Nature of climate change-induced risks in semi-arid northwestern Ghana: Gauged observations, perceptions of smallholder farmers, and perspectives for livelihood adaptation

Abstract

Climate variability and impact have been an endemic challenge to smallholder farmers who largely depend on rainy weather for livelihoods in semi-arid north-western Ghana. Many households in semi-arid regions exhibit low levels of adaptive capacity due to ineffective adaptation strategies and poor coping strategies. This study examined (1) trends in gauged rainfall and temperature data spanning the period from 1984 to 2014 and (2) smallholder farmers’ perceptions about yearly cyclical weather, and difficulties associated with climate change adaptations. The study adopted the participatory rural appraisal design using questionnaire, interviews and focus group discussions for collection of data for analysis. Estimated parameters partially supported that yearly temperatures are increasing, whereas annual rainfall is declining, although the latter is not significantly related to the former. Smallholder farmers’ perceptions about changing weather conditions did not corroborate the observed declining annual rainfall trend. These farmers are faced with livelihood-affecting risks during either ‘prolonged dry periods from October to May’ or ‘short annual rainy season from mid-May to September. Therefore, access to climate information and available climate adaptation strategies could improve farming activities and livelihoods of farmers in response to climate change.