Browsing by Author "Stringer C. Lindsay"

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    Adaptation opportunities and maladaptive outcomes in climate vulnerability hotspots of northern Ghana
    (Science Direct, 2018) Antwi- Agyei Philip; Dougill J. Andrew; Stringer C. Lindsay; Cudjoe Ardey Nii Samuel; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8599-474X
    How climate change adaptation practices can constrain development and deliver maladaptive outcomes in vulnerability hotspots is yet to be explored in-depth using case study analyses. This paper explores the effects of climate change coping and adaptation responses in three case study villages across the Central Gonja district of northern Ghana. The study addresses the following research questions: i) What are the key climatic and non-climatic stressors confronting households in northern Ghanaian communities? ii) How are households adapting to climatic and nonclimatic stressors? and iii) What are the outcomes of these coping and adaptation responses on development? The study employs a mixed-method approach including key informant interviews, focus group discussions and household questionnaire surveys. Data identified socioeconomic stressors including a lack of access to (and high cost of) farm inputs, labour shortages and population growth. Climatic stressors include erratic rainfall, high temperature, droughts and floods. Climatic and non-climatic stressors interact to affect agricultural practices and related livelihoods. The study identified various adaptation measures including extensification and intensification of agriculture, temporary migration, planting of drought resistant varieties, irrigation, and livelihood diversification. We show that many coping measures (e.g. livelihood diversifications activities such as selling of firewood and charcoal production) and adaptation responses (including intensification, extensification and irrigation) currently deliver maladaptive outcomes, resulting in lock-ins that could exacerbate future climate vulnerabilities. The paper contributes to the growing literature on adaptation and climate risk management by providing empirical evidence showing how coping and adaptations measures can deliver maladaptive outcomes in vulnerable communities.
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    Alignment between nationally determined contributions and the sustainable development goals for West Africa
    (TANDFONLINE.COM, 2018) Antwi- Agyei Philip; Dougill J. Andrew; Agyekum P. Thomas; Stringer C. Lindsay; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8599-474X
    The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2015 Paris Agreement are two of the most important policy frameworks of the twenty-first century. However, the alignment of national commitments linked to them has not yet been analysed for West African states. Such analyses are vital to avoid perverse outcomes if states assess targets and develop SDG implementation plans, and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, without integrated planning and cross-sectoral alignment. This article provides a situation analysis guided by the following questions: (a) Which priority sectors are mentioned in relation to adaptation and mitigation in West African NDCs? (b) Are the NDCs of West African states well aligned with the SDGs? (c) What are the co-benefits of NDCs in contributing towards the SDGs? and (d) How are West African states planning to finance actions in their NDCs? The study uses iterative content analysis to explore key themes for adaptation and mitigation within NDCs of 11 West African states and their alignment to selected SDGs. A national multi-stakeholder workshop was held in Ghana to examine the co-benefits of the NDCs in contributing towards the SDGs and their implementation challenges. Results show that agriculture and energy are priority sectors where NDCs have pledged significant commitments. The analysis displays good alignment between mitigation and adaptation actions proposed in NDCs and the SDGs. These represent opportunities that can be harnessed through integration into national sectorial policies. However, cross sectorial discussions in Ghana identify significant challenges relating to institutional capacity, a lack of coordination among institutions and agencies, and insufficient resources in moving towards integrated implementation of national planning priorities to address successfully both NDC priorities and the SDGs.
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    Barriers to climate change adaptation: evidence from northeast Ghana in the context of a systematic literature review
    (Tandfonline.com, 2014-09-22) Antwi- Agyei Philip; Dougill J. Andrew; Stringer C. Lindsay; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8599-474X
    International studies (Boko et al., 2007; Lobell, Bänziger, Magorokosho, & Vivek, 2011) suggest that Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change and variability. This vulnerability has been attributed to the continent’s high poverty levels, low adaptive capacity, its dependence on rain-fed agriculture, as well as its limited economic and institutional capacity (Boko et al., 2007). Research suggests that food production and related livelihoods will be disproportionately affected by climate change and variability in sub- Saharan Africa (hereafter, ‘SSA’) (Schlenker & Lobell, 2010). Climate change has even been described as a new security threat for Africa (Brown, Hammill, & Mcleman, 2007). Climatic projections suggest that prolonged and more intense droughts are likely to cause SSA to become drier (Boko et al., 2007; Christensen et al., 2007). Increasing mean annual temperatures will increase evapotranspiration losses resulting in a reduction in soil moisture content. Boko et al. (2007) project that climate change will reduce net crop revenues by 90%by 2100.