Rice Farmers' Perception of Climate Change and Adaptation Strategies in the Ketu North District, Volta Region of Ghana

ABSTRACT

This study assessed rice farmers’ perception of climate change and adaptation strategies towards tackling the challenges climate change poses to the rice farmers in Ketu North District, Volta Region of Ghana. The multistage sampling technique was used to obtain a sample size of 340 rice farmers from six (6) farming sections and a structured questionnaire was used to elicit data from the respondents. The data collected from the rice farmers were analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analysis. The results of the study showed that majority of the rice farmers’ perceived decreasing precipitation and increasing temperature. Farmers’ level of adaptation was found to be relatively high with majority of the farmers using irrigation, changing crops, changing planting dates and planting short season varieties as the major adaptation measures to decreasing precipitation and increasing temperature. The binary logistic regression analysis found household size, education level, farming experience and financial support as significant predictors of the probability to adaptation to decreasing precipitation and increasing temperature respectively. Findings of the study also indicate that the major barriers to climate change adaptation by rice farmers in the district are lack of information about climate change, lack of knowledge about adaptation, lack of credits, no access to irrigation water and poor soil fertility. The study concludes that rice farmers in the district perceived changes in climate and employ adaptation strategies. And socio economic characteristics are important in determining farmers’ adaptation to climate change.