Evidence of Climate Change Coping and Adaptation Practices by Smallholder Farmers in Northern Ghana
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Date
2021
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mdpi.com
Abstract
Evidence on how coping practices for immediate climate variations can transform into
long-term adaptive capacity are relatively limited. This study addressed this gap by identifying the
coping practices for short-term climate variations and the adaptation measures used by smallholder
farmers to address future climate change in northeast Ghana. The paper used a mixed-methods
approach, including household surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Data
were collected from 555 households located in six communities across three districts in northeast
Ghana. Results indicated that smallholder farmers were employing a host of practices to address the
threats posed by climate change. Key adaptation practices included the planting of drought-tolerant
crop varieties, the use of indigenous knowledge, intensification of irrigation, migration, adjusting the
planting calendar, crop diversification, mixed farming, and sustainable land management practices.
On the contrary, short-term coping practices reported by the study participants included the sale of
non-farm assets, complementing agriculture with non-farm jobs, selling livestock, engaging in wage
labor, charcoal burning and reliance on social networks. The results further revealed that barriers
to climate change adaptation and coping practices differed by gender. The paper recommends that
capacities of smallholder farmers in vulnerability hotspots should be enhanced to address immediate
climate variations, as well as future climate changes. Ghana’s climate change and agricultural policies
should prioritize adaptations by smallholder farmers in addressing threats posed by climate change.
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This article is published by mdpi.com and is also available at https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031308
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https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031308