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Research Day Entry

Entering the Cashew Economy: Intersectional Identity and Agrarian Transition in Kintampo Ghana

Colin Korst
Over the past ten years, cashew exports from Ghana have quadrupled. This growth has emerged largely ‘from below’ by smallholders without significant government or business sponsored programs pushing adoption. This paper focuses on the question: How is the transformation from swidden staple food cropping to cashew plantation agriculture enacted and experienced differently based on intersectional identity? Research was conducted by living and working with farmers in one community over the course of 10 weeks, relying on qualitative methodology. I argue that this transition is a continuation of constantly evolving relationships with outside markets, however it presents unique opportunities and challenges for farmers and the landscape as they enter into a global market dominated by large agribusiness companies, with end consumers residing in the global north and processors located in India and Vietnam. These opportunities and challenges are both shaping and shaped by farmer intersectional identity including ethnicity, gender, and class.