Enhancing climate resilience in northern Ghana: A stochastic dominance analysis of risk-efficient climate-smart technologies for smallholder farmers

Abstract

Northern Ghana is a semi-arid region characterised by a unimodal rainfall pattern, and hot and dry weather conditions. This, coupled with the reliance on rain-fed agriculture and the lack of resources to employ irrigation methods, makes smallholder farmers in the region increasingly vulnerable to climate-related crop failure. In recent years, climate-smart technologies (CSTs) such as changing planting dates (PD), compartmental bunding (CB), mulching (M), and transplanting (TP) have been recommended to minimise yield losses. However, there is limited information on the most risk-efficient CSTs for crops cultivated in the region. This study used a stochastic dominance approach to identify the most risk-efficient CSTs for maize, rice, and sorghum. The stochastic modelling process used the Aqua-crop model to simulate climate-related yield variability using Ghana climate data, and gross margin variability with crop budgets from literature sources. The study’s findings revealed that changing planting date from April to May was the most risk-efficient choice for maize and sorghum under farmers’ practice and recommended practice. In contrast, transplanting was the most risk-efficient technology for rice farming in the study area. The study also highlights the importance of considering the risk-averse nature of smallholder farmers when selecting CSTs. By identifying the most risk-efficient CSTs, the study can help improve the resilience of smallholder farmers. These findings have important implications for the development and adoption of CSTs in northern Ghana.