Crops and carats: Exploring the interconnectedness of mining and agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa

Mining and agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa have long occurred in a dynamic system of co-habitation. Because the future of many Africans has been shaped by both resource extraction and agriculture and will continue to do so, there is an ongoing demand for a more nuanced understanding of their mutual dynamics. This paper analyzes some of the dynamics between these critical forms of economic activity. Based on ethnographic material from Sierra Leone, Ghana and, to a lesser extent, South Africa, the relationship between mining and agriculture will be analyzed from three perspectives: livelihoods, land and value attribution. Moreover, by discussing these three levels of intertwinement, the paper generates insights, such as the importance of developing structures to facilitate processes of alternation between mining and farming, that are central to policy, as well as highlights areas of research where more focus and understanding is needed.