Climatic and non-climatic factors driving the livelihood vulnerability of smallholder farmers in Ahafo Ano North District, Ghana
Received date: 2023-08-19
Revised date: 2024-03-13
Accepted date: 2024-08-24
Online published: 2024-09-25
Smallholder farmers in Ahafo Ano North District, Ghana, face multiple climatic and non-climatic issues. This study assessed the factors contributing to the livelihood vulnerability of smallholder farmers in this district by household surveys with 200 respondents and focus group discussions (FGDs) with 10 respondents. The Mann-Kendall trend test was used to assess mean annual rainfall and temperature trends from 2002 to 2022. The relative importance index (RII) value was used to rank the climatic and non-climatic factors perceived by respondents. The socioeconomic characteristics affecting smallholder farmers’ perceptions of climatic and non-climatic factors were evaluated by the binary logistic regression model. Results showed that mean annual rainfall decreased (P>0.05) but mean annual temperature significantly increased (P<0.05) from 2002 to 2022 in the district. The key climatic factors perceived by smallholder farmers were extreme heat or increasing temperature (RII=0.498), erratic rainfall (RII=0.485), and increased windstorms (RII=0.475). The critical non-climatic factors were high cost of farm inputs (RII=0.485), high cost of healthcare (RII=0.435), and poor condition of roads to farms (RII=0.415). Smallholder farmers’ perceptions of climatic and non-climatic factors were significantly affected by their socioeconomic characteristics (P<0.05). This study concluded that these factors negatively impact the livelihoods and well-being of smallholder farmers and socioeconomic characteristics influence their perceptions of these factors. Therefore, to enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers to climate change, it is necessary to adopt a comprehensive and context-specific approach that accounts for climatic and non-climatic factors.
Frank BAFFOUR-ATA , Louisa BOAKYE , Moses Tilatob GADO , Ellen BOAKYE-YIADOM , Sylvia Cecilia MENSAH , Senyo Michael KWAKU KUMFO , Kofi Prempeh OSEI OWUSU , Emmanuel CARR , Emmanuel DZIKUNU , Patrick DAVIES . Climatic and non-climatic factors driving the livelihood vulnerability of smallholder farmers in Ahafo Ano North District, Ghana[J]. Regional Sustainability, 2024 , 5(3) : 100157 . DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100157
| [1] | Adhikari U., Nejadhashemi A.P., Woznicki S.A., 2015. Climate change and eastern Africa: A review of impact on major crops. Food Energy Secur. 4(2), 110-132. |
| [2] | Afsar N., Idrees M., 2019. Farmers’ perception of agricultural extension services in disseminating climate change knowledge. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture. 35(3), 942-947. |
| [3] | Alin A., 2010. Multicollinearity. In: Gentle, J.E., Scott, D.W., (eds.). Computational Statistics. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 370-374. |
| [4] | Amengor E.N., Yeboah H., Fordjour E.K., et al., 2016. Gender analysis of sweet potato production in Ghana. American-Eurasian Journal of Scientific Research. 11(1), 13-20. |
| [5] | Amfo B., Ali E.B., 2020. Climate change coping and adaptation strategies: How do cocoa farmers in Ghana diversify farm income? Forest Policy Econ. 119, 102265, doi: 10.1016/j.forpol.2020.102265. |
| [6] | Anning A.K., Ofori-Yeboah A., Baffour-Ata F., et al., 2022. Climate change manifestations and adaptations in cocoa farms: Perspectives of smallholder farmers in the Adansi South District, Ghana. Curr. Res. Environmental Sustainability. 4, 100196, doi: 10.1016/j.crsust.2022.100196. |
| [7] | Antwi-Agyei P., Quinn C.H., Adiku S.G.K., et al., 2017. Perceived stressors of climate vulnerability across scales in the Savannah zone of Ghana: A participatory approach. Reg. Envir. Chang. 17(1), 213-227. |
| [8] | Asamoah Y., Ansah-Mensah K., 2020. Temporal description of annual temperature and rainfall in the Bawku Area of Ghana. Adv. Meteorol. (1), 3402178, doi: 10.1155/2020/3402178. |
| [9] | Asfaw S., McCarthy N., Lipper L., et al., 2016. What determines farmers’ adaptive capacity? Empirical evidence from Malawi. Food Secur. 8(3), 643-664. |
| [10] | Atta-ur-Rahman, Dawood, M., 2017. Spatio-statistical analysis of temperature fluctuation using Mann-Kendall and Sen’s slope approach. Clim. Dyn. 48(3), 783-797. |
| [11] | Baffour-Ata F., Antwi-Agyei P., Nkiaka E., et al., 2021. Effect of climate variability on yields of selected staple food crops in northern Ghana. J. Agric. Food Res. 6, 100205, doi: 10.1016/j.jafr.2021.100205. |
| [12] | Baffour-Ata F., Antwi-Agyei P., Nkiaka E., et al., 2022. Climate information services available to farming households in Northern Region, Ghana. Weather Clim. Soc. 14(2), 467-480. |
| [13] | Baffour-Ata F., Awugyi M., Ofori N.S., et al., 2023a. Determinants of yam farmers’ adaptation practices to climate variability in the Ejura Sekyedumase municipality, Ghana. Heliyon. 9(3), e14090, doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14090. |
| [14] | Baffour-Ata F., Tabi J.S., Sangber-Dery A., et al., 2023b. Effect of rainfall and temperature variability on maize yield in the Asante Akim North District, Ghana. Curr. Res. Environmental Sustainability. 5, 100222, doi: 10.1016/j.crsust.2023.100222. |
| [15] | Boillat S., Jew E.K., Steward P.R., et al., 2019. Can smallholder farmers buffer rainfall variability through conservation agriculture? On-farm practices and maize yields in Kenya and Malawi. Environ. Res. Lett. 14(11), 115007, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ab45ad. |
| [16] | Bolang P.D., Osumanu I.K., 2019. Formal sector workers’ participation in urban agriculture in Ghana: Perspectives from the Wa Municipality. Heliyon. 5(8), e02230, doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02230. |
| [17] | Danso-Abbeam G., Ehiakpor D.S., Aidoo R., 2018. Agricultural extension and its effects on farm productivity and income: Insight from Northern Ghana. Agriculture & Food Security. 7(1), 1-10. |
| [18] | Derbile E.K., Chirawurah D., Naab F.X., 2022. Vulnerability of smallholder agriculture to environmental change in North-Western Ghana and implications for development planning. Clim. Dev. 14(1), 39-51. |
| [19] | Eggenberger P., Bürgisser M., Rossi R.M., et al., 2021. Body temperature is associated with cognitive performance in older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment: A cross-sectional analysis. Front. Aging Neurosci. 13, 585904, doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.585904. |
| [20] | Fan S., Rue C., 2020. The role of smallholder farms in a changing world. In: PalomaS.G., RiesgoL., LouhichiK., (eds.). The Role of Smallholder Farms in Food and Nutrition Security. Cham: Springer, 13-28. |
| [21] | FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), 2016. Hankbook on Agricultural Cost of Production Statistics: Guidelines for Data Collection, Compilation and Dissemination. [2023-03-09]. https://pdf4pro.com/view/handbook-on-agricultural-cost-of-production-statistics-6039a6.html. |
| [22] | FAO, 2020. Supporting Climate Adaptation in Smallholder Agriculture. Rome: FAO, 1-8. |
| [23] | FAO, 2023. Ghana at a Glance. [2023-03-11]. https://www.fao.org/ghana/fao-in-ghana/ghana-at-a-glance/en/. |
| [24] | Forthofer R.N., Lehnen R.G., 1981. Rank correlation methods. In: Forthofer, R.N., Lehnen, R.G., (eds.). Public Program Analysis. Boston: Springer, 146-163. |
| [25] | Fosu-Mensah B.Y., Vlek P.L.G, MacCarthy D.S., 2012. Farmers’ perception and adaptation to climate change: A case study of Sekyedumase district in Ghana. Environ. Dev. Sustain. 14(4), 495-505. |
| [26] | Frost C., Jayaram K., Paris G., 2023. What Climate-Smart Agriculture Means for Smallholder Farmers? [2023-02-12]. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights/what-climate-smart-agriculture-means-for-smallholder-farmers. |
| [27] | GSS Ghana Statistical Service, 2024. Multidimensional Poverty Report. [2024-08-21]. https://statsghana.gov.gh/. |
| [28] | Guodaar L., Bardsley D.K., Suh J., 2021. Integrating local perceptions with scientific evidence to understand climate change variability in northern Ghana: A mixed-methods approach. Appl. Geogr. 130, 102440, doi: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2021.102440. |
| [29] | Habtemariam L.T., Gandorfer M., Kassa G.A., et al., 2016. Factors influencing smallholder farmers’ climate change perceptions: A study from farmers in Ethiopia. Environ. Manage. 58(2), 343-358. |
| [30] | Harvey C.A., Saborio-Rodríguez M., Martinez-Rodríguez M.R., et al., 2018. Climate change impacts and adaptation among smallholder farmers in Central America. Agriculture & Food Security. 7(1), 1-20. |
| [31] | Huda M.N., 2013. Understanding indigenous people’s perception on climate change and climatic hazards: A case study of Chakma indigenous communities in Rangamati Sadar Upazila of Rangamati District, Bangladesh. Nat. Hazards. 65(3), 2147-2159. |
| [32] | IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007. Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1-987. |
| [33] | Kaur G., Kaur S., 2017. Precipitation: Changing patterns, crop effects and mitigation: A brief review. International Journal of Research in Geography. 3(1), 26-32. |
| [34] | King N., Brooks J., 2018. Thematic analysis in organizational research. In: Cassell, C., Cunliffe, A.L., Grandy, G., (eds.). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Business and Management Research Methods: Methods and Challenges. New York: Sage, 219-236. |
| [35] | Langyintuo A., 2020. Smallholder farmers’ access to inputs and finance in Africa. In: Paloma, G.S., Riesgo, L., Louhichi, K., (eds.). The Role of Smallholder Farms in Food and Nutrition Security. Cham: Springer, 133-152. |
| [36] | Lobell D.B., Schlenker W., Costa-Roberts J., 2011. Climate trends and global crop production since 1980. Science. 333(6042), 616-620. |
| [37] | Lokesha M.N., Mahesha M., 2016. Impact of road infrastructure on agricultural development and rural road infrastructure development programmes in India. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention. 5(11), 1-7. |
| [38] | Maake M.M.S., Antwi M.A., 2022. Farmer’s perceptions of effectiveness of public agricultural extension services in South Africa: An exploratory analysis of associated factors. Agriculture & Food Security. 11(1), 34, doi: 10.1186/s40066-022-00372-7. |
| [39] | MoFA Ministry of Food and Agriculture, 2024. Ahafo Ano North. [2023-02-12]. https://mofa.gov.gh/site/directorates/district-directorates/ashanti-region/144-ahafo-ano-north. |
| [40] | Morton J.F., 2007. The impact of climate change on smallholder and subsistence agriculture. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 104(50), 19680-19685. |
| [41] | Mujeyi A., Mudhara M., Mutenje M., 2021. The impact of climate smart agriculture on household welfare in smallholder integrated crop-livestock farming systems: Evidence from Zimbabwe. Agriculture & Food Security. 10(1), 1-15. |
| [42] | Myers S., 2022. Analyzing Farm Inputs: The Cost to Farm Keeps Rising. [2023-01-09]. https://www.fb.org/market-intel/analyzing-farm-inputs-the-cost-to-farm-keeps-rising. |
| [43] | Nyantakyi-Frimpong H., Bezner-Kerr R., 2015. The relative importance of climate change in the context of multiple stressors in semi-arid Ghana. Glob. Environ. Change-Human Policy Dimens. 32, 40-56. |
| [44] | OECD/FAO Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development/Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2016. Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa:Prospects and Challenges for the Next Decade. Paris: OECD Publishing, 1-138. |
| [45] | Oxford Business Group, 2022. Agriculture. [2023-01-11]. https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/reports/ghana/2022-report/agriculture. |
| [46] | Oyekale A.S., 2021. Climate change adaptation and cocoa farm rehabilitation behaviour in Ahafo Ano North District of Ashanti region, Ghana. Open Agric. 6(1), 263-275. |
| [47] | Piya L., Maharjan K.L., Joshi N.P., et al., 2019. Climate change:Perceptions and the determinants. In: PiyaL., MaharjanK.L., JoshiN.P., (eds.). Socio-Economic Issues of Climate Change:A Livelihood Analysis from Nepal. Singapore: Springer, 107-132. |
| [48] | Rojas Corradi M., Lambert F., Ramirez-Villegas J., et al., 2019. Climate Change Affects Rainfall Patterns in Crop-Producing Regions: Findings from the Study “Emergence of Robust Precipitation Changes Across Crop Production Areas in the 21st Century”. Wageningen: CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). |
| [49] | Sakho-Jimbira S., Hathie I., 2020. The Future of Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. [2023-01-11]. https://www.ifad.org/documents/38714170/42030191/future_agriculture_sahara_e.pdf/1cb6b896-b9c1-0bb8-87b8-83df3153d0af. |
| [50] | Savsani H.H., Padodara R.J., Bhadaniya A.R., et al., 2015. Impact of climate on feeding, production and reproduction of animals-A Review. Agricultural Reviews. 36(1), 26-36. |
| [51] | Sieber N., Allen H., 2016. Impacts of rural roads on poverty and equity. Transport and Communications Bulletin for Asia and the Pacific. 86, 23-40. |
| [52] | Steyn W., 2016. The Effects of Poor Rural Road Conditions on Produce: By Invitation. [2023-03-09]. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC189508. |
| [53] | Stocking M., 2014. Soil erosion and land degradation. Envion. Sci. Environ. Manag. 287-321. |
| [54] | Szabo S., Apipoonyanon C., Pramanik M., et al., 2021. Agricultural productivity, aging farming workforce, sustainable agriculture, and well-being: Household survey data from Central Thailand. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 5, 728120, doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2021.728120. |
| [55] | Tenaw S., Islam K.Z., Parviainen T., 2009. Effects of Land Tenure and Property Rights on Agricultural Productivity in Ethiopia, Namibia and Bangladesh. Helsinki: University of Helsinki, 1-33. |
| [56] | Thornton P.K., Ericksen P.J., Herrero M., et al., 2014. Climate variability and vulnerability to climate change: A review. Glob. Change Biol. 20(11), 3313-3328. |
| [57] | Wang F., Shao W., Yu H.J., et al., 2020. Re-evaluation of the power of the mann-kendall test for detecting monotonic trends in hydrometeorological time series. Front. Earth Sci. 8, 14, doi: 10.3389/feart.2020.00014. |
| [58] | Woetzel J., Pinner D., Samandari H., et al., 2020. How Will African Farmers Adjust to Changing Patterns of Precipitation? [2023-01-12]. https://www.mckinsey.com/-/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functions/Sustainability/Our%20Insights/How%20will%20African%20farmers%20adjust%20to%20changing%20patterns%20of%20precipitation/MGI-How-will-African-farmers-adjust-to-changing-patterns-of-precipitation.pdf. |
| [59] | World Business Council for Sustainable Development, 2023. Impact of COVID-19 on Smallholder Farmers-Insights from India. [2023-01-12]. https://www.wbcsd.org/news/impact-covid-19-smallholder-farmers-insights-india/. |
| [60] | World Economic Forum, 2022. Why Smallholder Farmers Are Central to New Food Security Interventions. [2023-03-19]. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/smallholder-farmers-key-achieving-food-security/. |
| [61] | Yamane T., 1973. Statistics:An Introductory Analysis. London: John Weather Hill Incorporated, 1-8. |
/
| 〈 |
|
〉 |
REGSUS Wechat
新公网安备 65010402001202号