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October 11, 2006
Dr. Petra Tschakert (Assistant Professor of Geography and AESEDA) and Dr. Kamini Singha (Assistant Professor of Geosciences) spent some of their summer in Ghana to conduct interdisciplinary research on small-scale gold mining. With support from the Africana Research Center (ARC), they investigated miners' perceptions on toxic contaminants, such as mercury and arsenic, and available options for risk modification. Their main emphasis was to understand the everyday living contexts of small-scale miners - men and women - at two mining sites, one close to Dunkwa and the other one next to Bogoso, both in the western part of the country.
 Fig. 1: Dr. Petra Tschakert and Dr. Kamini Singha |
 Fig. 2: Alluvial gold mining and washing site |
Petra used focus groups, mental models, and participatory ranking and mapping activities to capture the socio-cultural, mental, and topographical spaces of contamination and other risks encountered on galamsey (artisanal) mining sites. Body health mapping (Fig. 3) allowed the miners to visualize their experienced pains and illnesses and then discuss causes and solutions with a community health worker and a professional nurse. Kamini taught interested miners and other community members how to use chemical indicator strips, or "hot kits", to measure potentially contaminated water at and near the sites (Fig. 4) while she was taking additional soil and water samples for more detailed lab analyses. The goal of her work was to start building an understanding of the impact of mining activities on drinking water and the local communities, with a long-term goal of quantifying transport mechanisms.
 Fig. 3: Body health mapping |
 Fig. 4: Mercury hot kit  Fig. 5: Gold-mercury amalgam |
 Fig. 6: Crushing of ore rocks |
Fig. 7: Livelihood ranking
and scoring
An additional component of the study focused on alternative livelihood options, funded through Petra's EMS Wilson Research Initiation Grant. In Ghana, more than 200,000 people engage in small-scale gold mining, often encroaching on concession lands and operating without an official license. This type of mining is usually considered a last resort to escape poverty, unemployment, and landlessness, all of which are indicative of socially and economically marginalized populations. Seen from this perspective, risks associated with artisanal mining, including risks from toxic elements, are not simply ignored or misjudged, but weighed against risks of leaving the sector for an uncertain future. The core of this second research component was to understand advantages and disadvantages of being in the artisanal mining sector. We explored options for alternative livelihoods and their respective attractiveness to both men and women galamsey in terms of possible income and associated risks (Fig. 7). While grasscutter rearing, snail farming, and oil palm production are currently promoted as employment schemes for rural populations, most miners remain skeptical.
"Kamini and I have learned a tremendous amount from the miners", says Petra. "Some of our colleagues thought we would have a hard time accessing these camps. But treating the miners with respect and being genuinely interested in their concerns and hopes for the future has opened many doors for us and undoubtedly contributed to a successful and fulfilling research experience". None of this would have been possible without the contribution and commitment of four Ghanaian master's students - Jones Adjei, Iddrissu Mutaru Goro, Doris Ottie-Boakye, and Raymond Tutu - all from the Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS) at the University of Ghana. Yedaase pii!
This work emerged from AESEDA discussions with researchers and members of small-scale mining groups in Ghana in 2004. The next step will be to intensify collaboration with colleagues at the University of Mines and Technology (UMAT) in Tarkwa, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, and the University of Ghana at Legon as well as doctors and medical practitioners to further investigate human and environmental health issues in the small-scale mining sector, ideally in the form of science-community partnerships.