Abstract:
Climate change is adversely affecting smallholder farming households in Africa and in
particular in Ghana because their activity depends on climate-regulated water resources.
This study examined the vulnerability of smallholder maize farming households to climate
change in the Brong-Ahafo region of Ghana by employing the Livelihood Vulnerability
Index with particular emphasis on access to and utilization of water resources. The primary
data were based on 150 maize farming households, complemented by secondary
data on rainfall and temperature over the period 1983e2013. To assess the climate change
effects and related vulnerability, a comparative analysis was performed for theWenchi and
Techiman municipalities in the Brong-Ahafo region. The empirical results revealed that
farming households in Wenchi municipality were more vulnerable to climate change and
weather variability in terms of food, water, and health than those in Techiman municipality.
Furthermore, farming households in Wenchi municipality were more vulnerable in
terms of adaptive capacity, taking into account the socio-demographic aspects, social
networks, and livelihoods of households in the municipality than those in Techiman
municipality. These results have implications for the initiation and implementation of
climate change adaptation and household resilience projects by the government, donor
agencies, and other related organizations in the two municipalities in the region.
