Use of Climate Information and the Adoption of Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices Among Maize-Producing Households in Northern Ghana

Abstract

Northern Ghana's agricultural systems are very vulnerable to climate variability, especially droughts, due to their overreliance on rain-fed agriculture, limited infrastructure, and weak government-supporting systems. An important feature of these agricultural systems is the limited access by farmers to enhanced weather information and services. The research study involved three regions, five districts, and seven communities in Northern Ghana that were designated as “climate communities” by active climate programmes to address the gap in knowledge and delivery of weather and climate services. The first objective assessed the utilisation of climate information at the farm level concerning the production and marketing decisions made by farmers. The second objective analysed the factors that influenced CSA adoption. The third objective was to examine how CSA practices affected crop output and net returns and the fourth determined the extent to which maize-producing households in Northern Ghana were willing to finance CSA practices. The study used a mix of simple descriptive statistics econometric modelling and qualitative measures to analyze data. Factor analysis, production function analysis, and binary and multinomial logit regression procedures were employed. The augmented production function analysis was used to assess the effect of CSA practices on the productivity of farmers, measured as crop yield per hectare. The results of the analysis indicated that State-produced daily weather forecasts seasonal climate forecasts, and Indigenous climate information had a significant role in farm-level decision making. The study also found that factors like age, sex, farming experience, and climate exposure significantly influence the adoption of CSA practices. Improved seed varieties and enhanced soil fertility techniques positively impact maize yields and returns. The results also indicated that maize commercialization, farmer experience in agronomic practices, climate information use, farm size, and proximity to markets, had significant effects on farmers' willingness to invest in CSA practices. Male farmers were more likely to adopt CSA practices than female farmers. Overall, the study concludes that to advance the use and adoption of CSA practices, maize farmers need more access to localized climate and weather forecasts. Another key policy recommendation is to create an enabling environment through increased access of farmers to market centres based on improved infrastructural services and enhanced extension services involving regular farmer contacts with emphasis on marginalized people such as people with disabilities, women, and adherents of traditional African religions.