Title: Policy and Practice of Smallholder Farmers’ Income Diversification Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation in Ghana
Stream: Humanities - Science, Environment and the Humanities
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Authors:
Yakubu Abdulai, University of Tsukuba, Japan
Matsui Kenichi, University of Tsukuba, Japan
Abstract:
Climate change adaptation policies have incorporated an income diversification approach for rural smallholder farmers. However, there has been a question as to the extent to which income diversification would help farmers adapt to rapidly changing conditions and worsening food insecurity in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. In case climate change is worsening farm incomes in rural Ghana, does the income diversification option help farmers keep their profession? Do smallholder farmers in remote Ghana decide to move to urban areas because of poor and food-insecure conditions? This paper attempts to address these questions with a focus on smallholder farmers in the Upper East Region of Ghana. We examined seven major policy documents to identify policy visions and a gap between what is envisioned and what is needed on the ground. To understand what smallholders needed, we conducted a questionnaire survey among smallholders to investigate the impact of income diversification and urban migration for remittance. Our study found out that all the respondents tended to rely on multiple income options like small-scale mining, and petty trading, to support their farming business. 43% of the respondents embark on seasonal migration to urban areas for remittances.
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