Coping with Adversity: Resilience Dynamics of Livestock Farmers in Two Agroecological Zones of Ghana

Francis Sena Nuvey, Adolphina Addo-Lartey, Priscillia Awo Nortey, Kennedy Kwasi Addo and Bassirou Bonfoh
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Francis Sena Nuvey: School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra P.O. Box LG 13, Ghana
Adolphina Addo-Lartey: School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra P.O. Box LG 13, Ghana
Priscillia Awo Nortey: School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra P.O. Box LG 13, Ghana
Kennedy Kwasi Addo: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Accra P.O. Box LG 581, Ghana
Bassirou Bonfoh: Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan BP 1303, Côte d’Ivoire

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-15

Abstract: Despite the increasing occurrence of adverse events including droughts and conflicts, livestock farmers in Ghana continue to raise animals to support their livelihoods and the national economy. We assessed the resilience of cattle farmers (CF) to adverse events they faced using a cross-sectional survey of 287 CF in two agroecological zones in Ghana. Resilience to adversities was assessed using the Resilience Scale (RS-14). Resilience scores and categories were computed and factors that explained variations in resilience categories assessed. The farmers kept, on average, 31 cattle per household, with a majority (91%) also growing crops. Key adverse events confronting them in both districts were animal disease outbreaks, pasture shortages, and theft, with 85% (240/287) losing, on average, seven cattle (15% of the herd size) over a one-year period. The mean resilience score was 71 (SD = 8) out of 98; 52% were highly resilient. Resilience was higher in the southern district (72 versus 70), albeit not statistically significant ( p = 0.06). The resilience significantly improved with age, each unit increase in cattle in the herd, and having experience raising livestock ( p < 0.001). The CF have relatively high resilience to adverse events affecting their productivity. The findings provide relevant information for implementing mitigation measures to improve production by reducing animal mortalities through high-quality veterinary services.

Keywords: resilience; livestock farmers; vulnerability; food security (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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