SMALLHOLDER FARMER ADAPTATION STRATEGIES TO CLIMATE VARIABILITY IN MAIZE AND YAM PRODUCTION, THE PERSPECTIVE OF SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN THE SAVELUGU-NANTON MUNICIPALITY

Abstract

One of the greatest threats to agriculture and global food security today is climate variability. Various studies have shown how both human and environmental systems are adapting to the adverse impacts of climate variability. However, most of these studies failed to recognize indigenous knowledge of smallholder farmers and how this could influence conventional scientific adaptation strategies. Recent adaptation studies have either concentrated on indigenous strategies or conventional scientific strategies. This study adds to what has been done in determine the level of synergy between these two knowledge streams. The study assessed the integration and use of indigenous and conventional scientific adaptation strategies in the cultivation of maize and yam. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were employed. Interviews, questionnaires, focus group discussions, key informant interviews were the major methods of data collected for the study. These techniques were used to assess smallholder farmers’ perception of climate variability, strategies of adaptation and the various determinants of adaptation as well as challenges of both strategies. The results show that, smallholder farmers perceived the climate as changing with erratic and reducing rainfall as well as increasing length and frequency of drought as its main manifestations. It was revealed that, smallholder farmers used both indigenous and conventional strategies and that no one strategy is exclusively preferred to the other. Inadequate finance and low capacity to adopt conventional improved technologies of adaptation are the major determinants of adaptation. The study finally brought to light, the challenges of both indigenous and conventional strategies and specific areas where synergies between the two has enhanced smallholder farmer adaptation. The study concludes that, certain aspects of both strategies can properly be developed and this will lead to a reduction in the cost of adaptation while increasing farmer output.