Effects of climate change information on adaptation strategies among smallholder crop farmers in Ghanaian rural communities
摘要
Climate Change Information regarding adaptation strategies for ensuring sustainable agriculture and maximising crop yields has gained global concern; however, its effects on smallholder crop farmers’ activities remain inadequate. This study employed the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to examine the effects of climate change information on the adaptation techniques used by smallholder crop farmers in Ghana’s Sissala East Municipality. A mixed method approach was utilised to gather quantitative and qualitative data from 306 crop farmers and 23 key informants, respectively to explore how farmers receive, understand, and act on climate information, focusing on three main factors – attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control. The findings show that smallholder crop farmers’ accessibility to climate change information increases their knowledge, preparation, and chance of using adaptation tactics in their farming activities. Notably, factors such as gender, education level, age, and farm size impacted access to various forms of climatic information. The findings further indicate that radio and agricultural extension personnel are the most prominent and trusted sources of climate change information, with social interactions and personal experiences serving as major methods for processing the information. Statistical analysis with the Multivariate Probit Model and chi-square tests revealed that climate change knowledge strongly predicts farmers’ adaptation measures. The study backs up TPB’s thesis that farmers’ behavioural intentions, influenced by their beliefs, norms, and self-efficacy, are critical to understand their adaptive behaviours in the face of climatic unpredictability.