Abstract

This paper focuses on the assessment of socioeconomic and cultural factors that exacerbate the exposure of rural farmers’ vulnerability to heat stress and climate change in a tropical developing country. Using a household survey, the authors elicited responses from farmers on the effectiveness of their adaptation to heat stress, drawing data from 308 residents in the Bawku East part of northeast Ghana. The authors also used focus group discussion to establish socioeconomic and cultural issues that intensify farmers’ exposure to heat stress. The study found that various levels of socioeconomic and cultural factors can predispose farmers to heat exposure. The study recommended the need for government-led policies to combat heat exposure in Ghana.