Drought Risk Reduction Strategies Among Smallholder Women Farmers in Nandom Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

In Ghana, women are the dominant force in the agricultural sector, comprising more than half of the labor force. Their pivotal role ensures food security within the country. However, women face challenges in accessing essential resources like agricultural inputs, hindering their ability to mitigate natural hazards such as drought. The impact of drought on women farmers is compounded by their role as subsistence farmers. this study sought to assess the current drought risk scenario and the capacity of women farmers to cope with drought. The study adopted the pragmatic research philosophy and employed a cross-sectional research design and a mixed-methods approach. The study employed the simple random sampling method to select survey participants and the purposive sampling to select focus group discussion participants. Data was collected from a sample of 379 respondents using a survey and focus group discussions with smallholder women. First, the study revealed that smallholder women farmers exhibit diverse perceptions regarding the origins and impacts of drought, with some attributing it to human activities and others to natural causes. Smallholder women recognize the significant impact of drought on their agricultural practices and livelihoods, including difficulties in planting and growing crops, sub-optimal crop growth, and unpredictable rainfall patterns. In addition, the study revealed that there is a significant impact of drought on the agricultural activities of smallholder rural women and climate change exacerbates these challenges, with drought, irregular rainfall, and extreme weather directly impacting agricultural productivity and livelihoods. The study also revealed the multifaceted consequences of drought, such as reduced crop yields, livestock losses, and disruptions to traditional farming methods. Also, the study revealed that smallholder women use gardening, off-farm employment, adjusting planting times, cultivating short-season crops, crop rotation, early harvesting of crops and other strategies as vital strategies for building drought resilience. However, strategies, such as crop insurance and water use restrictions, even though mentioned, showed lower adoption rates by women farmers. Finally, the study revealed that smallholder women identified limited access to financial resources, inadequate training, gender inequality and decision-making power, fragmented institutional support and climate variability and uncertainty as constraints they encountered in their efforts to reduce drought risks. These constraints intersect to shape the vulnerability of women farmers to drought related challenges. The study recommends that the government through the MoFA should expand the coverage of its policies such the PFJ and 1V1D to include the construction and rehabilitation of water infrastructure and integration of climate-smart agricultural technologies into existing programs, to support smallholder women in adapting to climate change and mitigating drought impacts. The study also recommends enhancing agricultural extension services of the MoFA and providing customized support to empower smallholder women with the knowledge, resources, and tools necessary to thrive amidst environmental uncertainties.