Smallholder farmers adoption of technologies for adaptation to climate change in Northern Ghana

Abstract

Climate change introduces numerous uncertainties in the livelihoods of farming communities that depend heavily on the weather and climate. Technologies have been developed to help smallholder farmers better adapt to the changing climatic conditions. This study seeks to determine the factors that influence the adoption of climate related technologies introduced by research institutions. A Multinomial Logit Model was estimated using data from 320 households in Northern Ghana. The empirical results reveal that sex, age, farm size, access to formal agricultural extension, agro ecology and noticing of unpredictable temperatures were the factors influencing farmers’ adoption of a climate related strategies introduced by research institutions. The empirical results imply that targeting females, increasing access to agricultural extension services and creating more awareness about changes in temperatures are important in promoting the adoption of climate related technologies introduced by research. Key words: Adoption, climate change, technologies, multinomial logit, Northern Ghana.