Early Warnings and Perceived Climate Change Preparedness among Smallholder Farmers in the Upper West Region of Ghana

Cornelius K. A. Pienaah (), Evans Batung, Suleman Ansumah Saaka, Kamaldeen Mohammed and Isaac Luginaah
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Cornelius K. A. Pienaah: Department of Geography and Environment, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St., London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada
Evans Batung: Department of Geography and Environment, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St., London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada
Suleman Ansumah Saaka: Department of Geography and Environment, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St., London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada
Kamaldeen Mohammed: Department of Geography and Environment, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St., London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada
Isaac Luginaah: Department of Geography and Environment, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St., London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-19

Abstract: The impacts of climate change are already pushing beyond the threshold for sustainable agriculture and rural livelihoods. In Sub-Saharan Africa, smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable due to limited resources and adaptive capacity. Early warnings are critical in mitigating and reducing climate-related dangers and building resiliency. That notwithstanding, there needs to be higher coverage of early warnings in developing countries, and there is even less knowledge of their contribution to rural development. Using a cross-sectional survey involving smallholder farmer households ( n = 517), this study investigates the relationship between early warnings and perceived climate preparedness in Ghana’s semi-arid Upper West Region. From ordered logistic regression presented as an odds ratio (OR), factors that influenced climate preparedness in the past 12 months before the study include exposure to early warnings (OR = 2.238; p < 0.001) and experiences of prior climate events such as drought (OR = 9.252; p < 0.001), floods (OR = 6.608; p < 0.001), and erratic rain (OR = 4.411; p < 0.001). The results emphasize the importance of early warning systems and various socioeconomic factors in improving the climate resilience of smallholder farmers in Ghana. In conclusion, the study puts forth policy suggestions worth considering.

Keywords: early warning systems; climate risks; perceived climate preparedness; smallholder farmers; socio-ecological resilience; Ghana (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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