Exploring the Gender-Specific Adaptive Responses to Climate Variability: Application of Grazing Game in the Semi-Arid Region of Ghana

Michael Mensah,Paul L G Vlek,Benedicta Y Fosu-Mensah,Grace B Villamor

doi:10.3390/agriculture11111048

Michael Mensah, Paul L G Vlek + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11111048

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Abstract

Regional climate change assessments show a likely temperature increase that is higher than the global average for all seasons in Africa, which would have extreme negative implications for ecosystem health and productivity. Most extreme climate change effects in West Africa are predicted to occur in desert and grassland areas. It is important for smallholder farmers in this region to understand the implications of these projections to their livelihood and to identify appropriate adaptation strategies. A grazing game was used to explore gender-specific adaptive responses to climate variability in the semiarid region of Ghana. The game was designed to understand the decision-making processes that result in the overgrazing of animals, leading to desertification based on the players’ interactions with the environment. A total of 44 grazing games comprising 22 games for male-headed households (HH) and 22 games for female-HH were played from August to December 2014 from 14 communities within the Bolgatanga Municipality and the Bongo district. The study revealed that males migrate to the southern part of the country to work on other people’s farms during the dry season as an adaptation strategy, while females engage in off-farm activities such as shea-butter production and basketry. Results of the game showed that males produced the highest number of cattle but created the largest desert patches. Females, on the other hand, were more conscious about the environment (long-term condition of the rangeland) than the short-term income benefits from the sale of cattle; hence, they created fewer desert patches. Strategies such as reducing the number of cattle to allow for the re-growth of vegetation in periods of feed scarcity, ploughing for one another using bulls, and family support using income from the sale of livestock were employed by both gender groups. The involvement of female farmers in decision-making is crucial to improve natural resource management.

Highlights

Regional assessments of climate change show likely temperature increases that are higher than those of the global mean for all seasons in Africa [1,2], which would have extreme negative implications for ecosystem health and productivity
The game scenarios that were introduced by the game master included the following: First, an additional household with one herd constituting a total of 5 cattle was introduced at the beginning of the third year in order to increase the population of the cattle. This was to understand the responses of the farmers in terms of increasing population in an environment with limited natural resources coupled with the negative impacts of climate change
The results suggest that women are generally more cautious managers of natural resources compared to their male counterparts

Summary

Introduction

Regional assessments of climate change show likely temperature increases that are higher than those of the global mean for all seasons in Africa [1,2], which would have extreme negative implications for ecosystem health and productivity. In the five semi-arid northern regions that have higher proportions of rural dwellers, more than 70% of the economically active population are engaged in agricultural activities [9], producing crops such as millet, guinea corn, maize, groundnut, beans, sorghum, tomatoes, and onions, with livestock such as cattle, sheep, and goats, forming an essential component of the agricultural production This semi-arid area experiences low rainfall, less than 700 mm per annum, which has become increasingly erratic, followed by a long dry season (November to May); climate change and variability contributes to the challenges of smallholder farmers in the form of water stress and the availability of feed for animals, especially in the dry season. The dependences of so many livelihoods on rainfall and natural resources means that climatic and non-climatic stressors are threats to these livelihoods [10,11]

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