Browsing by Author "Guodaar, Lawrence"

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    Effects of climate variability on tomato crop production in the Offinso north district of Ashanti region
    (November, 2015) Guodaar, Lawrence
    Climate variability is one of the serious environmental challenges that has received a lot of public outcry in most parts of the world due to its consequence on agriculture, energy and industry. This study therefore sought to tease out the effects of climate variability on tomato crop production in the Offinso North District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Structured interview guide, focus group discussion guide, in-depth interview guide and participant observation were instruments for data collection covering 378 tomato farmers randomly selected from three communities in the study area. The result of the study suggests an increase in both maximum and minimum temperatures coupled with unreliable rainfall distribution over the last two decades as the cause. The study identified poor yield as a major effect of climate variability on tomato production as reported by the farmers in the District. A regression analysis indicated the significant effect of the climate variables (temperature and rainfall) on tomato production while controlling other confounding variables. It was also observed that in the wake of climate variability and risks, farmers in the study area employ several adaptation strategies to absorb the shock. It is recommended that heat resistant tomato crop that can withstand the pressures of the climatic variations especially high temperatures be developed by the Crops Research Institute of Ghana.