Imigration is inslgnificant in the study area. Only small groups of Mossis,
Haoussas, Fulani and Yarubas have coDe in, Eostly about two generations ago. They
are dedicated to sp€clfic activities, such as cattle-breeding and petty trading.ln the savanna reBlon internal EoveEonts such as migrant farnlng hardly take place.
The only speclflc case is that of the forest reserve ("for6t class6e") of K6ran
south of Sansannd-Mango, which was recently declared a touristic safari zone. The
locals residlng there were forced to Eove out to new villages created on the banks
of the river Kotuongou. Also ln the Kara region no inportant lnternal Eovenents
can be Eention€d except the followlng specific case. The agricultural development
prograEEe of SORAD lncludes the creetlon of rural centres ln valley lands where small
grouptt of young farmers will be relnstalled and engaged in modern, blockwise farnlng.ln 1971 a start was nade wlth the cooperatlve village Pessid6. As this experlnent
was successful a number of slnilar centres will be organized.
5.4.2 tulgration264. Kara Reglon. Seasonal and peroanent emiBration take placo on a large scale
in thls reglon. Seasonal eDigration starts in Novenber aft€r the harvest and
continues during the dry season. According to the "Rapport du MinistBre de
1'Econonle Rurale - Sltuatlon D(lstante" (July 1970), sone 1O OOO-2O OOO, mostly
young, farmers rnove southwards, nainly to the plateaus of Est-Mono, Akposso and
Klouto. Seasonal oBigration is generally followed by perranent emigration, which
in fact may last for up to 30 years. However, the Kabr6 nearly always returns
perDanently to hls home village when he 1s beconing old. The eEigration of the Kara
region started half a century ago, when the Gerran and later the French authorities
Annax VI-lpage 8?
dlrected nuEeroua Kabr6 to the south to construct th€ railway and the central road
as well as to develop the rlch, unlnhablted zone of Est-Mono. ltle mlgrants prefer
nowadays to work ln the coffee and cocoa plantations of Klouto and Alcposso. the
penBnont algrants of ten becoue tenants and even landowners.
265. Accordlhg to th€ "Enqu6te d6nogrqphlque de 1961. Statlstlque g6n6rale",
Ion6, the blrth place of about 26 ol the Kebr6 nalee and 18% ol the feuales differsfrom thelr place of realdence. Ttre 1961 populatlon c€naus shors Doreovor that over
?O OOO Kabr6 reslde outsld€ tholr torrltory, ol shou 50 Oo() ln the plat€au re8lon.
Sone Kabrd houe vlllaBeE lost 30% of thelr lntlebltants. For exampl€, 1n Kpadayo,
one of the vlllagos vlsited, 80 of the 15O Een ag€d between 15 and 45 years had
migratod petranently and 20 teoporarlly. The enlgration rate of the Kabr6 land
ls about O.?5% p€r year.
266. Savanna re8lon. In the DapanBo and Mango areas eolgration ls also consider-
abll ,, but different, viz. nostly seasonal and dlrected to the coff€e and cocoa zones
of southern Ghana, i.e., the Volta, Ashantl end eastern reglons. The llterateshow€ver, usually Dove to southern Togo. Stertlng fron the age of about 17 years,
the young Eigrato for a period of 6-12 Eonths. Usually they stay out for a totalof 5 years. When absences are lonB€r, th€ locals speak of per:nanent eDlgration.
After one or two seasons the slngle Den cone back to Earry and leave thereafter wlth
thotr w1v€s. Irb statlstlcs are avallable on the sevanna reglon but there are
estlDAtes thet half of tho uen of the ege group 15-40 years eDlgrated at least
once.
26?. Roasons for emlgration. The llrst and general reason is to earn lKrney, or,
as locale say, "to pay taxes.. A second roagon, usually not p€rcelved by the
locale, 1s the lack of land, partlcularly ln th€ Kara reglon. The eulgrants are
now, howover, 80 nlEerous that soEe farmland reDeins even uncultivated. A thirdnotlvatlon is the lDltatlon of peera, conblned f,1th a need for €Denclpatlon, a
dillerent experlence and nev ideas. Other Eotlvatlons such as confllcts sithrelatlvos, fleelng fron local custoBa, too nuDerous a famlly, etc., are rather
secondary. The young usually leave wlthout thelr parentsr agreeDent. Itr€ latterorpressed their powerlessnoss by saylng: "One wakog up 1n the Eornlng to find out
that onera son left by nlght".
5.5 AGRTCT'LTI'RE
5.5.1 Far:o laolly268. KaE,R€glon. The extended faully resldlng ln a coDpound conatltutes th€
baslc unlt ol oxploltatlon. the tanlly heed osns the land and the ylelds and
dlstrlbutos thes€ anong h1s dep€ndants. Accordlng to the agrlcultural survey of
196? ("Rapport donn6es de baep de la Kara", SORAD, taaa-Kara) the everag€ anount of
Annex V[-]page 88
land cultlvated per far.nlrotdlng 1s 1.O5 ha in the laDa-Kara and 1.29 ha in the
Pagouda zone, representing O.4 and O.38 ha, respectively, per farmer. The average
farm size ln the Kara reglon is snaller than that in the savanna reBlon. ln the
former reglon 96% of the farms have less than 3.5 ha'
269. Savanna region. The structure of the far:n fanlly and the role of lts head
are slmllar to those of the Kara reglon. According to the report "Donn6es du Bilan
et PrograEme 1.9?0-?1", SORAD, the farn fantly conslat!, on the average of 11-12
nenbers of whon 5 actlve EeDb€rs cultlvate 5-10 ha of land on a compn basis (1-3 ha
per active person). Ttre men perforu the heavy jobs and the wotllen help in harvestlng
and transport. In addltion to the cot[llon farm land, each farm includes individual
plots on which the males of the fanlly usually grow groundnuts and the females paddy
rice. A faBlly nenber starts to cultivate hts own plot from tha age of 15 years.
Blg labour-lntenslve tasks are frequently carried out by the united forces of
varlous fanllles to whom the beneflciary offers a meal and beer.
27O. The young in the farn fanily. The fanily mmbers contribute by their farm-
work to the fanity incone needed to neet the expenses for funerals, weddings'
cereuonies (sacrifices to ancestors), consultations with witchdoctors, etc. The
young provlde traditlonalty a substantial labour contribution. After marriage and
partlcularly after the birth of thelr flrst chlld, they bacome, hosever' more
independent, havlng, for exanple, th€lr own budBet, and their wives belng able to
dispose of their own grainstor€, etc. Over three-quarters of the young intervlewed
worked furt or part tine with their father on the conmon fanlIy land. onLy 25%
farned fuII tiBe on their own plot. tn the latter case they have of course to pay
fully their personal expenses and the taxes which in other cases are wholly or
partly Eet by their fanily head ln proportlon to th€ tine spent on the fanily land'
5.6 IAI'ID TENURE
2?1. Accordlng to the report "Analyse des donn6es sociologlques du drolt foncier
traditionnel togotais et propositions pour une lntervention l6gistative" (MinistBre
des Flnances, de ltEcononie et du PIan, Ion6), two land tenure systeEs coexist at
present in Togo (and in West Africa) or, better, one collectivo systeE which is
evolving towards a private one. However, in the study area most land ls stiIl
owned collectlve|y, vLz. by the lineages or clans of a village' The head of the
extended farD faEily has the function of preserving and distributing the family land
equally. If a stranger wants to obtain a ptot of land he has to address himself
firstly to his host, who brings hlD to the clan chief. ttte latter dacldes after
consultatlon q,ith other clan nembers. Each village has a land chief who is also
the religious head. Hle authority Is often Breater than that of the vlllage chief'
He settLes conflicts about landownershlp and is Eoreover consulted on delicate
a
Annex VI-1page 89
matters such as lnc€st, wltchcraft, etc. Finelly he presldea elso over the
r€Ilglous cer€Eonies. During the survey, and partlcularly ln the proposed pilotzone of Sansannd-Mango, lt was often repeated that land cannot be sold, nor given
deflnitoly to strangers. If land is tenporarily ceded to strang€rs, no pa,rnent Isasked but they should, like the locals, provlde sone beer and chlcken for the harvest
ceremonles.
272. Governnent authorltlos ln general acquire land by Eeans of a decree ofexproprlatlon as, for example, ln the case of the lorest roa€rvo ol K6ran. Ttre
rtrlsslonarles usually obtain land rlghts for servlcos rendered. Ttrose responsiblefor the new rural settleEents of SORAD, as i.n Pessid6, sald that they had to face
nany probl€Es ln respect to land tenure. For the tlEe belng they are not lookingfor a flnal solution. The local sociologlst concludes, however, that lt will be
possible for the future project to acqulre land permenently if - with the assistanceof the adrlnistrative authoritles and with considerable tact - the co@unitiesconcerned are adequately indeEnlfled. To thls he adds that 1t is reported in theDapango ar€a that plots of land have been sold.5.? THE DTFFUSTON OF AGRTCULTURAL TNNOVATTOI{S
5.7.1 SORAp
273. In each of tho two reBions of the study area a regLonal developDent egency
callod "SORAD" (Soc16t6 R6glonale d'Aodnagenent et de Ddvelopp€E€nt) operates.
SORAD sas created ln 1965 and is a "soc16t6 dr6conomie Elxto d'lnt6rat collectif"assoclated with the Mlnistry of Rural Econonlcs. tts obJ€ctlve is to ralse the
level of living of the rural populatlon and to pronote the econonic and socialdevelopnent of the region. Its functlons conslst, accordlng to its statutes, of"extenslon work, gtudles and pilot rural developoent proJects, actlons and lnter-ventions alnlng at development of the Region?'. The organization includes a
director and departEental heads for adninlstration, training and extension as wellas speclallsts for foodcrops, credit and rural engineering. Each of the two SORAD
branches of the study area conslsts of a few sectlons, which cover approxiDately an
admlnlstratlve dlstrlct, and sone 1O subsections wlth a total of about lOO extenslon
workers reslding 1n the vlllages. fire SORAD of the savanna region ls technicallyasslsted by BDPA (Bureau pour le D6veloppeuent de Ia ProductlonAgrlcole, Paris).NuDeroua experiEental stations for crop trlals and deoonstration to faruers were
creat€d by soRAD.
5.7.2 lnnovations diffused in the savanna region274. Thls reglon ls accordlng to BDPA offlcials one of the Eost receptive in the
country. To give an idea, soEe data derived fron BDPA reports are presented below.
The region at present numbers 13? "regroupenents de productlon" wlth a total of
Annex VI-lpage 9O
4015 collaborators and 57? Butual benefit societies ("nutuelles") with 3223 members.
(A "regroupenent:r ia a precooperatlve of cultlvators who farm on a collective basis,
whereas by "nutuelle" is Eeant a Bore advanced group of some ? to 8 farmers which
has a statute and capital.) Oxen traction was introduced to 1O9? farmers in the
region, together with ?53 universal cultivators ("omniculteurs"), 35I universal
rldgers ("billonneuses ghan6ennes"), 21 carts and 4? snall carts. tn 1971
fertlllzers were used on 3078, 295 and 119 hectares of land growing groundnuts, paddy
rice and nillet/sorghun, respectively. Finally, agricultural extenslon workers
were placed ln each canton of the area.
5.8 ATTTTUDES ToITARTTS SETTLEIIIENT
5.8. I In the depar ture zones
275. The attltudes of older faruers, the parents of potential settlers in the
Dapango area, appeared in general favourable. They prefer reinstallation of theirsons in the nearby Sansann6-Mango zone rather than their emigration to Ghana.
During the interviews it becane apparent only after some time that the Locals are
aware of the high population density of their region, particularly in the over-
crowded cantons of Timbou, Korbongou and Nanoudjogo, where densities reach 802persons per kn . The parents are favourable to settloment, above all for
econoDlc reasons; they desire improved living conditions for their children. As
tho latt€r will live not too far away, the parents will certainly share in theirbenefits. The parents said noreover that they would often visit their settledsons. luhere the attltude rcas negative there was invariably a concrete and specificreason, such as an only son, the death of a mother, a sick or old father.276. The attitudes of the older Kabr6 farmers in the Kara region appeared on the
contrary Dore reserved and dlfferentlated, and often opposed to settlement. For
the locals in this area 'rthere ls nothing in the north, people from there move also
down to the south", etc. Ilioreover nany Kabr6 remember and are traumatized by the
unfortunate reinstallation experlnent of Kabr6 in Naboulgou in the south of the
Mango district. The project failed, nLrmerous settlers died, end rinderpest
deciEated the cattle. (Tne collaborator could not obtain information on the
period of this project.)277. The younger faroers in the Dapango area appeared in general still more
favourable to settl€oent. More open-Elnded and concerned about the future, they
are prepared to leave, the more so as many emigrated sone tine ago. They asserted
that the opinion of their wives, who w111 follow them anyhow, is not reallydecisive fortheu. However, the young are not willing to seprrate thenselves fullyfron their hooe vllIage and parents. They stated they would return to theirvillage of origin at least once every two years. The interviewees required
Annex Vl-lpag€ 91
further certaln condltlone: el€Dentary lnfrastructur€ such as roads, medical posts,
schools, wells qnd f6rt11e land. Flnally, they are not concerned about lnter-ethnlc relatlons because as eulgrants they have to aEalganate "wlth all races" inGhana or ln the south.
5.8.2 In the host area
278. The traditlonal lead€rs and vllIage and land chiefs of all the villagesvlslted ln the Mango dlstrlct (the proposed host area) appeared preparod to offerhospltallty to settlers who w111 prouoto the developrnent of their region. Ttre
lntervlewees statod they were wllllng to cooperate sith all ethnic Broups, even
wlth those fron the south. However, taking into account the infornation on the
axperlnent of Pessld6 ln the l,ana-Kara area (see soction 5.4.1), varlous problens
of co-exlstence could come up after the relnstellatlon. Ttre proJect personnel
w111 have to procoed wlth conslderable tact and ln close cooperatlon wlth the chlefof the admlnlstratlvo dlstrlct and the Service des Affalres Soclales ln order toarrlve at adequate aolutlons.5.9 COT.ICLUSIOITIS AND RECOMIIIENDATIOIiIS-
2?9. Older faruers as well as thelr sons (potential settlers) in the Dapango area
showed a favourabl€ attltude tosards reinstallation in the Mango zone. They
prefer settleEent ln this nearby area to @lgratlon to Ghana. Sone made it clear
that if the condltiona were satlsfactory, thls type of "@lgration" (they regard
sottl€oent nalnly as such) could even be transformed intb perEanent settleDent.
The concluelon of the local soclologlst that tho princlpal departure area would be
tho ednlnlatratlv€ dlstrlct of hpango ls very lEportant for the followlng reasons:
(a) the goneral diroctlon of eulgratlon in Togo is fron north to south.
For the Kabr6, noving northwards ls equlvalent to noving to a poor(er) area;
(b) th€ ilango zone is elo8e to the Dapango area;
(c) the Mango zone foros part of the sa[e socio-econonlc reglon;(d) the lntrabltants of the Dapango area appeared nore prepared to nove to
th€ ihngo zon6 than the Kabr6 of lana-Kara and Pagouda.
2AO. Tho tlango zone ls, ln splto of 1ts low populatlon density, also an eElgration
er€4. Ag soon as tho flrst phases of the proposed proJect in this zone is success-
ful, eolgrents wlll return as they do now 1n the arees of lena-Kara where SORAD
relnstalled groups of farners (Pessid6). It is therefore opportune to take also
into account a nr[ber of euigrants of ttiango as potential sottlers or collaboratorsof the proJect.
28L. ftro potontiel sottlers lnslsted not only on tho necessary infrastructure,but a18o on land of good quallty aa thoy deslre above all a stable and secure
revenue. Ttre lntervl€se€8 appeared further prepared to engage in iEproved
Annex VI-lpage 92
agrlculture and to follow the advlce of the extension workera ln the future
settleEent projgct.
282. The acqulsition of peruanent landrlghts in the host aree for the foreign
settlers could involve sone problms. Ttris is the case ln Pessld6 where land was
provlded to a snall group of strangers. Thoee responslble for this SORAD proJect
sald that they preferred to postpone for the tiue belng a deflnlte soLution of thlsproblem. However possible dlfflculties could probably be overcome by conpensating
the villag€s involved in an approprlate way and 1n close cooperatlon wlth the
local authorlties.
Annex VI-lpage 93
I6
SECTION 6. COI.ICLUSTOT{S AI.ID RECOMIIIE}IDATIOI{S
Contents
fiIE PROJECT AREAS . .
6.1.1 Populatlon
6.L.2 Ethnlc groups . .
6.1.3 Mlgration
6.1.4 Agriculture .
SETILEMEIfT A}ID REPOPUIATION . . .
6.2.L Itre concepts of settlen€nt and repopulatlon . .
6.2.2 Overall attitudes . .
6.2.3 Conditions for sottleoent expressed by locals .
6.2.4 lr0aJor probleE areas to b€ considerod for settleDent .
6.2.5 Past and ongolng settlenent experlEents in Ghana,Upper Volta and Togo
TOWARDS PROJECT IDEI.ITIFICATTON
6.3.1 Projects ldentifled for the varlous pilot zones . .
6.3.2 Repopulatlon and settleEont . .
6.3.3 Objectives of the projects
6.3.4 Solution of action areas
6.3.5 Main l1nas of actlon of rural developent .
6.3.6 Maln lines of actlon of repopulatlon6.3.7 Settlenent
6.3.8 Organlzational requireoents . .
Page
94
94
94
95
96
97
9?
97
98
98
6.2
6.3100
1@
100
100
to.2
Lo.2
103
103
103
104
a
Annex V[-1page 94
6.1 THE PROJECf, .4FEAS
283. tn all, etght dlfferent zones were studled, of whlch three densely populated
departur€ areaa for settlers located outslde the proposed pilot zones, viz. the
dense zones of Korhogo, Ibpango and Lana-Kara/Pagouda. ltle study areas, allbelonging to the West Afrlcan savanna belt, lack to a large extent rural infrast-ructur€ (roads, wells, etc.) and servlces, particularly in the sectors of
educatlon, publlc health and agrlcultural €xtension.
6.1.1 Populatlon
a
284. the total nlmb€rs for each zone studied are the following:
I. North-eestern Ghana 533
2. Didbougou-Gaoua 343
3. Whlte and Red Volta Rivers zone (administrativedistrlcts of Mango, zabr6, F6 and Ti6b616) 22o
4. Niakaranandougou area 2L
5. Denso zone of Korhogo L67
6. Dapango area I81
7. Sansann6-Mango area 58
8. Kara Reglon (Laua-Kara and Pagouda) 141
ooo
ooo
ooo
ooo
@o
ooo
@o
ooo
(1e70)
(19?O)
( 1e?o)
(1e71)
(1e?O)
( 1e?o)
(19?O)
( 1e?o)
TOTAL 1 664 OOO Inhabltants
285. The annual populatlon growth rates vary from 2% to 2.8%, and tnhabitants
under 18 years foro ln nost areas over 5O% of the total population. Very few
urban centres are found and Dost vlllages are very suall, havlng less than 5OO
lntlabltants. A very dispersed pattern of habitat prevails ln Eost of the areas.
Population densities vary wldely, vlz. fron 5 to over lOO persons pet k 2; ln
Eany cases rlverine areas appeared Dostly uninhabited after lrassi.ve abandonment.
The level of educatlon is very low and over 9@, of the population is llliterate;th6 rate of school attendance does not exceed L27o, except in ttrorthern Togo. Most
locals are aniuists, sollo are ltusllms and around a nunber of catholic and other
Eisslons a nluber of locals have becone christlans.6.1.2 Ethnic groupe
286. The study areas present a varlety of ethnic groups:
- North-eastern Ghana includes over 10 ethnic groups of which the largest are
th€ Kusasl, Fra Fra, Kassena, Nankanl and Builsa.
- The DldbouBou-Gaoua zone has also 1O tribes, the najor ones being the
Ilagarl-Wi16 and Lobl .
- In the tthite and Red Volta rlvers zone the Mossl, Bissa, Kassena and
l.trankanl are Eoat numeroutl
- ltre Nlakaranandougou area la alEost excluslvely lnhablted by the Tagouana,
a aubgroup of the Senoufo.
a
Annex VI-lpage 95
- The dense zone of KorhoBo lE lnhablted by the Senoufo.
- In tho a.rea8 studied ln northorn ToBo prevail the Kabr6, Moba, Gourna,
KonkoEba, Tchokoesi and Ngan-Gan.
2g?. The naJor characteristlcs of tho social organlzetion of th€se ethnic groups
are on the whol6 slmllar. IEportant subunits are clans, llneages and extended
faDilles. Most tribes are patrillneal and patrilocal; sorne have a rather
centrallzed and hlerarchized polltical structure (e.g. the Mossls, Manprusis and
Builsas). Tlre traditlonal leaders (clan, llneage, canton, village, land chiefs)
are stlll lnflu€ntial at the "grass roots" level, but thelr ov€r411 power is
declining due to th€ presence of governnental authoriti€s. In son€ areas (e.9.
ln part of north-oaatern Gnana) cantons are traditional and iEportant units, in
oth6r areas they are nuch less inportant. The village and land chlefs have
usually a polar relationshlp: the forEer has authorlty over the people' the
Iatter over the land. Part of the ethnlc Broups appeared stlll very traditional
and closed (e.g. the tobl, Builsas, Binobas); others ere more lnnovation-nlnded
(e.g. the Kusasls, Dagari-W116, Mossi, Nankanl and Kassena).
6.1.3 Mlgratlon
288. tnmigratlon. In Eost of th€ areas l@igration is liEitod to snall Sroups.
Usually theso are devoted not only to aBrlculture but to specific activities such
as cattle breedlng and petty tradlng.
289. Population noveoe nts wlthin the areas. In the study areas of Ghana and
tjpper Volta it was verlfied that slz€able nunbers of people have noved or are still
moving because of onchocerciasls fron rlverlne areas toward higher, inland zones.
These Dasslve retreats away fron the rivers started at the beginning of this
century and have resulted ln nLEerous totally and partially abandoned zones along
the rlvers end soveral overcrowded plateau areas wlth poor, over-used Iand.
Apart fron the data provided by one speclflc study nade by Dr G. REny in the Red
Volta river zone of NoMr6, lnfornatlon is lackinB on the nunbor of villages and
inhabltants lnvolved as well as on the processes of abandonment of villaBes and
on the forms and phases of relnstallatlon of the retraatlng locals. The farters
of the dense zone of Korhogo practlse on a large scale BiBrant farnlng ln adiacent
zones, where numorous camps and even new vlllages are found, sone of whlch up to
the Nlakaranandougou area.
2go. hlBratloq. seasonal and perr0anent @lgration is a Daior characteristic
of all areas studled, but quantltatlve data are lacking. Most Eale locals aged
15 to 35 years Eov€ to the plantatlon and urban areas of southern Ghana' the lvory
Coast or Togo. They orlginato froE all tlDes of farm fanllles, fron the poor and
less poor, from those wtth (too) Dany as well as too few older chlldren (i.e. fanily
Annex VI-lpage 96
labour). Their motivations are firstly to earn noney of thelr own, but also to fleetight famlly tles.or parental authority, to avoid traditional faroing on the fanilyIand, to up keep their prestige among their peers, and to look for differentexperlence and ideas. Most eElgrants return definitely to their home village when
they becone older, i.e. at about 45 years.
6.1.4 Agriculture29L. Farn fanlly. the basic unit of exploitation Is the extended fanily living ina conpound and comprising on the average 15-25 nembers. The fanlly head owns the
land and the ylelds whtch he distributes anong his dependants. Ihe latter farm
traditionally the fanily land on a conunon basis but nowadays individualization of
farning is increasing rapidly: Eost adult nembers also cultivate a plot of theirown with cash crops. The ancient practice of comnensalisn is declining and nuclear
famil.y relationshlps beconing increasingly inportant. Serious landhunger reigns inmost of the dense zones, some of which have had to absorb nany locals retreating fron
the rivers. The younger meEbers of the fanlly are growing less submitted to paren-
tal authority. Ttley cultivate their own plot or emigrate and nowadays select a
spouse theEselves. lntergenerational tensions are on the whole not serious, as
most parents and chiefs are forced to accept the changed outlook of their sons and
daughters. Finally, a marked stratification of farm famllies could not be deternined
in the villages, as most farmers, except for snall nrubers of better-off cultivators,live and work in slmilar conditions.
292. Diffusion of agricultural innovations. Subsistence aBriculture with the
foodcrops nillet, sorghum and maize still prevails in the areas surveyed. However,
the spread of improvements is in Bany parts pronising in spite of the poor set-up of
the extension servlces and the very llnited Eeans of the farmers to purchase
elementary farE inputs such as fertilizers. The diffusion varies according to
accessibility of subzones, proxlBity of farmers to change agents and examples of
iBproved farring, and to the degree of innovation-nindedness of the ethnic groups.
In many zones government and other, often foreign agencies, are active: e.g. innorth-eastern Ghana, the Agricultural Development ProJect of the Federal Republic
of Germany and the christian missions; in Upper Volta, C[DR and SATEC; in the
Ivory Coast, CFDT and SODERIZ; and in Togo, SORAD. Important lnnovations diffused
are the cash crops cotton and rice, aninal tracti.on, bullock ploughs, fertilizersand inproved seeds. In some zones precooperatives, mainly proEoting blockwise
farning, have developed significantly.293. There is still a great lack of local bodies to provlde farm credit. Some
agencies like CIDR, SATEC, CFm enphasize the creation of networks of agricultural
extensionlgts and assistants at the village level ("animateurs") and a few like CIDR
a
a
a
Annex IV-lpage 97
proEoto speciflc trelnlng courses for rural women. Finally, several agencies prefer
the lnt€grated rural developnent approach, whereas others ltke CFm and SODERIZ
proEote the production and EarketlnB of a single comodlty, such as cotton and rlce.
Tho latter policy night bring less benefit to the faroers in the long run as it does
not adequatoly pronoto, for exaEple, balanced cropplng patterns.
6.2 SETTLEMENT AND REPOPUIATTON
6.2.L The concepts of settloment and repopulatlon
294. During the surveys both concepts were found to be lnportant. By repopuletion
(repeuplenent, "repatriatlon") is moant the ropatriation of locals who retreated
fron riverine areas eerlously plagued by onchocerclasls to higher lands. [n other
words, the forner inhabitants of river areas are guided back to their forter vlllagesand faroland. By settlenent (colonlzation) is Eeant relnstallation of farmers on
never-inhabited, unoccupied arable land to be reclaimed. This requlres a scheme
includlng the clearance of land, the dellnitation of plots, the allocation of land
titlos, the provislon of basic infrastructure, the proDotion of lnproved, cash crop
agriculture, etc. A problem found during the surveys was that oany locals regard
settleEent as a kind of nearby tenporary enlgration or Eigrant farnlng in the sens€
of going and returning whenever they wish, which "experiment" could lead eventually
to perqanent reinstallation. The reason and the probleo ts that nost people lack
concrete exanples of settleEent in thelr region to which they can refer.6.2.2 Overall attitudes295. North-eastern Ghana. The attitudes of chlefs, older and younger farners as
well as adninistrative authorities towards settleEent were on the whole negative.
The locals appeared too attached to tholr vlllages, farns and ancestral shrlnes,
even in zones particularly plagued by land-hunger. Many inhabltants were Eoreover
iEpressed by the total or partlal fallure of the s[all-scale sottleEent experlnents
ln the aroa. Only those chiefs who expected an increase of the nunber of theirsubJects and thus of their prestlgo through the arrlval of sottlers ln their terri-tory appearod to have a positlve attltude. A11 locals were, howevor, strongly in
favour of repopulation.
296. Upper Volta. The locals, partlcularly the younger farmers ln the dense,
land-hturger zones of both study areas acclalned settleEent, wheroas the people ofthlnly populated areas were not enthusiastic. Repopulatlon was, as in Ghana,
strongly favoured by all inlrabltants: even older faroers would llke to roturn wlth
thelr fanilles to their lormer vlllages.257. lvory Qoast. The tradltlonal, admlnlstratlve, and other leaders stated that
many farmers lron the dense zone of Korhogo would be prepared to settle in the
BandaDa-Bou zone. Indlcative of thls Eight also be the nuDerous crhps lor nigrant
a
Annex VI-lpage 98
faming and even som€ new villages outside the dense zone as well as the considerable
out-Elgration. .The farners of the Niakaranandougou area need neither settlement
(as they own sufflcient land) nor repopulation (as retreat of locals from the rivers
has not occurred).
298. Togo. Ttre older and younger farmers of the Dapango area were in favour of
reinstallation ln the Sansann6-Mango zone. This was not the case in the dense
Kara Reglon. T.Ire general directlon of enigration in Togo is from north to south.
Moreover, for the locals of this Region moving northwards, that is, to the Sansann6-
Mango zone, equals going to a poor(er) area; finally, the very idea of reinstalla-
tion tn that forelgn area does not attract them at all. Repopulation in the
Sansann6-Mango area seems not necessary as there is no retreat off-river as far as
this could be determined.
6.2.3 Condit ions for settLement expressed by locals
259. The campaign to control onchocerclasis is warrnly welcomed by the locals, but
they also stronBly desire medlcal treatEent for the onchocerciasis patients. The
inhabitants stressed further the need for roads, wetls (regular water provision) and
naturally fertlle land as well as for health and educational services.
6.2.4 Ma.ior problem areas to be considered for settlement
3OO. Land tenure. The systems of land tenure in the various savanna areas studied
do not differ substantialty. Most land is still owned on a collective basis by the
clans of a villag€. The conpound chiefs are the custodians of the family land on
which they have in practice inherlted usufructuary rights. Each village has usually
a 1and chief who could be called also a land priest or land custodian. He descends
from ancestors who took in the renote past flrst possession of the land and later
conceded usufructuary rights to the various clans who successively installed them-
selves in their territory. Empty, uncultivated land without local ownership, or at
Ieast claips to ownership, is hardly to be found. The land chiefs eppeared still
rather influential in most zones. Those who were contacted declared they would not
refuse empty land to the strangers in a possible settlement proiect.
3O1. However, thelr general.ly favourable reactions should be taken wlth considerable
reserve because according to the custorns, they cannot cede perrnanent landrights.
Moreover they have not yet experienced cases of large-scale land transfer to sizeable
groups of settlers. The traditional leaders and particularly the land priests should
therefore be approached adequately and apart fron being given proper coDpensation,
should receivo Buarantees thet all the locals will be left with sufficient farmland
and w111 further benefit largely froB the proposed settleEent project. This tinely
and tactful approach is strongly recotmended because otherwise the settlers as well
as th€ project peraonnel night Eeet opposltion fron local leaders and farmers, and/or
a
a
Annex VI-1page 99
the settlers nlght even be roluctant to cultivate land belonglng to alien ancestors.
Finally, provision should be nade to pay transfer sacrifices to be brought by the
land priests.3O2. Heterogeneit v and overall conDatibility of ethnic croups. The joint reinstal-
lation of farmers of different ethnic orlgins will present in general few problems,
for nany of theD work or used to work as enigrants for and anong foreign tribesmen.
3O3. Howev€r, the following should be taken into account:
(a) ln north-eastern Ghana Manprusis, the former Easters of the area, should
not be gettled togother with Kusasis, who were once their servants. Likewise, the
Eore traditional Bullsas in the Navrongo area would not feel at ease when farming
ln a settleEent area wlth the rather dlfferent Kassena or Nankanl.
(b) tn Upper Volta it would not be opportune to reinstall the lobis with
other trlbesBen. In genera.l it would further not be wise to resettle Mossis with
one or nore ethnic groups of the Di6bougou-Gaoua area.
(c) The rather tradltional Tagouana of the Niakaramandougou area in the
Ivory Coast will probably not analgaEate well with the farmers of the dense zone in
spite of the fact that they all belong to the large Senoufo group.
(d) In northern Togo no serious inter-ethnic problems will arise in a settle-
nentprojectinSansann6-Mango,@becausetheKabr6oftheKaraRegionareanyhow not prepared to reinstall theBselves there.
3O4. Other posgible obstacles such as attachEent to pr€sent comunity and farm as
well as int€rgenerational relations (particularly in respect to the probl6n whotht't
par€ntal authoritios witl consent to the reinstallation of their sons), will probablT
not occur at all or only in ninor degr€€s.
305. Fear of loca1s of contract ing onchocerciasis when return to valley -e-reas..
This fear could constltute a serious obstacle to settlement and more so to repopula-
tion, as the evacuees nainly moved off-river to avoid contracting this nalady.'
Most locals ln the zones concerned appeared well aware that blackfly are the "cause"
of river blindness, although this consciousnoss was often mixed with supernatural
bellefs, especially anong older inhabitants. Although area-wide sample surveys are
requlred on this toplc, it is strongly recomended timely adequate publicity
caEpalgns should be organized to convince the locals gradually that they can return
to the river valleys without harB. Initially snall groups of nainly younger locals
will probably have th€ courage to settle near rivers, but later rDany other peasants
wlll follow. Some faroers in varlous zones are already taking the risk of culti-vatlng plots on river banks lnfest€d with onchocerciasis.
306. Preference of younge r farners for emlgratlon rather than for settlenent or
repopulatlon. Unfortunately only snall nu.nbers of the present enigrants could be
Annex VI-1page lOO
interviewed because of their absence fron the study areas. consequentry furthersurveys on this issue are indispensable. However, it nay be assumed that numerousemmigrants, particularly the less young and the married, will prefer to earn moneyby improved farming in a settlenent or repopulation project in their own regionrather than to continue enigrating. Moreover, nost enigrants r€turn definitely totheir home village after a shorter or longer period; emigration is regarded by
nearly all locals as a temporary solution.6.2.5 Past and nR settlement exDer iEents in Ghana. Upper Volta and ToRo
3O7. T'hese experiments have in general produced discouraging results, mostly due
to poor planning, inadequate organization, recruitment procedures, unattractiveliving conditions and the incorrect guidance of the settlers. In northern Ghana
minor settlenent experiEents such as the Damongo Project and several so-called"settlement farms" were and are carried out, but these either falled or were notvery successful. The Kou Paddy Rice project in Upper Volta s till faces many
difficulties because it had an imbalanced technical basis and lacked an integratedhuman approach. The earlier Gondo-sourou Project failed nainly because of thelack of adequate personnel. The Kabr6 of the Kara Region in pg appeared to be
still impressed by the unfortunate settlenent experiment of Naboulgou. Recent
small-sca16 reinstallation projects of the SORAD in this region are, however,promising.
6.3 TOWARDS PROJECT IDEI.ITIFICATION
6.3. I Proi ects identified for the various pilot zones
3O8. Proiects were identified and presented in the country reports for north-eastern Ohana, the Di6bougou-Gaoua zone in Upper Volta, and the Bandana-Bou zone inthe lvory Coast. As the lthite and Red Volta river zone will be the scene of a
large agricultural development scheme including a settlement project to be financedby FAC, the report on this area contains mainly the findings of an exploratory socialsurvey. Similarly, the report on northern Togo consists mainly of the outcome ofthe social study carried out in the area. The identification of a project in theSansann6-Mango zone will depend on whether, and when, the planned SF/FAO project
No. 72fOOL covering northern Togo, starts.6.3.2 ReDopulation and sett lement
3O9. On the basis of the information gathered, alt pilot zones require an inte-grated rural development proiect including repopulation of totally and partiallyabandoned river areas anafor settl@ent. In contrast to the initial thinking,the nain component of the projects proposed in north-eastern Ghana, the Di6bougou-
Gaoua and the lllhite and Red Volta areas will consist of a repopulation project,whereas settlement pro jects wlll prevail in the pilot zone Bandana-Bou and it is
a
hoped in the Sansann6-Mango area.
t
Annex VI-lpage IOI
31O. Repopulation should receive first prlority in the pilot zones of Ghana and
Upper Vo1ta for the following reasons:
(a) A large part of these pilot zones is affected by the retreat of locals
off-river. Consequently, the number of locals, vi.z. the evacuees and their hosts,
in the dense zones who would benefit from a repopulation project will be conside-
rable and in any cas€ higher than from settlement projects. Settlenent projects
cannot handle in the first five years more than 5OO fara families (about 3OOO
persons) whereas a repopulation project could help about ten times more locals per
pilot zone and also benefit a number of host villages in the dense zones.
(b) The exploratory social surveys show that in all the pilot zones wlthabandoned or semi-abandoned river areas the evacuees have a strong desire to returnto their former lands, whereas only some of the inhabitants appeared inclined tosettle on land not belonging to their tribe or clan. In north-eastern Ghana most
locals showed a negative attitude towards reinstallatlon by means of settlementprojects.
(c) The repatriation of locals will probably turn out less problematlcal
than settlement as their house plots and landownerships are already nostly defined,at least in villages from where they noved not too long ago.
(d) Thero will be fewer problems of inter-ethnic conpatlbility, as the groups
to be transferred will belong to the same tribe and possibly clan. Also problems
of filling vacancies in the local leadership will not occur or wlll be of minori.rnportance.
(o) The possibility of returning to and developing onchocerciasis-clearedrlver valleys will be deDonstrated in a qulcker, easier and clearer way to thepeople in and outside the pilot zones by means of repopulation than through nore
complicated settlement projects.(f) Once tho repopulation operations progress well, numerous locals will
becone (more) notivated to move and also to engage in improved farming. Small-scale settlement experiments could then be tried as a kind of extension of therepopulation projects, including those in north-eastern Ghana.
(g) Finally, the repopulation project will require, in view of the nany vastabandoned or semi-abandoned zones, so much effort, nanpower, and organization thatthe more conplex, risky and costly settlenent operations are either sinply not yetopportune, as is the case in north-eastern Ghana, or should not receive firstpriority, as in Upper Volta. However, in the nearly uninhablted project areas ofBandama-Bou (Ivory Coast) and Sansann6-Mango (Togo), pilot settleEent projects would
be very opportune in view of the overpopulated zones of Korhogo and Dapango. As
indicated above, the Kabr6 of the dense zones of Lama-Kara and pagouda (Togo) are
apparently not inclined to settle in Sansann6-ltttango.
Annex VI-1page lO2
6.3.3 Objectives of the projects
311. The general objectives are the following:(a) the achievement of socio-economic benefits for the largest possible part
of the population of the project areas through the elimination of substandardnutrition and the achievement of a better balance of huuan and land resources. The
clearance of onchocerciasis from large areas of fertile land will provide excellentopportunities for this purpose. The development approach should be on a small farmbasis rather than through larBe-scale capital-intensive projects.
(b) The raisinB of the highest possibte number of peopre from below subsistenceto cash crop level, together with the prorootion of social welfare through integratedrural development proiects. Projects of this type are indispensable as all pilotzones have weak infrastructures and lack badly health, education and other services.
(c) To decrease the massive emigration to southern West Africa and keep theactive people in thelr own region.312. The specific objectives are as follows:
(a) To relieve the population pressure in densely inhabited zones by guidingthe former inhabitants of totally and partially abandoned zones back to their formerlands.
(b) To promote and guide the movement of other locals fron dense zones toriver valley areas.
(c) To ensure that the fullest possible benefit from the relief in populationpressure is achieved in the dense zones.
(d) To relieve further the population pressure of dense zones by pilot settle-ment proiects in never-inhabited river zones, thus preparing ful1 utllization of thefertile lands reclaimable after clearance of onchocerciasis.6.3.4 Selection of action areas
313. As firstly the pilot zones are extensive and densely populated and secondlythe countries have only limited investment and manpower resources, the projects must
concentrate on part of the target populations. The action areas should therefore be
selected in territories where integrated rural development and repopulation projectscan be fruitfully combined. In other words, those territories are to be consrderedwhich include host and departure areas, viz. overpopulated plateau lands and adjacenttotally or partially abandoned riverine zones. The integrated rural developmentproiect will be carried out in the entire action area whereas the repopulationoperations will naturally focus on the reinstallment as well as departure villages.The various action areas recommended are indicated in the country reports.
a
a
Annex VI-lpage 1O3
6.3.5 Main I ines of action of rural development
314. The llnes of actlon are anply descrlb€d ln the Ghana country report, but are
srlmarlzed below:
(t) The provislon of a baslc infrastructure, services and facilities (roads,
wells, etc. ) .
(2) Agrlcultural developent actions including:.provislonofanelenentaryagriculturalinfrastructure.
- enlargeuent and lntensiflcatlon of existing extenslon servlces.
- proDotlon of anlEal tractlon and mixed agriculture.
- provlslon of credit faclllties, e.g. through credit unions.
- lnproveoent of land tenuro systqrs.
(3) Educational develofent, lncluding adult education' rural school
prograEEes, tralnlng facilitles for famersr wlves in home economlcs, hygiene, mother
and chlld care, nutrttion, fanlly planning' etc.
(4) The provislon of health services.
(5) Rrbllcity and public relations action.
Alded self-help should b€ proEoted as nuch as possible in the various action fr-'Cs.
6.3.6 Maln li nes of action of repopulation
315. Thes6 lines, indlcated in nore detall in the Ghana country rer)ort, ar€ listed
below:
(l) ongolng publicity canpalgns to convlnce people they can safely return to
their abandoned land.
(2) the creatlon of a basic infrastructure and servlces in the deserted
zon€s.
(3) the tr€atEent of local onchocerciasls patlents.
(4) the tralning and formation of reinstallation teaEs. Each of these willinclude a social welfare and Iiaison officer, a technical officer, an agricultural
extensionlst, a rural health offlcer, and a (female) family welfare specialist.(5) speclfic rural developent actions.(6) the control and guldance of nescomers in the river areas for whon snall
settlement scheoes aro recollD€nded.
The aelectlon of the flrst clustors of depature and destinatlon vlllages needs
careful attentlon. lt i3 Eost convenl€nt to start where these two types of village
are rather close to oach oth€r and to lncludo soEe PS.4L abandoned vlllages'6.3. 7 Settl€Dent
316. Settl€nent sch€,Ees wore recoEEended for the Di6bougou-Gaoua and Bandama-Bou
zones and wlll probably atso be appropriate ln the Sansann6-Mango area. Ttle most
suitableforoineachofthesozone9i8a@:theorganizationa1arrangements, guld€llnes end regulatlons for selection, relnstallatlon and fatming
guldance of the settlers should be th€ EiniEutr necessary to ensure the farEersr
s€lfare, and to give theo the feetlng of spontaneous reinstallatlon and self-initiative
Annex VI-1page 1O4
on the one hand, and to avoid exceeding the sEall investEent and manpower possibilitiesof the countries concerned on the other hand. The pl.annlng and iEpleEentation ofthe schemes should also take into account the various problen areas indicated above
in section 6.2.4.317. As the schemes inevitably inply processes of trial and error, it is reconmended
that a start should be rnade in each zone with a relatively snall ntmber of settlers,viz. in the first year not nore than 50 nuclear fanilies, in the second year ?5, inthe third 1OO, in the fourth 125 and in the fifth year 15O: a total of 5OO faniliesin five years. As nost settlers will be young, the average nunber of nenbers per
family will be about 6 after five years; thus each scheme will affect about 3OOO
persons after the first quinquennium. Each farm fanily will probably have 2-3 farm
workers.
318. Each schene will provide the necessary infrastructure and snall centres withbasic services of health, education, agriculture, religion and social welfare. The
size of the plot to be laid out will ensure sufficient revenue for a nuclear famity.Costly housing schemes will not be included in the projects as the settlers willbuild their own houses on their plots. Credit facilities for inproved local house-
building naterials should be provided.
319. The recruitnent area(s) for settlers should preferably consist of the wholepilot zone as well as dense zones outside. The selection criterla should be firstlythat the candidates are really prepared to leave their viltage and resettle permanently
elsewhere and secondly that they are capable and adaptable farners. Ttle criteriaof age and being married need not be applied as reliance can be placed on a process
of natural selection.32O. Each plot allocated should be occupied as far as possible by only one nuclearfamily. tand titles are to be given to the settlers after a probation period of,say, three years. TtIe plots will be hand-cleared by the settlers themselves.
Mechanical clearing would not only be too expensive but might also give rise tounrealistic expectations of mechanization among the settlers.32L. Adequate, intensive extension services have to be created for the settlers.However, during the first years only a gradual improvement in their traditionatfarming system will be possible as their reinstallation itself will be a difficultadaptetion process. Reinstallation teans will be indispensable to prepare and
guide the settlers before, during and after the transfer to their new environnent.6.3.8 Olge4lrq!ional requirements
322. The future projects will deal with several problen areas in the sectors ofagriculture, education, public health, public works, social welfare, etc., which fallunder the sphere of competence of various public bodies at the natlonal and Lower
a
a
Annex VI-lpage 105/106
levels. In each country, therefore, the first need is for a CoEmittee at the
national level with sufficient competence to deal directly with the Ministries and
with government bodies on lower levels. In the principal centro of each pilot zone
a semi-autononous Rurat Development, Repopulation anafor Settlement Centre should be
cr€ated to plan, coordinate and implenent the vari.ous operations to be carried out.
Subcentres should moreover be set up in the main places of the various selected
action areas.
323. ltre central staff of the Centre Bust include specialists in the fields of land
and water resources, public works, land tcnure, agronomy, anloal husbandry, education,
agricultural and socio-Eedical extension, social welfare, public relations and rural
soclology or applied ethnology (for ongoing action-oriented studies). The Centre
should closely collaborate not only wlth public administration.lgencies but also
with non-Bovernn€ntal instltutions operating in the projectrs action areas. FinalIy,
as the various countries concerned to a great extent lack the qualified personnel,
particularly agricultural extensionists, required to carry out the project, the
Centre should make arrangements as soon as possible to provide (middle-level)
tralning to extension workers, th6 Eembers of the reinstallation teans, etc. The
trainees should as far as posslble obtain field practice ln the p1lot zone and
familiarize thaEselves $,ith the econoEic and social condltions of their future action
arcas.
{
7 . LIST OF SOT'RCES
BoutilIier, J. L. (1964)
crDR (197r)
SAED/CrDR (Ls?2)
Edou, O. (19?1)
cosselin, c. (1970)
Hochet, J. (1970)
Kohler, J. M. (I971)
Kohler, J. M. (1972)
rr r:('^ .f . P. (197f )
Mesnil. J. (1970)
Pradeau, Ch. (fg?O)
R6my, G. (1968)
R6ny, G. (1968)
Annex VI-lpage lo7
UPPER VOLTA
L€s structures foncilres en Haute Volta, Etudes Voltalques,
Nouvella S6rie, 1964, M6noire No. 5, Centre IFAN-ORSIOM.
Rapport d'activlt6s 19?O, juin-juillet 19?1, Ouagadougou.
Conpte rendu technique et financler. Op6rations d'anima-
tion et de d6veloppenent rural dans les Cercles de Di6bougou
ot Gaoua, Ministlre de 1'Agriculture et de lrElevage,
Directlon du D6veloppement rural. Ouagadougou.
Dix ann6es de vulgarisation agrlcole dans la r6gion de
Ouagadougou. SATEC et Ecole Sup6rieure drAgriculture de
Purpan, Toulouse.
Travail, tradition et d6veloppeEent en pays Bissa. Cahier
ORSTOM, S6rle Sciences Hunaines, Vol. III, l,b. I.Evaluation de la participatlon au d6veloppenont rural dans
le canton de Koper. 2 volunes, Ministbre de ltEducation
Nationale, de la Jeunosse et des Sports, Ouagadougou
(nioeographed).
Activit6s agricoles et changeaents sociaux dans ltOuest-
Mossi (Haut€-Volta). ORSTOM, M6nolres No. 46, Paris.
L€s Bigrations des Mossi de ltOuest. ORSTOM, Travaux et
DocuDents No. 18, Paris,
Zaongho, Etude g6ographique drun vltlage de lrEst-Mossi(Cercle de Koupela). Centre ORSTOM de Ouagadougou.
Connaissance du milieu et vulgarisation agricole. La
cas de I'op6ration Centre Mossi. SATEC, Paris (9 volr.ues).
Kokolibou ou le pays Dagari I travers un t€rroir; Etudes
rurales. No.3?, 38 et 39, Ed. Mouton, Paris, [.a Haye.
[,es mouveuents de populatlon sur Ia rlve gauche de laVolta Rouge (r6gion de NoMr6). Cahlers ORSTOM, S6rie
Sciences Hunalnes, VoI. V, No. 2.
l€s EiBratlons de travall dans la R6g1on de Nob6r6.
Cahiers ORSTOM, S6rle Sclences Hu.Dalnes, Vol. V, No. 4.
Donsin. L€s structures agralres drun vlllage Mossl de
Ia r6glon de Nobdr6 (Cercle de l,langa), Recherches Voltalques.
No. 15, Ouagadougou.
R6uy, G. (L972)
Annex VI-1page lOB
Sanogoh, G. ( re?1 )
Savonnet, G. (?)
Savonnet, G. (1970)
Qu6aut, T. & Rouvllle, C
( 196e )
L€s migratlons Voltatques, in : Notes et Documents
Voltatques, Bulletin triroestriel CVRS, No. 4 (2),
Ouagadougou.
Diepla et sa Rdgion (Haute-Volta). Fortes droccupation
hunaine et probtbmes de surpeuplement. ORSTOM, Paris
(mimeoBraphed).
Pina (Haute-Vo1ta). Etude d'un terroir de front pionnier
en pays Dagari, Atlas des structures agraires au Sud du
Sahara 4. ORSTOM, ed. Mouton, Pari.s, La Haye.
Agriculteurs et 6leveurs de la r6gion du Gondo-Sourou.
CVRS, Ouagadougou.
)
BNEm (1969)
Bonnefond, Pn. (1968)
Michotte, J. (1968)
Ministbre de
I'Agriculture (19?2)
Ministere de
lrAgriculture et du Plan
Ministgre du Plan (19?O)
Ministare du Plan (1967)
GHAI.{A
Sane list of sources as Annex Vt-2.8
IVORY COAST
Etude pr6liminaire i une op6ration de mise en valeur des
aires de d6gagement de Ia zone dense de Korhogo. Abidjan.
Bilan de 1'op6ration secteurs pilotes en moyenne C6te
d'Ivoire 1959-68, et Annexes. ORSTOM, S6rie Sciences
Humaines, Vol. I, No. 6, 1968.
MouveEents niBratoires et d6veloppenent 6conomique dans
la zone dense i 1tOuest de Bouak6. ORSTOM, Sciences
Hunaines, Vol. I, No. 9, 1968.
Statistiques agricoles 1970. Direction de la
Documentation et des Statistiques Rurales, Abidjan.
La participation popularre au d6veloppement national'
rapport pr6sent6 ir la Conf6rence de ITOCAII, Nianey'
d6cembre 1968, rapport de synthBse de Ia d6l6gation
ivoirienne. Abidjan (2 voltrmes).
Population rurale et urbaine par ddpartement et par sous-
pr6fecture, Estimation 1958. Proiections 1970-?5-8O,
Document de travail. (Mimeographed) Abidjan.
COte dt lvoire 1965, Etudes r6gionales 1962-65, Synthdse,
Tone I Population, Tome II Emploi. Abidjan.
Essai drestimation des revenus agricoles. Direction des
Etudes de D6veloppement, Sous-Direction de la Planification
Economique, Abidjarl.
(
Minlstgre du Plan (19?2)
a
SEDES (1965)
Attlgnon, H. (1971)
Cornevin, R.
Fol1, L.
Alexandre, P.,
Froelich, J. C. &Cornevin, R.
Devauges, R. (1961)
Grehan & Rochette
Kouasslgan, c. (1966)
looky, S. I. &
Kunekpor, T.
Ministlre des Finances,
de lrEcononle et du Plan
Patokldeou, H. (1970)
Pauvert, J. C. (1966)
PNUD (197I)
Reklooskl
1d.
TO30
G6ographie du Togo. 2e 6d. Editogo, Lom6.
Histoiro du Togo. 2e 6d. Berger-l,evrault.
Le droit foncier au Togo. (These de doctorat).
de Droit et des Sciences Economiques, Paris.
Annex vI- Ipage 1O9
Reglon de Korhogo, Etude de d6velopp€oent socio-econonique.
Ministare du Plan, servlce AutonoEo de lrAction Rdgionale,
AbldJan, I raPPorts:
1. Rapport de SYnthbse
2. Rapport Sociologlque
3. RaPPort Agricole4. Rapport P6dologlque
5. Rapport D6uograPhlque
6. Etudes des budg€ts faniliaux7. Le connerce et les transports
8. tes conptes 6conomiques 1963-?0-?5
9. t€s propositions d'intervention.
FacuIt6
Les poputatlons du Nord-Togo. P.U.F., Paris.
t€s paysans de Pakolka-Mango (Etudes sociologiques pour un
projet dran6nagenent rlzicole). I.R.T.O., [-on6.
Notes de travail - Mission Nord-Togo. IINDP, Lom6.
ItHome et la torre. Ed. Berger-l,evrault, Paris.
Les nigrations au Togo. Service de Statistique, [.on6
(niueographed report ).Plen d€ D6veloppenent Economique et Social, 1971-1975.
Lon6 (8.P. 1667).
Les Civllisatlons patriarcales des Kal16. [-on6.
Etude des Migrations. ORSTOM, ton6.
Progra@e d'Am6nageuent de la Va116e de lroti (Togo).
DocuD€nt PNUD No. 1, Mission Exploratoir€.
Notos de travail i propos du prograune pour 1972. UIIDP
Lom6.
Etude en vue du d6veloppement agricole de Ia R6gion de Ia
Kara - ToBo - Economie EA: 8F/TGO, Rapport technique 4.
LNDP, tou6.
Enqutte d6uographique 1961. Rdsuttats d6finitifs.Stetistigue g6n6rale, Toue II - [ou6.
a
1d.
Annex VI-Ipage 11O
id.
id.
Suzanne, J. (1970)
Recensement g6n6ral de Ia population (ler mars au 30 avrilI9?O). Statistique g6n6rale, [.on6.
Analyse des donn6es sociologiques de droit foncier
traditionnel togolais et propositions pour une intervention
ldgislative. Ministdre des Finances, de I'Economie et du
Plan, Lon6.
Etudes en vue du D6veloppenent Agricole de la Plgion de la
Kara, Soclologie, FAO, ESR Si/TCO. Rapport Technique 5,
Rome.
,
a
Annex VI-lpage 111
a
TABLE VI-l.1. POPUIATION CHATGE AI{D NET MTGRATION TRE}IDS
BY IOCAL AITTHORITIES - NORTH EAST GHAM, 1960-19?01
local authorityareas of 19603
Population 2Per cent. change 2Per cent.-_net olgratlon
I960 1970 Total Per annum
Builsa (Navrongo)
Kassena Nankani(Navrongo )
Fra Fra (Bolgatanga)
Kusasl (Bawku)
North East Ghana
50 922
93 397
r50 028
L74 291
52 228
98 560
L72 2o.2
2ro 327
2.56
5.53
L4.78
20.66
o.2
o
I
t
5
3
I
-2.5
-2.2
-1.4
-o I
468 638 533 317
Upper Region 757 344 862 723 13.91 1.3 -]-.4
I Th" data of the r9?o popuiatlon cenaus are provisional.2 Tha assumed annual rate of population lncrease Ls 2.7.3 *. local authorities of Builsa and Kassena Nankani coincide with the
Distrlct of Navrongo, the Fra Fra with the District of Bolgatanga and the Kusasiwith the District of Bawku.
TABI.E VI.L.2. NT,IIBER OF VILTAGES AI.ID INHABITAI.ITS PER
CAISON IN THE DIEBOUGOU ADMTNISTRATIVE DISTRICT
Source: Adminlstrative office of th6 Di6bougou area:data based on local cenaus of the period1968- 1971.
Cantons No. of villages No. of inhabltants
l.2.3.4.5.b.7.8.9.
to.11.L2.13.L4.
Di6bougouDoloIolonioroTiankoubaBamakoBaplaZamboDanoDissinKopperOronkuaFounzanCueguereGroupement
r3273746131319392T
l323I
23I
5 069LO 7277 273
10 362I 758I 5287 576
23 4L224 43812 88422 242I 868
ro 84?3 r98
305 165 r82
Annex vI-1page 1I2
TABLE VI-l.3. POPUIATION TREI{DS OF THE SUBPREFECTURES OF KORHOGO'
NAptEolEDoucour AIID SINEMATIALI2 AllD oF THE DEt'IsE zoNE oF KoRHoGo
Subprefectures 1965 r970 1975 r980
Korhogo
Town of Korhogo
Napi60ledougou
SinenatialiTown of Sinematiali
94 000
(24 000)
53 800
25 2o,0
100 600
(32 000)
53 200
25 800
(4 000)
105 200
(40 800)
50 700
25 500
(5 roo)
107 800
(51 000)
45 600
24 400
(6 4OO)
Total
Rural population
r73 000
r49 000
r79 600
r43 600
18r 400
135 500
177 800
120 400
Dense zone of Korhogo
Rural population ofdense zone or Korhogo(Bl.IE[n report)
166 750
130 ?50
166 190
r20 290
168 0?O
llo 670
I* The population numbers of the subprefecture of Pokaha are
not presented in this table as this administrative unit was
created recently and covers part of the former area of Sinematialiand Napi6dledougou.
o' So,r...": Working paper of Ministry of PIan, tg?o
and the BNEDT r€Port
)
I
a
Annex VI-lpage 113
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a
Annex VI-1page 114
TABLE Yt-1.5. SOI'IE POPUTATION DATA PER ADIVIINISTRATIVE DISTRTCT OF
THE STUDY AREA
Recensement g6n6rat de la population, ann6e 1970, r6sultatsprovisoires. (Provisional outcome of 197O Population Census), Service dela Statistique, [.om6.
2 *"".n".rent g6n6ra1 de Ia population au Togo - 1958-1960, 3Bme
Fascicule, Tome I.
I
t
a
J
o
Di s t rictPopulat ion % of total
populationof Togo
Surface(xm2)
Populationdensity
persons/km2( 1e70)I9?O1 19602
Dapango
Mango
Lama-Kara
Pagouda
r80 906
58 276
96 291
44 683
141 431
4? 524
88 082
38 611
9
3
4
2
3
o
9
3
4 570
3 900
I O?5
480
40
15
90
93
Tota I 380 156 3r5 648 19.5 10 025
a
a
Annex VI-Ipage 115
APPEI{DIX
TERMS OF REFERE}TCE FOR FOLIOW-UP OPERATIOML S@IAL STUDIES
Hereunder follow the more rmportant and operational problem areas to be studied
in follow-up socral surveys, in other words those topics that are direcEly relevant
and useful for the proposed rural developnent repopulation and settlernent projects.
The following topics are crucial for repopulation:
1. The location, sizes, geographical, demographic, economic and socio-cuIturalcharacteristics of the various abandonment and destination zones respectively from
where and to where people moved because of the serious presence of onchocerciasis.
Data on the numbers of villaBes, persons and fanilies affected in each of these
zones are indispensable.
2. The location of host villages in the destination areas (dense zones).
3. The livrng and farming conditlons of the evacuated fanilies in these host
villages. To what degree these families are integrated in and attached to these
comnunities.
4. The nurnbers of families who desire to return and the location of the ancient
villages where they are to be reinstalled.5. As far as possible the location and sizes of their foruer house plots and farm
fields as well as of the lands with undefined or lapsed ownership.
It would further be very useful to gather information on the following background
Lopics:
6. The \/arious forms and phases of the process of abandonment of the ancient
villages in the starved-out zones to be repopulated.
7. Reasons of retreat off-river other than onchocercrasr.s, o.B. seasonal flooding,sleeping slckness, soils too heavy for manual farming, danBerous animals, etc.8. Informatron on the process of reinstallation, e.g. Where did the villagers move
to? Why there? Did they all or only somo go there? Definitely or provisionally?
Where did the younger locals move to? What wereora16'the attitudes, reactions,
maybe tensions and frictions of the host populaticns in the dense zones?
9. The spread and degree of onchocerciasis-consclousness among the various cate-gories of locals; of awareness of how this malady is contracted.
10. The spread and degree of fear of locals to retrr:'n \.o river valley areas to be
cleared from onchocerciasis.
Other important topics particularly for settlement
!
11. The systems of land tenure, particularlyare
Annex VI-1page 116
Appendr x
- Iocation, areas of competence, roles, impact on locals of the Land chiefs or
prlests (tendanas, "chefs de terre") especially in and close to the proposed
settlement pr'ojecE areas.
- detailed information on the location and sizes of land owned by villages and
clans directlf involved by the settlement projecLs, that is the land that wrllhave to be partly appropriated, in order to be reclaimed.
- the traditional land-transfer procedures and rites.
- information per sub-zone on the willingness and conditions of land priests,
village, clan and family chiefs, to cede land for settlement purposes.
].2. The deBree of compatibility of farmers of different ethnic origin in case they
will be reinstalled together in one settlement scheme.
13. Area-wide sample surveys to obtain more detailed and differentiated data on the
attitudes of locals towarcls settlement, especially in the dense zone of Korhogo,
lvory Coast, where no social survey(s) on village level could be car"ried out. Itwill thereby be crucial to gather data on the preference of actual or potential
emigrants for emigration rather than for settlement. These surveys should also
determine which ethnic groups, sub-zones, age and farmersr categories will be likelyto provide more candidates for the proposed settlement schemes. If opportune, these
studies could be extended in Upper Volta to the dense Mossi zones in the upper parts
of the country.
14. In connexlon with the previous topic: in which zones or sub-zones?; to what
degree is land-hunger experienced by local farmers'?
15. In the future action areas it will be necessary to collect information on
possible categories, types and the stratification (if relevant) of farm families,
and on their traditional farming system as well as on the spread of agricultural
innovat ions.
f6. In alI pilot zones and densely populated areas, various kinds of quaneitative
data are needed on seasonal, temporary and permanent emigration.
In each pilot zone and related dense zone(s) a preparatory operational social
survey of at least one year rs rrtieded to be follorved by ongoing action-oriented
studies. Each survey requires a main responsr.ble social scientist as well as
various collaborators for interviewing and data prccesslng.
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