Review

Reviewed Work(s): Rural Development in Ghana by C. K. Brown

Review by: Joseph R. A. Ayee
Source: Africa: Journal of the International African Institute , 1988, Vol. 58, No. 3
(1988), pp. 381-383
Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International African
Institute

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1159816

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 BOOK REVIEWS 381

the
theintention
intention
is to describe
is toand describe
analyse the position
and of analyse
householdsthe
within
position
a o
neighbourhood
neighbourhood and withinand
specific
within
ecological specific
zones. Two specific
ecological
neighbourhoods
zones. are Two spec
examined
examinedas detailed
as case
detailed
studies, one
case
an upland
studies,
settlement
one (Syoyua),
an upland
the other settlement
in the (Sy
lowlands
lowlands (Ngangani).
(Ngangani).
We see the strategies
We see of households
the strategies
in highland and
oflowland
households i
areas
areaschanging
changing
differentially
differentially
as they feel the impact
as they
of various
feel
historical
theevents-
impact of va
ecological,
ecological,economic
economic
and political-and
andhowpolitical-and
the pendulum of favourability
how the swings
pendulum o
from
from one ecological
one ecological
zone to another.
zoneAll of
tothis
another.
is viewed in the
Allcontext
of this
of the is
district's
viewed in the
'increasing
'increasing population
population
and its evolving and
economy
its and
evolving
polity', witheconomy
land shortage and
and polity',
increasing
increasing vulnerability
vulnerability
to drought the most
to drought
obvious manifestations
the most of thisobvious
evolution. manifest
The
The author
author
is carefulistocareful
situate this to
discussion
situatein its this
proper discussion
historical setting,in
which
its proper h
gives
givesgreater
greater
depth to depth
the analysistoof the
the situation
analysisin the of
late 1970s.
the situation in the late
The
The thrust
thrust
of the book
of is the
descriptive
bookrather
is descriptive
than analytical. Therather
first fifty
than
pages analytical.
or T
so
sogive
giveus theusessential
the historical
essential framework
historical
for understanding
framework Kitui in the
for
1970s,
understanding
and
the
theremainder
remainder deals withdeals
the nutswith
and bolts
the
of rural
nutslife and
in upland
bolts
Syoyua of
andrural
lowland life in upla
Ngangani.
Ngangani. Chapters
Chapters
focus on agricultural
focusand on
livestock
agricultural
production; on
and
labour
livestock p
migration;
migration; on the basic
on provision
the basic
of clothing,
provision
school fees
of andclothing,
foodstuffs; onschool
relations fees and
among
among kin and
kinneighbours;
and neighbours;
and on degrees of and
community
on degrees
cooperation and
ofexchange
community co
in
inagricultural
agricultural
productionproduction
and herding. The and
conclusions
herding.
are not soThesurprising.
conclusions
The are
Kitui
Kitui Kamba
Kamba
have gradually
havemoved gradually
from a self-sustaining
moved from mixed economy
a self-sustaining
towards m
increased
increased dependence
dependence
upon external uponeconomicexternal
forces-that is economic
to say, they haveforces-that
become
become betterbetter
integratedintegrated
into the national into
economy the
of Kenya.
nationalBut this economy
has been of Ke
promoted
promoted more by more
the increased
by the difficulties
increased
in sustaining
difficulties
the local systemin of sustainin
production
production than bythan
the attractiveness
by theofattractiveness
alternative economic activities.
of alternative
New econ
economic
economic strategies
strategies
have broughthave changes brought
in Kamba social changes
structure, andin the
Kamba
gap social
between
between the richthe
and rich
the poor-those
and the who have
poor-those
successfully diversified
who have their successfu
household
household economy economy
and those who and
have those
remained who
more deeply
have entrenched
remained in the old
more deepl
pattern
pattern of subsistence-has
of subsistence-has
become markedly become
more evident.markedly
This would be true,
more one evident. T
suspects,
suspects,for manyforparts
many
of Kenya.
parts
Dr O'Leary
of has
Kenya.
here documented
Dr O'Leary the process
hasfor here docu
us
usin in
KituiKitui
in a wayin
thata illustrates
way that the impact
illustrates
of longer-term
the social
impact
and economic
of longer-t
change
change on theonhousehold
the household
and the neighbourhood
and the as viable
neighbourhood
units of production. as viable
Continued
Continued opportunities
opportunities
for the diversification
for theof thediversification
household economy probablyof the house
represent
represent the onlythe
direction
only fordirection
rural developmentfor within
rural Kitui,development
and the data with
assembled
assembled here provides
herewould-be
provides developers
would-be
with an extraordinarily
developers exhaustive
with andan extraor
useful
useful starting
starting
point. point.
Finally,
Finally, it is of
itconsiderable
is of considerable
credit to the author
credit
that the to
bookthe
has been
author
printed in
that the b
Kenya
Kenya and isand
now widely
is now available
widely
in that country
available
through
inanthat
enlightened
country
agreement
through an
between
between the author,
the the
author,
publishersthe
and thepublishers
UNESCO-backedand Integrated
the Project
UNESCO-backe
in
Arid
Arid Lands,
Lands,
which agreed
whichto purchase
agreed a substantial
to purchase
number of copies
a substantial
and distribute number o
them
them through
through
UNESCO channels
UNESCO 'becausechannels
it was felt that
'because
the book fell
it within
was thefelt that t
research
research interests
interests
of the project'.
ofWhen
thesoproject'.
much anthropological
Whenresearch
so much in Africa
anthropolog
is
now
now closely
closely
linked tolinked
'development'
to issues
'development'
yet fails to be read
issues
by developers
yet fails
or thoseto be read
they
theywould
would
develop, develop,
Michael O'Leary
Michael
has succeeded
O'Leary
in makinghas
a valuable
succeeded
piece of in mak
research
researchdirectly
directly
and cheaply and
available
cheaply
to those it available
most closely concerns.
to those Few it most c
researchers can claim to have achieved as much.
DAVID ANDERSON

Birkbeck College, London

C. K. BROWN (ed.), Rural Development in Ghana. Accra: Gh

1986, xii + 325 pp., $6.00, ISBN 994 3 0124 3.

Since the early 1970s the World Bank and the United Nation
the strategy of rural development as the panacea for the red
income and employment, and in access to public goods an

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382 BOOK REVIEWS

alleviation of poverty in the developing countries. It is this focus on

issues' which has marked out rural development as a distinct fi
overwhelming majority of poor people in the developing countries of
Latin America live in rural areas.
In Ghana successive governments have demonstrated an increasing policy concern
with development or productivity in the rural sector by launching programmes of
rural employment and food production ('Operation Feed Yourself). In spite of the
existence of these rural development programmes, it is pertinent for us to be aware of
the processes, tenets and strategies of rural development so as to be able to utilise
them. One suspects that the exposure of development policy makers, development
planners and students of public administration in Ghana to rural development is
negligible. That is why a publication like that edited by C. K. Brown-Rural
Development in Ghana-is very timely.
This book not only presents a wide collection of articles concerning rural
development as it is applied specifically to Ghana but also has as its thematic concern
the improvement of the economic and social life of a specific group of people-the
Ghanaian rural poor-who form the bulk of the population. There are twenty-four
articles by a total of twenty-three contributors, which are suitably divided in five
parts, with an introductory overview by the editor of the importance of rural
development and a summation of the main themes of the articles.
Part I, 'Policies and Strategies for Rural Development in Ghana', presents a general
review of governmental policies and strategies which have been adopted for rural
development in Ghana. Part II, 'Availability and Utilization of Resources for Rural
Development', is more lengthy than the other parts and has a substantial down-to-
earth assessment of the various resources available and utilised in rural development
in Ghana. Resources such as land, labour, credit and capital, low-cost and appropriate
technology and transportation are placed under the microscope, while the issue of
inadequacy of resources as a major constraint to rural development in Ghana is
discussed. Part III, 'Organizations and Institutions for Rural Development', tackles
the role of the various organisations in and institutional arrangements for rural
development in Ghana. Of importance in this part is the contribution of research
institutes and universities to the rural development programme. Part IV, 'Problems of
Planning and Implementation', has a more diffuse focus and examines the obstacles to
the planning and implementation of rural development programme in Ghana. The
article by C. K. Brown, 'Urban bias and rural development in Ghana', is essential
reading, re-echoing or revisiting, as it does, Michael Lipton's celebrated work, Why
Poor People Stay Poor: urban bias in world development. Part V, 'Towards an Effective
Rural Development Programme in Ghana', comprises a presentation of the need to
devise effective policies, strategies and methodologies for a viable rural development
programme in Ghana.
Although the book's coverage of the various strands and themes of rural develop-
ment in Ghana is wide, there are gaps. A comprehensive coverage of rural
development requires the devotion of enough space to popular participation, since the
self-sustaining nature of rural development implies that the rural people should
participate. The space given to popular participation is inadequate. Moreover, as may
be expected in such a collection, most of the writers offer challenging analytical and
critical perspectives about their work; others write, more safely, on a descriptive level.
The editor must be fully aware of the gaps but has set his eyes on an achievable
target, and this book is the result. Whatever deficiencies exist, they do not, to any
marked degree, militate against the valuable contribution that Rural Development in
Ghana makes not only in focusing attention on rural development strategies and
programmes in Ghana but also in drawing together the main themes in the theory and
practice of rural development in general and in Ghana in particular. The book is
indeed a 'source book where relevant data on rural matters in Ghana could be found'

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 BOOK REVIEWS 383

because it does have quite a lot to say about the 'practice' of rural development in a
developing country like Ghana. In the light of the foregoing the book is a must for
Ghanaian students of rural development, policy makers, development planners and
even the general reader.
JOSEPH R. A. AYEE
University of Swaziland

The Golden Stool

Studies of the Asante Center and Periphery
In Anthropological Papers, Contributors
American Museum of Natural History.* The Search for Asante Origins: Archaeological
Enid Schildkrout, ed. 1987. vol 65, Evidence. Merrick Posnansky; Peter L. Shinnie;
Francois J. Kense; James O. Bellis.
pt. 1, pp 1-331, Illus. $25.00. * Perspectives on Asante and the North.
Kwame Arhin; Bruce M. Haight; Timothy F
Garrard; David Owusu-Ansah; Rene A. Bravmann
and Raymond A. Silverman.
* Leadership in Asante: Kings, Administrators,
and Politicians in Historical Perspective.
Ivor Wilks; Larry W. Yarak; A. Adu Boahen;
Maxwell Owusu; A. S. Y. Andoh.
* Art and the Court in Asante.
Malcolm D. McLeod; Albert Mawere Opoku;
J. f1. Kwabena Nketia.

Make check payable to:
American Museum of Natural History.
Postage included.
PUBLICATIONS/DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, New 'ork 10024-5192
* Imperial Strategies: Trade, Warfare, and the
Administration of the Hinterland. Raymond E.
Dumett; Edward Reynolds; Donna J. E. Maier;
Emmanuel Terray; Robert IIandloff.
* Cultural Exchange in Greater Asante.
Timothy C. Weiskel; Raymond A. Silverman;
Jean Polet; Monica Blackmun Visona.
* Extensive bibliography compiled by Carol Gelber.

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