Determinants of farmers’ adaptation to climate change: A micro level analysis in Ghana

Francis Ndamani,Tsunemi Watanabe

doi:10.1590/0103-9016-2015-0163

Francis Ndamani, Tsunemi Watanabe

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-9016-2015-0163

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Journal: Scientia Agricola	Publication Date: Jun 1, 2016
Citations: 138	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Kochi University of Technology

Abstract

This study analyzed socio-economic factors that influence farmers’ adaptation to climate change in agriculture. Perceptions regarding long-term changes in climate variables and the rate of occurrence of weather extremes were also investigated. Additionally, farmers’ perceived barriers to the use of adaptation practices were identified and ranked. A total of 100 farm-households were randomly selected from four communities in the Lawra district of Ghana and data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires, focused group discussions and field observations. A logistic regression model and weighted average index were used to analyze the data. The results showed that 87 % of respondents perceived a decrease in rainfall amount, while 82 % perceived an increase in temperature over the past 10 years. Results of the weighted average index indicate that dry spell and drought have a higher annual rate of occurrence than flood. Empirical results of the logistic regression model showed that education, household size, annual household income, access to information, credit and membership of farmer-based organization are the most important factors that influence farmers’ adaptation to climate change. The main constraints on adaptation include unpredictability of weather, high farm input cost, lack of access to timely weather information and water resources. The policy implication of this study is that governments should mainstream barriers to, and choice factors of, adaptation practices to climate change related projects and programs.

Highlights

Based on the scope of the impact of climatic variability observed over the last three or four decades, the West African sub-region is generally acknowledged to be one of the areas most vulnerable to the vagaries of climate change (IPCC, 2007)
The results showed that adaptation practices were adopted by 74 % of respondents to improve soil fertility and 34 % to cope with the effects of floods
This study identified a number of factors that determine farmers’ adaptation to climatic change

Summary

Introduction

Based on the scope of the impact of climatic variability observed over the last three or four decades, the West African sub-region is generally acknowledged to be one of the areas most vulnerable to the vagaries of climate change (IPCC, 2007). Studies have shown that without adaptation to climate change, farmers will become more vulnerable and agricultural production will be severely affected (Smit and Skinner, 2002). Adaptation lessens adverse effects and takes advantage of benefits of changes in climate variables. Earlier studies show that irrigation, improved crop varieties, crop diversification, farm diversification, change of planting dates and income generating activities are among the adaptation practices most frequently deployed by farmers (Maddison, 2006; Uddin et al, 2014). Smallholder farmers are likely to be seriously affected by the effects of climate change owing to their lack of capacity to adequately adapt, research shows that only a minority of them take advantage of adaptation options (Fosu-Mensah et al, 2012). A clear understanding of the factors that influence farmers’ adaptation decisions is essential to the designing of appropriate policies to promote effective adaptation in the agricultural sector (Mabe et al, 2014)

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