Farmer organizations as sites of political mobilization: structure, resources, and collective identity in Ghana

Farmer organizations play an increasingly central role in global agricultural development. They are often celebrated as vehicles for empowering smallholders, but their potential as political actors remains contested. Drawing on survey data, the analysis integrates political opportunity, resource mobilization, and collective identity theories of social movements within a critical realist framework to examine how structural conditions, organizational characteristics, and shared identities interact to shape political mobilization in Ghana. The findings reveal that land access difficulties, transportation infrastructure deficits, and seed insecurity are the most politically salient structural barriers motivating farmers to mobilize. However, these challenges only translate into collective political action when mediated by organizational resources and shared identities. Internally formed, long-established organizations with diverse resource mobilization systems were far more likely to attract politically motivated farmers than externally initiated groups. A key contribution of this article lies in showing that structural barriers, resources, and identities must be analyzed together rather than in isolation. Structural barriers alone do not determine political mobilization; their effects are filtered through organizational histories, leadership structures, and collective identities that shape how farmers interpret their challenges and envision solutions. This insight bridges longstanding divides between structuralist and culturalist explanations of social movements. The findings also refine resource mobilization theory by showing that not all resources are equal. Internally generated resources tied to member contributions and local networks foster greater autonomy and legitimacy than externally provided donor resources. These dynamics resonate with global agrarian movements, offering theoretical and practical insights into how structure, resources, and identity shape political mobilization of farmers.