A Review of Why People Deplete Forest Land for Agriculture Expansion in Ghana

Forest land is used for agriculture expansion. People use forestlands mainly for farming tree and staple crops. The forestlands in Ghana are highly depleted. Why do people deplete forest land for agriculture expansion in Ghana? Results from the study shows that the government has the highest power in forest management. For forest depletion to minimize, the government must compensate land owners and farmers for not depleting the forest lands for agriculture. This implies that government must set up policies to reduce increased agriculture activities. The power of the government can be used to preserve the forest by prohibiting access of forestland to farmers. When farmers are allowed to have access to forestlands, they convert it to farmlands and prevent the growth of trees either intentionally or unintentionally. Key words: Agriculture, Forestlands, Forest depletion, Ghana