Land tenure, market, and the establishment of forest plantations in Ghana

This paper presents an empirical study on the relationship among land tenure, market incentives, and forest plantation establishment in Ghana based on a two stage selectivity model. Our results show that the total amount of land owned and/or cultivated by farmers, amount of land owned by farmers outright, and use of government extension services by the farmers have a significant positive influence on plantation establishment. In addition, lands owned outright by farmers and the prices of plantation products have a significant positive effect on silvicultural investment in plantation. These results demonstrate the potential for land market reforms and market incentives in enhancing forest plantation establishment.