<p>Climate change poses significant challenges that undermine smallholder farmers’ mental health and their capacity to build the resilience necessary to safeguard their livelihoods. Despite numerous apocalyptic predictions about the likely deleterious effects of climate change on small-scale farmers, the literature addressing their psychological well-being through socio-ecologically resilient practices (SERP) remains limited. Drawing on examples from north-western Ghana, this paper explores how the adverse effects of such predictions are mitigated through knowledge co-creation between smallholder farmers and agro-technocrats. Employing exploratory factor analysis, we tested the hypothesis that knowledge co-creation is significantly associated with farmers’ adoption of SERP. Findings from farmers revealed enhanced resilience to climate change, achieved by protecting and rejuvenating the ecological systems critical to their subsistence. The study identified four categories of SERP co-created through these collaborations: resilient crop storage practices, resilient farming techniques, discouragement of unsustainable local practices, and promotion of sustainable local practices. This research underscores the importance of collective action in addressing climate change’s adverse effects and advocates for a shift away from the pervasive doomsday narratives dominating the literature and social media regarding its impact on smallholder farmers.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>