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four areas which were appraised, were referred to in 
the study as i. Trans white Volta Plains Frontier 
ii. The White Volta Floodplain frontier, iii. The 
Nabogo - Nasia Frontier, iv. Transition into occupa 
tion (fig. 2 ). Inter censal nonulation trends 
(CBS, 1970, 1984) were matched with the FCC interpre 
tative elements of those land cover classes described 
inthe ohoto kevs. It was to serve as the basis for 
describinq land occupation of the four areas that 
were distinquished. Frcm the analysis a map of 
settlements, associated land uses and population 
chanqes between 1970 and 1984 was prepared (fig 3) . 
Brief summaries of the main characteristics of each 
of the areas distinguished were given: 
I. the trans white volta plains frontier 
The area has a distinctive character of general 
emptiness and remoteness. These could be discerned 
with the FCC’s information. There is virtual absence 
of settlement and cultivation (plate, fig 3). As it 
was indicated by the census data, some localities 
suffered population decrease of up to 20% while 
others increased by the same macniture. This would 
require further landuse and demographic study. The 
inacesibility situation, or the problem of remoteness 
of the area was partly defined with the existing 
1:50,000 topographical maps and with evidence 
collected from the recce aerial fliqht over the 
area. The only access route in the area was 'found 
to be a dry season track which connects Navrongo in 
the north. There is no bridge over the White Volta 
sothe area is cut off from the eastern part where 
is the only reqional road. 
As reported by the Onchocerciasis Control Project, 
(1973), the area was a hyperendemic zone with a blind 
ness rate of over 70% amona the resident copulation. 
This problem has been fairlv eliminated (OCP/WHO, 
1984). Agricultural growth as a follaw-uo however 
awaits, amonq other things, improvement of access 
road and water supply. The soils range over upland 
types ofqravelly coarse and fine sandy clay loam 
occurina on rolling to hilly topography; sandstone, 
rocky and iron pan soils occurinq on undulating land; 
non-gravelly, coarse and fine sandy clav loams in the 
upland of very gently undulating terrain; gravelly; 
coarse and fine sandy loams and clay loams in the 
shallow depressions and valleys. The lowland soils 
have been assessed to be fairly good for both mecha 
nized and hand cultivation (Obeng, 1975) 
II. the white volta flood plains Frontier 
The seasonal swamps stood out as dark, darkgreen and 
bluish green in the FCC. These '»ere delineated and 
cross checked with stereoscopic observation of the 
existing aerial photographs. Those areas with consi 
derable depth of water '.«ere shewn in the mappinq as 
topographical information not onlv Far their useful 
ness as natural reservoirs but also Far their possi 
ble fishery potential. The depressions have soils 
also suitable for rice cultivation. (Obenq 1975) 
It is similar to the Trans White Volta in terms of 
accessibility, ceoplinq and effective land occupation 
In the imagery the general emptiness could be discer 
ned, but local cultivation in the floodplains as it 
was evidenced during the recce flight, had 
increased since the imagery date. This expansion 
has not been accompanied by settlement growth. It 
has been on the basis of mechanized land rotation 
operated mainly on capitalistic, absentee farming 
system financed by local and urban based enterore- 
neures with access to credits and other facilities. 
The fishery potential of the White Volta has been 
also assessed and found to be farily hiah (Norrip, 
1983). 
Drainaqe appears to be a major limitation to effect 
ive utilization of the soils of the area, but even 
when that is overcome, the associated water develo 
pment would have to recognize disease effects on the 
contact population (Hunter, Rey and Scott, 1980) 
III. the nabogo - nasia frontier 
It has a distinctive set of problems associated with 
rapid landalienation for relatively fairlv larqe 
scale rice cultivation in the floodplains and the 
associatedvalleys (fig 5). Population increase in 
the localities has been as low as 3% in sane and 
as phenomenal as 200% in others. Land acquisition 
for both traditional and modem mechanized, farming 
has accordingly been intense and so have been frict 
ions amonq the land users. It is one of the areas 
where rice farming has been characterized with 
incindiarism. Drought and stream sedimentation 
have been significant. It is one of the areas of 
rapid land occupancy and therefore calls for land 
ownership and land use investigations to provide 
the necessary data for rationalizing the situation 
in order to promote sustainable kind of development. 
IV. transition to permanent occupation 
In the southern (Savelugu - Pong Tamale) landscape, 
population increase in the various localities rang 
ed between 10% and 262% with an average of about 
190%. In the northern part (Wale Wale) landscape 
the increase was between 69% and 96% with an avera 
ge of 85%. In the imagery the dense dissemination 
of patches of light tones gave indications of grow 
ing intensitv of settlements and associated land 
uses in 1975. Die generally gravelly soils of the 
uplands (Adu, 1968) should require lonaer fallow 
period but the population increase means that these 
soils are increasingly ccming under pressure. The 
practice of bush fallow system is narrowing down to 
more or less permanent cultivation, which for the 
soils of the area would require very careful manage 
ment. Fuelwood Shortage is imminent (Norrip Tech.. 
Paper: Forestry Dev. 1983) 
INTERPRETATION OF ASPECT OF THE RENEWABLEE 
RiHJOURCES 
Some key renewable resources were appraised in view 
of possibilities for their implications in inter- 
grated development of the area. The interpretation 
identified these as (i) seasonal water bodies 
(ii) riparian woodlands, and (iii) forage produc 
tion of the shrub and tree savannah vegetation. 
the seasonal water bodies 
These constitute part of the surface water systems 
of the Volta Basin, not only known for their disea 
se effects on the contact population, as has been 
evidenced in the prevalence of oncho but also the 
fauna in them. Daget (1960) Roman (1979) have 
identified a total of over 100 species fresh water 
fauna inthe surface waters of the Volta Basin. 
Exploitation of the fishery resources is, similar 
to the v/ater level, seasonal, and could complement 
farming activities very well since harvest of the 
fisher'/ stock is mainly in the drv season when fishes 
are confined to a few places with permanent water - 
the channels of permanent streams, small lakes, 
isolated pools i n the stream beds, residual oonds and 
swamps in the floodplains. 
The discussions of Lowe -Mcconnel (1975) and 
Welcomme (1975) regarding the fisherv ecology and its 
relationships to floodplains has relevance to the 
fisherv manarrement of the studv area too. According 
to them, during the rains the stream water becomes 
heavily sedimented with nutrient salts from animal 
dung and residues of overland waste disposal, agro 
chemicals, decaving vegetation and from ashes of