Gender, land grabbing and agrarian livelihoods: contradictory gendered outcomes of land transactions in Ghana

Based on a multi-method research design that employs a triangulation of fieldwork data, including focus group discussions (n = 35) and key informant interviews (n = 5), this paper examines the intervening role of gender in the differentiated distribution of harms and benefits from large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs). Employing Feminist Political Ecology (FPE) as the analytical framework, this study examines how varying positionalities such as marital status, tenure systems, and local power dynamics shape women’s encounters with LSLAs. Our findings reveal that while patriarchal structures continue to restrict women’s control over land resources, the economic opportunities arising from projects in the Central and Volta regions of Ghana have enhanced some women’s financial independence and decision-making power within their households. This shift, however, has created tensions, as men perceive these changes as a challenge to traditional gender roles. By interrogating these complex gendered experiences, this study enriches the FPE framework, highlighting how intersecting positionalities influence resource access and control in agrarian communities.