Gender And Climate Change Adaptation Strategies In Tolon District In The Northern Region Of Ghana.

ABSTRACT

Changes in climate introduce numerous uncertainties to the livelihoods of farming communities that rely on the weather and climate. Climate change impacts are being felt in Ghana, most especially in the savanna zones, due in part to the geographical conditions of the location affecting both human and physical resources. This study assessed female and male adaptation strategies to climate change and its effects on their livelihoods in six communities in the Tolon District of the Northern Region.

The study used a mixed method strategy to obtain quantitative and qualitative data. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v.20) and Microsoft Excel was used for analyzing quantitative data. The study administered 250 questionnaires to six selected host communities (100 female and 150 male household heads). A total of nine Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) with female, male and youth groups were carried out in three of the study communities. Factor analysis was used as a statistical tool in investigating how the farmers assessed the impacts of adopted adaptation strategies on the physical environment.

The results from the study show that the level of awareness on climate change is very high in the study area, with 100% and 94% female respondents similarly showed high awareness. Furthermore, reducing precipitation (Climate Change Effects) has impacted on the livelihoods of the people as they experience declines in both crop and livestock production. This further affects the households as 97% female and 98% male household heads indicate that the changes have brought about an increase in hunger and food insecurity. The study also show that farmers in the six communities have adopted various adaptation strategies in which the most effectively used strategy is fertilizer application and the least is alternative livelihoods. Again, soil conservation, obtaining information, reduction in crop production, soil conservation, planting trees, early and late planting, changing how harvest is managed and increasing fertilizer use variously affects the physical environment. The study

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recommends that extension officers and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should sustain awareness creation on climate change, monitor and ensure easy access to inputs such as fertilizers and ploughs, governments should provide local adaptation strategies at the local level to support livelihoods and also protect the environment. Finally, the study recommends the enactment of bye laws by the MDAs to protect environmental resources such as tree planting, water conservation and soil conservation.