Browsing by Author "Yamba, Sampson"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Smallholder farmers’ mitigation of and adaptation to climate change and climate variability in the Bosomtwe District of Ashanti Region, Ghana.
    (NOVEMBER, 2016) Yamba, Sampson
    Agriculture has provided humanity with food and other resources necessary for human development since time immemorial and is the backbone of many developing economies. Recent patterns of anthropogenic induced greenhouse effect is however posing a threat to this role. In the Bosomtwe District, known micro-climatic trends for agricultural activities have become inconsistent and unpredictable, with consequential effects on productive agricultural engagement. This study therefore examined smallholder farmers’ adaptation to climate change and the potential for agricultural based climate change mitigation through Reduced Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation with forest conservation and sustainable management (REDD+) and Land Use Change (LUC) in the Bosomtwe District of Ashanti Region. Primary data was acquired through interviews and questionnaire administration to key informants and 152 smallholder farmers respectively who were selected from twelve communities in the study area. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and Excel software were used to analyze the quantitative data while content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The study rejected the null hypotheses that there is no significant relationship between annual average temperature and quantity of maize produced. Results revealed that 93% of smallholder farmers in the Bosomtwe District have adapted to climate change. Also 93% of respondents are still considering other sources of livelihood activities other than agriculture which is the primary occupation. Majority (64%) of them are willing to undertake REDD+ mechanisms as avenues for benefits and conservation of carbon stocks in trees. Although the pattern of land use change is constraining farmers’ ability to adapt to climate variability and climate change, land use change is not climate induced. It is recommended that the Ministry of Agriculture policies be directed towards streamlining autonomous adaptation, securing farmers livelihood and harnessing local potential through a participatory approach for the effective mitigation and adaptation to climate change at the community level.