Food production across different environments
Kintampo is an archaeological name for a group of Later Stone Age remains, chiefly dated around 2100–1400 BCE. Sites in present-day Ghana span savanna, forest margins and wetter settings, including open settlements and rock shelters.
These environments offered different foods and materials. Birimi in the north preserves evidence of cereal cultivation; the Boase shelters in the central Buokem Hills contain legumes and tree fruits. Together, the finds reveal combinations of cultivation, gathering and animal resources.
Pearl millet that could be stored
Charred plant remains at Birimi show that Kintampo residents cultivated pearl millet. This drought-tolerant cereal supplied grain that could be stored, helping communities through the savanna’s prolonged dry season.
Cultivation connected food supply with seasonal planning: rains supported growth, and harvests retained food for later use. Researchers argue that storable grain helped make longer-term village residence possible.
References: [2]
Cowpea in the rock shelters
AMS dating of a charred cowpea cotyledon from Boase shelter B6B produced a calibrated range of 1830–1595 BCE. Morphological comparison also identified several fragments as cultivated cowpea, directly documenting early use of the legume in central Ghana.
The flotation samples also contained pearl millet, oil palm and other tree fruits. Cereals and legumes thus appear within the same region’s food record, while plant remains give greater detail to activities represented by the shelters’ pottery.
References: [3]
Continuing use of oil palm
Oil-palm stones survive at K6 and the Boase sites in central Ghana. Comparison of these remains shows continued use across occupation phases. Palm fruits supplied oil and other resources, extending food procurement into surrounding woodland.
Researchers suggest that this sustained use may have included arboriculture. Food production combined field crops with longer-term relationships with useful trees, gradually changing landscapes through the selection and use of plant resources.
References: [4]
Houses, pottery and seasonal life
Kintampo sites have yielded burnt earth bearing pole impressions, stone foundations and pottery, providing evidence for wattle-and-daub structures. Grooves and comb impressions on vessels show comparable craft practices across settlements.
These everyday objects and plant remains record longer stays at particular places. Grains, legumes, tree fruits, livestock and wild resources supported livelihoods adapted to local environments and seasons, leaving early examples of food production in West Africa.
References: [1]