An environmentalist and farmer, Nana Dwomoh Sarpong, has warned that Ghana risks losing significant portions of its cocoa farms and agricultural lands to mining activities unless urgent measures are introduced to protect farmers and their livelihoods.
He has called on the government to establish a dedicated compensation fund for farmers whose lands are destroyed by mining, while compelling mining companies to reclaim degraded lands and return them to their original owners.
Speaking in an interview with The Chronicle, Mr Sarpong, President of Friends of Rivers and Waterbodies, said the growing competition between mining and agriculture posed a serious threat to cocoa production, rural livelihoods and the country’s agricultural future.
He argued that Ghana could exploit its mineral resources without sacrificing agriculture but insisted that this required responsible mining practices, stronger environmental protection and adequate compensation for affected farmers.
Farms under threat
Mr Sarpong painted a worrying picture of farming communities where mining activities are increasingly taking over lands previously used for cocoa cultivation and other agricultural activities.
He said the destruction of farms had far-reaching consequences for farming families, particularly children whose education depended largely on their parents’ agricultural income.
“The situation is getting worse in mining areas. We are witnessing a tragic trend where the children of farmers are dropping out of school because their parents’ farms and farmlands have come under vicious attacks by miners.
The future of these children is bleak,” he said.
His concerns come against the backdrop of figures disclosed by the Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) in February 2025, indicating that approximately 30,000 hectares of cocoa farms had been destroyed by illegal mining and other human activities as of December 2024, while another 50,000 hectares were reportedly at risk.
Mr Sarpong said the figures should compel policymakers to reconsider the country’s approach to mining, particularly surface mining, which he believes poses significant risks to agricultural lands and waterbodies.
He suggested that underground mining should be considered where feasible, to minimise the destruction of farmlands.
Where surface mining was necessary, he urged operators to undertake gold washing in designated ponds and treat wastewater before discharge to prevent further environmental pollution.
“As for gold mining, we should do it, but we should look at good ways of doing it,” he added.
Compensation for farmers
The environmentalist questioned the fairness of a situation in which the country benefits from mineral revenues while farmers whose livelihoods are destroyed struggle to rebuild their lives.
“The gold that the government is getting cannot compensate the long-term benefits of cocoa,” he said.
He proposed a dedicated compensation mechanism to identify genuine farmers affected by mining, assess their losses and ensure they receive adequate and timely support.
According to him, compensation should go beyond one-off cash payments to include sustainable interventions that protect affected households from long-term economic hardship.
He particularly called for educational scholarships for children from farming families whose livelihoods had been destroyed by mining activities.
“If the government is benefiting from gold and does not need the cocoa farms, then it is good that they are properly compensated, especially with scholarships for the children,” he stated.
He warned that the loss of a family’s principal source of income could also deprive children of educational opportunities, potentially exposing them to poverty and limited economic prospects.
Mining companies must reclaim lands
Beyond compensation, Mr Sarpong called for stricter enforcement of land reclamation requirements, insisting that mining companies must restore degraded lands to conditions suitable for agricultural production.
He argued that paying farmers compensation without restoring destroyed lands would not provide a sustainable solution.
“It is not enough to pay a farmer and leave the land dead and polluted. The mining companies must be legally bound to reclaim the land to a standard fit for agriculture,” he said.
He explained that reclamation should go beyond filling abandoned pits to include restoring soil fertility, establishing proper drainage systems and ensuring that reclaimed lands were safe for cultivation.
He also called for independent monitoring to ensure that mining companies complied with reclamation requirements.
Mr Sarpong proposed that properly reclaimed lands be returned to their original owners to enable them to resume farming and secure their livelihoods.
“If a farmer’s land is reclaimed and given back to him, he has a future. He can plant again. His children can have an inheritance. This is true justice,” he stated.
Who benefits from mining?
Mr Sarpong also questioned the distribution of mining’s economic benefits, arguing that farmers and vulnerable rural communities often bear the environmental and economic costs of mining without enjoying corresponding benefits.
“Mining is good for the miners, for rich people. It doesn’t benefit the poor farmer,” he observed.
He said cocoa farming required years of investment and hard work, with farms serving as sources of household income, children’s education and inheritance for future generations.
He maintained that Ghana must adopt a balanced natural resource management approach that allows the country to benefit from its mineral wealth without sacrificing agriculture and environmental sustainability.
He reiterated the need for fair compensation, educational support for affected children, alternative livelihood opportunities and the restoration of degraded farmlands.
He stressed that national development should not be measured solely by revenue generated from gold but also by the country’s ability to protect the livelihoods and economic opportunities of ordinary citizens.
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