Climate variability and rural livelihood sustainability: evidence from communities along the Black Volta River in Ghana

Abstract

Livelihood sustainability has been a major concern for many developing economies across the globe. In Ghana, studies have identified climate change as one constraining player that trigger sustainable livelihood. In the Wa West District of Ghana, studies have paid much efforts on climate change and its perceived effects on livelihood with little attention on climate variability which is a yearly phenomenon. The study aimed to investigate climate variability and rural livelihood sustainability using communities along the Black Volta River in the Wa West District in the Upper West Region as units of analysis. The study employed cross-sectional survey using a mixed method approach to investigate the phenomenon. Purposive and simple random sampling methods were used to select the communities and household heads for the study respectively. Questionnaires and interviews were used as data collections tools and questionnaires were administered to 163 household heads. Descriptive and thematic analytical approaches were employed. The result of the study revealed that respondents of the four communities were engaged in primary (crop farming, animal rearing, shea butter processing and Pito brewing) and secondary livelihood activities (dry season gardening, weaving of birds/fishing nets and hair dressing). Evidently, the study found that short, unstable, drought spelt, warm/extreme weather have affected respondents livelihood especially the primary livelihood strategies. In addition, respondents observed drought, flood, poverty/famine, pest and disease, poor crop yield and bush fires as major climate variability-induced shocks and stresses they experienced over the last one decade. Importantly, the study found that respondents have employed cultivation of short duration crop varieties, shifting of planting dates when bad season is suspected and addition of alternative livelihood as response strategies to climate variability. The practical and policy considerations of the study are discussed.