RURAL SOCIOLOGY

HOW RELIGIOUS CONFLICT IN RURAL SITUATIONS AFFECT AGRICULTUAL

DEVELOPMENT IN THE RURAL SETTING
The word CONFLICT is defined as a serious disagreement

between a group with opposing opinions or principles. Conflicts

are in four forms that is;

• Interpersonal conflict

• Intrapersonal conflict

• Intragroup conflict

• Intergroup conflict
 INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT

It refers to a conflict between two individuals. This occurs

typically due to how people are different from one another.

INTRAPERSONAL CONFLICT

This occurs within an individual. The experience takes place in

the person’s mind. Hence, it is a type of conflict that is
psychological involving the individual’s thought, values,
principles and emotions.
INTRAGROUP CONFLICT

Is a type of conflict that happens among individuals within a

team. The incompatibilities and misunderstandings among these
individuals lead to an intragroup conflict.

INTERGROUP CONFLICT

Takes place when a misunderstanding arises among different

terms within an organization. For instance, the sales department
of an organization can come in conflict with the customer
support department.
From the above forms we can relate religious conflict to

intergroup or intragroup conflicts. A religious conflict

is a war primarily caused or justified by differences in

religion. “in their recently published book,

“Encyclopedia of Wars,” authors Charles Phillips and

Alan Lurle stated that out of 1763 wars only 123 have

been classified to involve a religious cause.

HOW RELIGIOUS CONFLICT AFFECT SUBSISTENCE OR
COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES OF A RURAL AREA
 Religious conflict affect subsistence or commercial activities of a rural
area one way or the other. It can be positive or negative but mostly
the negative dominate. Let’s now talk about the conflict that
happened in Wenchi a town in Brong Ahafo Region in Ghana. The
conflict was an intra-religious conflict between Al-Sunni and
Orthodox/traditionalist Muslims. Even though each of these two
groups has a separate mosque, religious conflicts are often triggered
by doctrine differences during public preaching, especially when
preachers of one sect condemn the practices of the other through
insults and condemnation. Inter-religious clashes between Muslim
factions in Wenchi occurred in 1995,1997 and 1998(African Research
Bulletin,1998) with most recent occurring in 2012 during the
Ramadan. The following results happened when the conflict happened
LOW PRODUCTION OF CROPS AND REARING
OF ANIMALS

 The conflict that happened in Wenchi led to low

production of crops and the rearing of farm animals
became limited since people where using their energy and
time to fight and left behind their normal activities. The
majority of the people staying in the place leave solely on
agriculture activities and the conflict led most of them to
be in their various homes which was not good because
they were to used their energy to work not to hide.
CONFLICTS MAKES COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES
SLOW

 Commercial activities here many be defined as

the non-farm economy. It comprises of all the
activities with waged work that are not
agricultural but generate income. Conflicts make
this slow because farmers won’t produce and
marketers won’t get the stuffs to sell. In general
buying and selling is not rampant.
LEAD TO HUNGER AND FOOD
INSECURITY

 Food insecurity is when people don’t

have adequate food to consume due to
lack of resources and this lead to
hunger and the cause is the halting of
farm and non-farm activities.
IMPACT ON SOCIAL LIFE
 The general goal of religion is to hold each family
together and unite the inhabitants of every
village. But the moment conflict happen enmity
become the vision in place. Looking at Wenchi
people from the various groups begun to hate
each other which made people confused about
their relationship in the town. Friends and family
members were not talking to each other which
was very shameful.
IMPACT ON ECONOMIC LIFE
 Farming is the common work in Wenchi
community and about 80% of its labor force goes
into it. However, these farming activities came
under threat due to the conflict. People were no
longer attending their farms due to security
reasons, others went to the extent of destroying
other people farms and farmers became greatly
because of the conflict.
WAYS TO SOLVE RELIGIOUS CONFLICT

 Tolerance
 Religious leaders should know how to spread their
messages.
 The law should be applied if the people still refuse to stop
after pursuing them (the police must come in)
 Identifying points of agreement and disagreement