Local farmers’ experiences and perceptions of climate change in the Northern Savannah Zone of Ghana

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.