THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON LIVELIHOODS AND THE DETERMINANTS OF ADAPTIVE CAPACITIES AMONG SMALLHOLDER HOUSEHOLDS IN THE BONGO DISTRICT

Abstract

Extreme weather events such as floods and drought in Africa are considered a major indication of climate change. Current climate change projections indicate progressively severe negative impacts on many countries across the world with the most severe impacts affecting the world’s poorest countries with the weakest capacity to adapt. Crop yields in Ghana are estimated to reduce due to projected decline in rainfall and upsurge in temperature. The research combined qualitative methods (observation, FGD’s and interviews) with quantitative method and analyzed the data using descriptive and inferential statistics such as percentages, tables, one way ANOVA, bivariate correlations, and binary logistic regression. The findings revealed that, smallholder households in the Bongo district perceive climate change to be characterized by erratic rainfall, reduced rainfall, late onset, short duration and high temperature which have resulted in significant crop failure. The findings also revealed that, livelihood activities such as crop farming, animal production, fishing, shea-butter processing and pito brewing were severely affected by climate change. The negative effects of climate change on households’ livelihood activities included drought, flood, pest, disease, and poor germination of crops and have resulted about 65% decline in crop yield per acre and animal production. The findings further revealed that critical factors such as training, education, land size, belief system and farming experience were statistically significant in determining household coping and adaptive capacities. The study also showed that households employed coping measures such as sale of livestock to buy food, hunting forest products and premature harvesting of food, On-farm adaptation strategies such as use of indigenous knowledge in agronomic practices, alley cropping and dry season gardening and Off-farm adaptation strategies included livelihood diversification, support from Government and migration. As recommendations, strategies to strengthen resilience include integrating indigenous and scientific knowledge, credit and dam facilities.