Abstract
In order to deal with recurrent disasters, like floods and droughts coupled with the limited adaptive capacity, in the semiarid regions of Northern Ghana, local communities have no choice but to apply traditional and local knowledge practices. This study seeks to identify such practices employed in selected rural communities in Northern Ghana and to investigate their effectiveness. Data were collected through key informant interviews, household questionnaire surveys, focus group discussions, and participant observations. The findings indicated that although diverse practices were applied to predict and manage local disaster events, skepticism prevailed among locals toward these practices regarding their effectiveness. Due to the lack of science-based tools and systems for disaster prediction and management, local communities continually depended on these knowledge systems and practices. Integrating local and traditional disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts into modern scientific knowledge should be encouraged in order to reduce the vulnerability of local communities to disasters with thorough effectiveness evaluation protocols.
Highlights
In the rural areas of Northern Ghana, where farming remains the most important socioeconomic activity, perennial floods and droughts pose severe threats to the livelihood sustenance of households [1]
Analysis of preliminary field survey data coupled with secondary information highlighted five principal disaster events—that is, floods, droughts, pests and diseases, bushfires, and windstorms—as influential on the livelihood systems and ecosystem health of the study area
Households were asked about their perception of the negative effects of the identified disaster events on their daily and seasonal lives
Summary
In the rural areas of Northern Ghana, where farming remains the most important socioeconomic activity, perennial floods and droughts pose severe threats to the livelihood sustenance of households [1]. Mounting empirical evidence indicates an increase in the frequency and severity of flood, bush fire, windstorm, and drought events. In 2007, flooding in the Northern Region of Ghana negatively impacted food security and livelihood systems in the entire country [3]. Floods in 2010 in the White Volta River Basin, which preceded a period of drought, damaged several farmlands, food crops and seeds, livestock, human life, and property, weakening household livelihoods across all three regions in Northern Ghana (i.e., Upper East, Upper West, and Northern). Flood and drought events exposed the semiarid ecosystem of Northern Ghana to biodiversity loss and soil erosion [5]
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