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<p>Climate variability poses growing challenges to smallholder livelihoods in semi-arid Ghana, where rain-fed agriculture dominates rural economies. This study examines how subsistence farmers in the Bawku West District perceive climate variability, how these perceptions shape livelihood vulnerability, and what adaptive strategies emerge in response. Guided by the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), the research employs a mixed-methods design integrating household surveys (n = 132), focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. Results reveal strong farmer awareness of increasing climate variability, particularly erratic rainfall (47%), rising temperatures (52%), and growing incidences of pests, diseases, and floods. Drought and flood events often co-occurring within the same season are the most frequently cited causes of crop failure, underscoring a double-exposure dynamic that amplifies vulnerability. Adaptation responses are predominantly incremental and knowledge-driven, including mixed cropping, mixed farming, contour ploughing, and the use of animal manure. These practices reflect pragmatic efforts to spread risk and sustain productivity but remain constrained by low education, limited access to credit, weak institutional support, and inadequate extension services. The findings affirm that adaptive capacity is fundamentally mediated by asset endowments; human, social, and financial and that perception acts as both a diagnostic and catalytic factor in adaptation behavior. Strengthening adaptive resilience therefore requires context specific interventions that integrate local knowledge with climate variability information services, enhance asset access, and embed risk perception into policy design. The study advocates for a paradigm shift toward locally embedded and resource-enabling policies that integrate multidimensional asset-building to strengthen smallholder resilience against intensifying climate variability.</p>

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Mapping farmers’ perceptions of climate risks and adaptive vulnerability in semi-arid Ghana

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月24日

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  • Jonah Amosah,
  • Tahiru Lukman,
  • Peterclaver Yabepone,
  • Philip Aniah

摘要

Climate variability poses growing challenges to smallholder livelihoods in semi-arid Ghana, where rain-fed agriculture dominates rural economies. This study examines how subsistence farmers in the Bawku West District perceive climate variability, how these perceptions shape livelihood vulnerability, and what adaptive strategies emerge in response. Guided by the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), the research employs a mixed-methods design integrating household surveys (n = 132), focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. Results reveal strong farmer awareness of increasing climate variability, particularly erratic rainfall (47%), rising temperatures (52%), and growing incidences of pests, diseases, and floods. Drought and flood events often co-occurring within the same season are the most frequently cited causes of crop failure, underscoring a double-exposure dynamic that amplifies vulnerability. Adaptation responses are predominantly incremental and knowledge-driven, including mixed cropping, mixed farming, contour ploughing, and the use of animal manure. These practices reflect pragmatic efforts to spread risk and sustain productivity but remain constrained by low education, limited access to credit, weak institutional support, and inadequate extension services. The findings affirm that adaptive capacity is fundamentally mediated by asset endowments; human, social, and financial and that perception acts as both a diagnostic and catalytic factor in adaptation behavior. Strengthening adaptive resilience therefore requires context specific interventions that integrate local knowledge with climate variability information services, enhance asset access, and embed risk perception into policy design. The study advocates for a paradigm shift toward locally embedded and resource-enabling policies that integrate multidimensional asset-building to strengthen smallholder resilience against intensifying climate variability.