Dealing with Climate Change in the Coastal Savannah Zone of Ghana: In Situ Adaptation Strategies and Migration

Abstract

Although environmental change represents a global developmental challenge (Foresight, 2011; Piguet, 2013), there is enough evidence to suggest that climate change/variability particularly affects people living in poor and drier regions of Africa (Odada et al., 2008; Mertz et al., 2009). Farmers in Africa are particularly affected by changes in temperature and rainfall patterns because they depend on rain-fed agriculture (Van der Geest, 2011; Yaro et al., 2014). Additional constraints, such as disease burden, poverty, weak governance and political instability, increase the vulnerability of farmers in Africa to climate change/variability (Stanturf et al., 2011). In view of the weak adaptive capacity in many parts of Africa, recurrent drought has resulted in low levels of crop production, food insecurity, water stress and poverty in drier regions of Africa (Dixon et al., 2001; Owusu and Teye, 2014). Communities in coastal areas are also being impacted by the rise in sea level and flooding (Stanturf et al., 2011).