Methods of data collection

The study employed two main methods of data collection, that is, primary and secondary sources. Nonetheless, the key source of data will be the primary source gathered from

respondents through the semi-structured interview (individual and group). The secondary sources of information were also relevant to the study as they helped to complement the primary sources.

These include books, magazines, journals, newspapers, unpublished thesis work, internet sources, and others.

5.2.1 Sampling Approach

In doing social science research, it is difficult for the researcher to observe or study the entire population. Therefore, small units of the population are used by the researcher, referred to as sample (Field et al. 2012). Sampling is basically about selecting part of a population to obtain information from them due to time constraint. In qualitative research, sampling is complicated since it mostly deals with the study of the social world. Those who have the chance of being selected from the population for the study constitute the sample frame (Fowler 2009). Population refers to the entire group of people or subjects under study and for this study, they constitute;

farmers, Fulani herdsmen, chiefs, youth leaders, cattle owners and others.

Probability and non-probability sampling are the two types of sampling approach where the former is used in quantitative research and the latter used in qualitative research. Convenience sampling which is a type of non-probability sampling was employed to select the sample for this study. This technique allows the researcher to use the most accessible or available subjects for

49

the study (Bryman 2008), this saves time, money and energy. Non-probability sampling does not employ the random technique of selection since the researcher selects subjects relevant to the study.

I took the sample from three (3) villages in KED where the activities of farmers and Fulani herdsmen have resulted in conflict between them. With qualitative research, the sample size is expected to be small for rich and in-depth investigation to be possible. Some characteristics considered for the sample are farmers, cattle owners, youth leaders, chiefs, Fulani herdsmen, the leadership of Fulani cattle owners, opinion leaders and other individuals affected by the contest.

Table 5.1 below shows those interviewed and their numbers.

Table 2 Breakdown of respondents

Respondents Number Local government member (Planning officer) 1 MOFA Officials including a veterinary officer 3 Police Officers (DCOP and CID) 2

Youth leaders 2

Traditional leaders 4

Framers 45

Fulani herders and cattle owners 18 Fulani chief of the area 1

GNACAF members 2

Source: Fieldwork, 2017

Apart from the above respondents, 19 households were sampled based on convenience sampling to know the impact of the conflict on food security in households.

The research was carried out wholly in the Kwahu East District due to my familiarity with the area, and the selected villages for the study were; Hweehwee, Oboyan, and Dwerebease.

Moreover, I established contacts with some few indigenes, opinion leaders and the Planning Officer for the district which made access to key stakeholders easier.

50

5.2.2. Research Interviews

Interview is one of the methods I employed for gathering my primary data which is a common tool for doing qualitative research. Interviews refer to the face-to-face conservation between the researcher and the respondent where the respondent is made to answer some questions. There are three types of interview: unstructured, structured and semi-structured. Semi-structured interview in collecting the information needed for this study.

A semi-structured interview is where the researcher has pre-determined questions (interview guide), but flexibility is allowed in the approach of the interview (Bryman 2008). It implies that the interviewer has the freedom to ask further questions outside the interview guide. One advantage of the semi-structured interview is that it ensures that the researcher asks well-prepared questions in an organized manner (Berg and Lune 2012). Interviews with key informants were conducted on an individual basis which was tape-recorded to get all relevant information secured. Individual or group interview will be used wherever appropriate and necessary for obtaining the needed data for this study. A group interview was also organized for some Fulanis on the 18^th February 2017. The group included herdsmen, cattle owners, Vice President and PRO of Ghana National Association of Cattle Farmers (GNACAF). It became necessary because of the activities of the Fulani herdsmen, and a conflict was on-going during the fieldwork. A research assistant (interpreter) was employed because most of the Fulanis could not speak/understand the local dialect in the area. Also at Dwerebease, another group interview was organized for some farmers on the 26^th February 2017 with 6 participants.

51

Figure 3 Fulani leaders and herdsmen after a group interview Source: Author

5.2.3. Data Analysis.

Data analysis is fundamentally about making sense out of the raw data collected which begins with the management of the data, interpretation and presenting it finally (Yin 2003). In doing the analysis, interviews recorded were transcribed and organized into text form. Also, field notes and observations have been reviewed and written well. Moreover, the theories explained under theoretical framework were used to analyse the findings. Table coding approach was employed for sorting and organizing the data into themes to provide a summary of the primary data. The method helped to answer the research questions appropriately.