Abstract
AbstractClimate change has the potential to disrupt sustainable development initiatives, particularly in developing economies. A substantial body of literature reveals that developing economies are vulnerable to climate change, due to high dependency on climate-sensitive sectors, such as agriculture. In Ghana, a growing body of literature has revealed multiple adaptation strategies adopted by smallholder farmers to respond to and reduce climate change impacts. However, there is a dearth of literature on the effectiveness of adaptation strategies. This chapter explores the adaptation strategies of smallholder farmers and analyzed the predictors of effective adaptation. Through the technique of simple random sampling, 378 smallholder farmers were selected, and data was collected using a questionnaire survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using the SPSS software. The findings indicate that smallholder farmers adopt multiple adaptation strategies to reduce the impact of climate change. In addition, it is revealed that marital status, years of farming experience, knowledge of climate change, and education are significant predictors of adaptation. Moreover, the chapter found that marital status, weedicide application, change in staple food consumption, and planting of early-maturing crops are good predictors of effective adaptation. The chapter recommends the need to intensify adaptation strategies through agricultural extension programs and interventions that improve rural food security and livelihood. In addition, the chapter recommends strengthening the capacity of farmer organizations and rural institutions, particularly agricultural extension and advisory services.
Highlights
BackgroundClimate change adaptation is defined as the adjustment in a system to respond to, recover from, and exploit opportunities, to reduce the impact of climate change
Ghana’s ability to promote food security, livelihood, and rural and pro-poor economic development is largely dependent on agriculture and smallholder farmers who constitute the bulk of the labor force in Ghana and contribute about 80% of the food produced
This chapter, which sought to explore smallholder famers’ adaptation and examine the predictors of adaptation and effective adaptation, found that smallholder farmers in the rural Adansi North District of Ghana use multiple on-/off-farm and diet-based adaptation strategies to respond to climate change
Summary
BackgroundClimate change adaptation is defined as the adjustment in a system to respond to, recover from, and exploit opportunities, to reduce the impact of climate change. Climate change affects agriculture, thereby increasing the vulnerability of developing countries, whose economies are largely dependent on climate-sensitive sectors, including agriculture (AGRA 2014; IPCC 2018). According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2014, 2018), adaptation strategies are very important in developing economies in Africa and Asia, as the impact of climate change is already felt in extreme in these regions. A large body of literature has focused on examining the adaptation strategies adopted by smallholder farmers to respond to these changes, with little or no attention on the effectiveness of adaptation as a conduit for food security and livelihood, which this paper seeks to address. Dankelman (2010) asserts that adaptation strategies, in developing countries, are ineffective and unsustainable, as they are practiced in a resourceconstrained environment, which calls for the need to examine effective adaptation strategies employed by smallholder farmers to enhance their food security and livelihood
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