Evaluating the contribution of wetlands to food security and livelihoods improvement in the Savelugu Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

The study was conducted on three wetlands and four fringe communities in the Savelugu Municipality in Ghana’s Northern Region. The study evaluated the importance of wetlands to food security and livelihoods in the Savelugu Municipality using primary and secondary data sources. The contingent valuation method was used to determine respondents’ value of wetlands, whereas Kendall’s Coefficient was used to identify the factors influencing the reliance or utilisation of wetlands. The study results showed that wetlands were critical resources in study communities and contributed to people's livelihoods and food security and determined the kinds of livelihoods that existed in these communities. Out of the 79% of respondents (that is, 237 out of 300 respondents) who considered their households to be food secured, 73% of them attributed their food secured households to their reliance and use of wetland resources. Fertile soil for agriculture and tree nursery development, fish for consumption and income generation from the sales of wetland related products were the key contributions of wetlands to respondents’ food security. Furthermore, the study established that despite the potential contributions of these ecosystems to the people’s overall development, the wetlands are yet to be accorded the needed recognition as valuable resources by policymakers at the community and district levels. The disregard of wetland ecosystems by authorities, and as a consequence, the lack of attention/clear-cut regulations on their use, lead to overexploitation and degradation. It was observed in Bunglung and Nabogu wetlands that siltation is adversely affecting the capacity of the wetlands to provide their functions and services. The situation requires the attention of the Savelugu Municipal Assembly to dredge the silted wetlands. Key among the factors influencing wetland dependence and utilisation were climate change, soil fertility of wetlands and household income levels. Inhabitants’ activities such as obsolete fishing tools and farming practices, channelisation and indiscriminate waste disposal were identified to be detrimental to the wetlands’ sustainability.