Abstract

Agriculture continues to be major contributor to climate change, and it is arguably the most vulnerable to extreme weather patterns, and invading of alien disease, pest and weed species, which are consequential effects from climate change. The degree of the impact of exposure, severity and sensitivity of the damage caused, and adaptive capacity lead farmers to adopt response strategies that have implications for sustainable development. The study adopts a cross-sectional survey design to collect primary data from 244 maize farmers in 3 randomly selected administrative assemblies from Southern-Eastern Ghana using structured interview schedule. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis. Findings indicate that the corollaries of climate change unsettle farm-level economies by reducing crop yield, vegetative cover, soil fertility and available water for plant uptake. There were reports of increase in invasive species of flora and fauna, causing control of weeds, diseases and pests extremely arduous. Farmers’ inability to forecast for their farming activities due to uncertainties in the events of extreme temperature and precipitations is limiting their adaptive capacity and increasing their vulnerability to droughts, flood and strong winds. Diversifications, planting of high yielding, drought tolerant and early maturing varieties were predominant strategies adopted to lessen the precarious effects of climate change. Successful implementation of mitigation and adaptation strategies would depend on enhanced capacity of farmers, coupled with relevant tools, effective information for decision-making and policy measures for achieving sustainable food and livelihood security.

Presenters

Selorm Akaba
Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Central, Ghana

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

2021 Special Focus: Responding to Climate Change as an Emergency

KEYWORDS

Adaptation, Risks, Diversification, Sustainability

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