Climate change, Indigenous knowledge and food security in northern Ghana

Abstract

It is well established in the literature that agricultural systems are highly vulnerable to climate change risks, particularly in the African Sahel. The risks posed by climate change are severely impacting upon food security and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in dryland communities in sub-Saharan Africa, including in Ghana, which is more regularly experiencing extreme climatic conditions. There has been a lot of work on Indigenous knowledge, yet, there is dearth of understanding of how Indigenous knowledge and technologies have evolved and utilised by farmers to adapt to the complexity of climate change risks or to promote food security at household and community scales. This research aims to partially address that gap by examining the value of Indigenous knowledge in northern Ghana to complement modern adaptation approaches for building resilience within local food systems in rural communities and regions. The thesis examines how farming households and communities are utilising their Indigenous knowledge and technologies to adapt to climate change risks and promote food security in northern Ghana. To this end, this research applies a mixed-methods approach to explore how farmers in selected communities of three rural districts in northern Ghana apply Indigenous knowledge and technologies to improve food security. The integrated theoretical approach is used to frame the different epistemological and methodological perspectives for a comprehensive understanding of the research problem. Overall, a comprehensive review of key narratives was undertaken using surveys (299 household heads), expert interviews (24 agricultural extension agents and community leaders), focus group discussions (60 lead farmers) and observations to outline the social perceptions of climate change and food security risks, as well as adaptation opportunities at household and community scales. Northern Ghanaian farmers perceive of multiple climatic stresses including increased temperatures, decreased rainfall, seasonal changes and extreme climate events, but those perceptions are spatially differentiated and contrast to meteorological evidence of rainfall trends. The multiple climate risks farmers experience locally disrupt cropping calendars, decrease productivity and impact upon food security in all its dimensions (availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability). Results highlight the importance of social networks in helping households to cope with food insecurity. Indigenous adaptation practices vary at both spatial scales and the ways that local approaches to risk adaptation integrate with modern methods. Farming households are individually implementing tangible Indigenous strategies such as rainwater harvesting, relocation of farms to water sources, neem leaf extract and organic manure applications, while communities are collectively engaged in more intangible Indigenous practices including congregational prayers, rituals for rainmaking and taboos. This research provides an important learning opportunity for policymakers and practitioners; government, non-governmental organisations and development partners to understand how multi-scalar adaptation interventions could be designed and implemented to help build community resilience and sustain livelihoods of Ghanaian farmers through the explicit recognition and utilisation of Indigenous knowledge. The results of this study suggest that Indigenous knowledge is neither static nor limited to a particular scale in rural Ghana, but rather, is evolving in fluid and complex ways to support adaptation processes to climatic risk. The recognition of such an evolution of Indigenous knowledge is important for theory and practice. Integration of knowledge systems provide an important theoretical framework to address climate change and food security risks in dryland farming communities in Ghana, and also for other regions where Indigenous knowledge systems remain strong and there is a lack of state or civil society capacity to provide substantial external adaptation support.