Hunting and gathering in a Ghanaian rain forest community.
1989
Dei, G. J. S.
The paper examines the nature, contribution, and impact of the exploitation of forest resources on a rural hunter gathering/farming community in Ghana. Data were collected in 1982/83 to examine the adaptive responses of the peasant farmers to the seasonal food supply cycle, as well as to the national economic crisis of the early 1980s. Participant and non-participant observation were used to collect data on hunting and gathering in the small town of Ayirebi, southeastern Ghana. All households are involved in farming but also hunt or trap to a certain extent. While hunting is predominantly a male occupation, a few women engage in trapping by fencing individual farm plots and setting traps. Gathering of forest products is mainly done by women and youth of both sexes. Estimates of the amount of bush animal protein consumed in domestic households using scales to weigh game for meal preparation indicate that every household adult consumes at least 250g of bush meat per week. Together with other animal products such as crabs, snails, and oil palm grubs, bush animal protein constitutes an important substitute for fish and beef in the household diet. The proportion of food supply provided by the bush rises in the lean pre-harvest season (16%), and is higher for low income households.
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