i Parkia biglobosa - School of Forest Resources & Environmental ...

Kandiga, Upper East Region
My Peace Corps assignment was in the rural village of Kandiga, located in the
Kassena-Nankana District within the Upper East Region (Figure 4). Kandiga is situated
between the district capital of Navrongo that lies 20 km northwest and Bolgatanga, the
regional capital that is 30 km to the southeast. The population of the village is
approximately 6000, widely spread out on clan or familial homes on or near their small
farms. This region is considered Guniea savanna. Guinea savanna is characterized by
low rainfall that occurs between May and October. Shea trees, acacia, and baobab are the
dominant tree species with tall grasses across the savanna. Most of the land has been
converted for the cultivation of millet, groundnuts, sorghum, and rice. The remainder of
land is for grazing livestock: cows, goats, and sheep.
The local economy is based on subsistence farming and some small secondary
income businesses. Many of these small secondary businesses trade goods. The women
in Kandiga are the cornerstone of the labor force in the village economy. Birmingham et
al. (1966) analyzed the census data and reported the percentage of labor each gender
contributed within the adult population of Ghana. His analysis showed that male labor
and participation was low compared to female labor. In Ghana, the female level of
economic activity is well above average among fifty-six countries examined by
Birmingham et al (1966). Only two countries had lower levels of male participation.
The large proportion of women at work can be attributed to the great enterprise and self-
reliance of Ghanaian women exemplified by their domination of the retail and wholesale
trading (Clark 1994).
19