Abstract:
Purpose – This paper aims to examine the perceptions and experiences of climate change by local
farmers in the Northern Savannah zone of Ghana. Although recent scholarship shows that local people’s
perceptions of climate change is necessary for devising strategies to deal with the problem, only a few
researchers have examined local knowledge of climate change in Africa.
Design/methodology/approach – Primary data were collected from six rural communities in the
Northern Savannah zone of Ghana, using a questionnaire survey on a sample of 530 farmers, in-depth
interviews and focus group discussions. Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyse variations
in experience and perception of climate change.
Findings – A majority of the farmers have noticed rising temperatures and declining rainfall. Their
observations largely correspond with the evidence of changes recorded by weather monitoring stations.
The perception of climate change is associated with locality of residence, gender and ownership of radio.
The impacts of climate and variability include declining crop output, food insecurity and water stress.
Respondents attributed changes in climatic parameters to economic activities and spiritual factors. It is
recommended that environmental managers should actively involve local farmers in the design and
implementation of policies to control climate change and variability.
Originality/value – The methodology used demonstrates how multinomial logit models can be used
to investigate perceptions of climate change. The research findings also provide very useful information
that can be relied upon to design policies to deal with climate change and variability in Ghana.
