Climate change adaptation, intersectionality, and institutional support for smallholder farmers in the Guinea Savannah of Ghana
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2025
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Ghana exemplifies the challenges that smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa face. Ghana’s significant vulnerability primarily stems from its rain-fed agrarian dependency, over-dependence on natural resources and the prevalence of smallholder farmers. Extreme weather events linked to climate change, including changes in precipitation, floods, heat waves and droughts, have significantly damaged agricultural production in Ghana. Ghana’s agricultural sector is largely based on exploiting natural resources, with extensive crop and livestock production systems, rain-fed agriculture, hunting, and fishing from natural water bodies. The sector directly absorbs 36 per cent of Ghana’s labour force—albeit highly informal, composed of 80 per cent smallholder farmers. Climate change is projected to adversely affect Ghana’s agricultural sector stability with the country’s millions of farmers particularly vulnerable and least empowered to address climate impacts. These farmers are dependent on rain-fed agriculture and are highly exposed and vulnerable to climate-related hazards, yet they possess limited capacity to adapt.
This thesis examines the complex dynamics of climate change adaptation among smallholder farmers in the Talensi district, a climate-vulnerable district in Ghana’s Guinea Savannah agro-ecological zone. Using mixed methods, including focus group discussions, institutional interviews and household surveys, the research explores the interplay of factors influencing farmers’ adaptation decisions, the role of intersectionality in shaping adaptive capacities, and the effectiveness of institutional interventions. Findings reveal that all farmers employ at least one adaptation action to mitigate climate risks, with planting improved crop cultivars being the most common (89%) and raising additional livestock the least adopted (19%). Adaptation decisions are shaped by a complex web of variables, including farmers’ perceptions, livelihood capitals, and institutional support.
The thesis also highlights the unequal adaptive capacities within communities, driven by the intersection of socio-demographic identities with livelihood resources. This intersectional lens uncovers deep-seated inequalities in climate adaptation, underscoring the importance of addressing the diverse vulnerabilities of heterogeneous farmer groups. Institutional interventions play a critical role in enhancing adaptation, with institutions providing training, technology transfer, input supply, and marketing support. However, challenges such as resource constraints, donor priorities, and inadequate policy frameworks limit the sustainability and effectiveness of these interventions. The thesis advocates for coordinated and context-specific strategies that integrate complementary adaptation actions, adopt an intersectional approach and leverage cross-institutional synergies to ensure inclusive and equitable adaptation outcomes. By addressing the interconnections between farmer adaptation behaviours, socio-economic realities, and institutional support, this thesis provides actionable insights to strengthen adaptive capacity in smallholder farming systems in Ghana.
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