Role of Climate Services in Climate Change Adaptation Among Smallholder Farmers: A Case of Agricultural Extension Service Delivery in Sawla/Tuna/Kalba District, Ghana

Abstract

The agricultural sector in Ghana is heavily made up of smallholder farmers, most of whom are peasant farmers. Estimates from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) (2011) show that, they constitute over 90% of agricultural land holdings in Ghana and provide close to 80% of the country’s food needs. However, in Ghana, climate change continues to create a slew of risk and uncertainties for these smallholder farmers whose livelihoods depend entirely on weather and climate. The overarching aim of this research was to determine the roles of agricultural extension services in climate change adaptation among smallholder farmers using Sawla/Tuna/Kalba District as a case study. To achieve this aim, the study employed the quantitative dominant concurrent triangulation mixed methods design, which allowed for separate but concurrent collection of both qualitative and quantitative data using questionnaires and interview guides. The study recruited a total of 150 smallholder farmers and 12 extension agents. The data was largely collected from the respondents using structured-questionnaires, unstructured interview guides and observations from the field. The analysis of the study showed that, both extension providers and farmers in the district possessed some good perceptions and appreciable level of awareness regarding issues of climate change particularly its causes, effects and available adaptation strategies (see Table 4.4 & 4.5). The smallholder farmers were also discovered to be responding to climate change and variability using a variety of self-initiated and externally supported adaptation measures. The most common strategies the smallholder farmers used to adapt to the threats of climate change included the use of improved crop varieties, crop diversification practices, shifting planting dates/calendars and use of chemical fertilizers (see Table 4.8). The study also found that, despite the numerous challenges bedeviling the agricultural extension organizations, they still played crucial roles in supporting smallholder farmers in dealing with climate change. Some important roles included, transfer of appropriate agricultural technologies and innovations, the supply of farming inputs and promoting improved farming practice (see Section 4.3.2). Based on the study’s findings, the study recommends that, extension providers especially MoFA should strengthen their extension agencies by recruiting more extension agents to reduce the farmer-to-extension agent ratio and to ensure quality extension service delivery in the district. The extension organizations should also collaborate with the Ghana Meteorological Agency to make available yearly climate and weather forecasts to farmers to help them in making their planting decisions.