Return to the Indigenous Cultural Value of Land Stewardship and Respect Nature’s Rights: Ghanaian Farmers Should Resist the Sale of Ancestral Farmlands to Galamsey Operators
Identification
- Public canonical key
- doi:10.60129/jinces.v3i2.00125
- Authors
- Dickson Adom
- Reported year
- 2026
- Reported language
- en
- Source type
- editorial
- First detected
- 2026-11-09T19:04:47.556572+00:00
- Last metadata observation
- 2026-11-10T16:58:51.476397+00:00
- Last HTTP verification
- Not checked
Institutions reported by the source
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Reported affiliation countries
GH
Documentary abstract — original language
Illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) in Ghana threatens environmental integrity, public health, and socio-economic resilience. This editorial argues that ancestral farmlands must be protected, emphasizing that their sale to galamsey operators undermines indigenous cultural values of land stewardship and violates fundamental ecological rights. Using the Rights of Nature (RoN) framework, the paper highlights that ecosystems such as forests, rivers, and farmlands possess intrinsic rights to exist, thrive, and regenerate, which humans are ethically obliged to respect. Evidence demonstrates that galamsey causes soil degradation, mercury and cyanide contamination, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and long-term declines in agricultural productivity, affecting livelihoods, food security, and community health. Mining-induced destruction of sacred groves and ancestral landscapes further erodes cultural identity, social cohesion, and intergenerational knowledge. By adopting the Rights of Nature perspective, farmers, traditional authorities, and local leaders are called to safeguard communal lands, recognizing that short-term economic incentives cannot offset ecological and cultural losses. Upholding these rights promotes sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, and community resilience, ensuring that both human and non-human stakeholders benefit from a just and balanced ecological system. Protecting farmland under a Rights of Nature ethos is crucial for sustaining Ghana’s socio-ecological future.
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.60129/jinces.v3i2.00125
- OPENALEX
- W7118838522
- OPENAIRE
- doi_________::a64bdbbed81c9cfb9b2891adb2d17899
Documentary context
- Documentary family
- Other
- Source-reported types
- Article · editorial
- Natural entities mentioned
- River · Forest · Ecosystem · Landscape
Entity mentions are not evidence of legal recognition. Jurisdiction studied is separate from author affiliation country.
Sources
OpenAIRE · Record 1
OpenAlex · Record 1 · Record 2
Documentary field provenance
Source-backed values and values with unresolved provenance are kept separately. Bibliographic provenance validates no legal claim.
- Title
- Documentary source reported
- Publication
- Documentary source reported
- Authors
- Documentary source reported
- Document type
- Documentary source reported
- Jurisdiction
- Not recorded
- Court
- Not recorded
- Issuing authority
- Not recorded
- Publisher
- Not recorded
- DOI
- Documentary source reported
- ISBN
- Not recorded
- Official identifier
- Not recorded
- Source URL
- Documentary source reported
- Source-reported status
- Not recorded
- Amendment / repeal
- Not recorded
Cite this reference
Dickson Adom. Return to the Indigenous Cultural Value of Land Stewardship and Respect Nature’s Rights: Ghanaian Farmers Should Resist the Sale of Ancestral Farmlands to Galamsey Operators. 2026. https://doi.org/10.60129/jinces.v3i2.00125
JSON · CSL-JSON · BibTeX · RIS · CSV · JSON-LD ·
APA, Chicago, ISO 690: bibliographic formats using available fields. OSCOLA / Bluebook: structured data only; full legal citation compliance is not claimed without verification of required elements.
- APA
- Dickson Adom. (2026). Return to the Indigenous Cultural Value of Land Stewardship and Respect Nature’s Rights: Ghanaian Farmers Should Resist the Sale of Ancestral Farmlands to Galamsey Operators. https://doi.org/10.60129/jinces.v3i2.00125
- Chicago
- Dickson Adom. Return to the Indigenous Cultural Value of Land Stewardship and Respect Nature’s Rights: Ghanaian Farmers Should Resist the Sale of Ancestral Farmlands to Galamsey Operators. 2026. https://doi.org/10.60129/jinces.v3i2.00125
- ISO 690
- Dickson Adom. Return to the Indigenous Cultural Value of Land Stewardship and Respect Nature’s Rights: Ghanaian Farmers Should Resist the Sale of Ancestral Farmlands to Galamsey Operators. 2026. https://doi.org/10.60129/jinces.v3i2.00125
UDTR Global Rights of Nature Legal Library. Return to the Indigenous Cultural Value of Land Stewardship and Respect Nature’s Rights: Ghanaian Farmers Should Resist the Sale of Ancestral Farmlands to Galamsey Operators. Documentary record: https://www.declarationuniverselledesdroitsdelarbre.org/global-rights-of-nature-radar/reference/r-8fc7a38120cef42a5bbfc6d0e46c14f7/ · Last HTTP verification: not performed
Field provenance and record version
Version 949c84322f6662f8 · udtr-reference-1.1.2
- Title
- OpenAIRE · source · 2026-11-09T19:06:36.672915+00:00
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.476397+00:00 - Authors
- OpenAIRE · source · 2026-11-09T19:06:36.672915+00:00
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.476397+00:00
Multiple reported values; disagreement retained. - Year
- OpenAIRE · source · 2026-11-09T19:06:36.672915+00:00
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.476397+00:00 - Identifiers
- OpenAIRE · source · 2026-11-09T19:06:36.672915+00:00
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.476397+00:00
Multiple reported values; disagreement retained. - Source URL
- OpenAIRE · source · 2026-11-09T19:06:36.672915+00:00
OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.476397+00:00 - Source-reported author ORCID
- OpenAlex · source · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.476397+00:00
History tracks record metadata and does not certify the state of the law.
bc4390de2d370c77 · 2026-11-09T19:06:36.672915+00:00
470c44439ded1c13 · 2026-11-09T19:06:36.672915+00:00
748b7ace67c4af62 · 2026-11-09T19:06:36.672915+00:00
fd200db24f78f389 · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.476397+00:00
949c84322f6662f8 · 2026-11-10T16:58:51.476397+00:00
Research dossiers and documentary relations
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Source roles
Discovery source · https://doi.org/10.60129/jinces.v3i2.00125
Discovery source · https://openalex.org/W7118838522
An authority link alone does not verify a legal claim. Abstracts and full texts remain subject to their source terms.
Documentary status
Documentary validated