Climate change is “the defining development challenge of our time,” and Africa the continent most vulnerable to its consequences, according to the African Union (2015) and the United Nations (UN Environment, 2019). Farmers in Uganda waiting endlessly for rain (URN, 2019), cyclone survivors in Mozambique and Zimbabwe digging out of the mud and burying their dead (Associated Press, 2019) – these images bring home what changing climate and increasingly extreme weather conditions may mean for everyday Africans.[...] Read more
On 05/09/20
Climate change poses an increasingly recognizable threat to the livelihoods and well being of Ghanaians. In agricultural areas, the degradation of soils and water resources, and the escalation of droughts have contributed to the deterioration of livelihoods. This has resulted in farming families sending one or more of their barely-adult offspring to urban areas. These migrations contribute to fuelling the urban proliferation in sub-Saharan Africa, currently the fastest urbanizing continent in the world. Urbanization is therefore creating slums encumbered by poor sanitation, rampant malaria, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, unemployment, and crime. At the same time urban dwellers are more likely to be exposed to the risks of floods, and other climatic conditions.[...] Read more
On 05/09/20
Climate Change affects all countries in the world. Draughts and floods are destroying especially the crops and harvest of farmers in developing countries, leaving them in a miserable situation. In most of the African countries, the majority of the workforce is working in the agricultural sector but contributes just a little percentage to the national GDP. Most of the farmers are living in sincere poverty, struggling with life and are often forced to accept a second or third job in order to survive.[...] Read more
On 05/09/20
Climate change is a new area of public policy that will have a significant impact on people’s lives in Ghana. However, at present there is limited understanding of what the cost of responding to climate change will be. Equally, there is little knowledge of current spending on climate change related activities. The overall objective of this study is to provide information that will help government set the direction of its implementation programme on climate change. In addition, it aims to:[...] Read more
In response to the global call for more action to be taken by governments to address the negative impacts of climate change and the growth of climate science both globally and locally, the Government of Ghana (GoG) has taken various steps to mainstream climate change into the developmental agenda of the country. Ghana is a signatory to the UNFCCC and is represented at the annual Conference of Parties (CoP) meetings.[...] Read more
On 05/09/20
This climate change profile is designed to help integrate climate actions into development activities. It complements the publication ‘Climate-smart = Future-Proof! – Guidelines for Integrating climate-smart actions into development policies and activities’ and provides answers to some of the questions that are raised in the step-by-step approach in these guidelines.[...] Read more
Despite the recent transition to an industry and service sec-tors-led economy, agriculture still plays a fundamental role in Ghana. The sector comprises approximately 30 percent of the country’s GDP to date and employs approximately 50 percent of the population (10). The agricultural sector is believed to have the potential to grow at rates as high as six percent (2), but climate change could potentially inhibit such progress in the long run, given that the sector is particularly vulnerable to this ongoing phenomenon.[...] Read more
On 05/09/20
Cocoa is a $1.5 billion industry in Ghana. Despite the emergence of oil and gas, cocoa has remained the second largest foreign exchange earner for the country, contributing approximately 35% of Ghana’s GDP. Combined with other agricultural activities, it employs 55% of the population. Globally, Ghana has maintained its status as the world’ second largest producer of cocoa beans, for which is receives a premium price. In 2010/2011 the country reported its highest ever production of 1 million metric tonnes of cocoa, though industry insiders report that at least 10% of this crop derived from neighboring Ivory Coast. The 2011/2012 season saw a decline in production at just over 850,000 tonnes.[...] Read more
The Ghanaian economy is growing fast, and agriculture is key to the country’s development ambitions (see NDPC 2010). However, despite its importance to the Ghanaian economy, agriculture has only recently become a central part of climate change policy discussions in the country. The current dominant policy framing of the climate change-agriculture nexus is that climate change is a new, externally imposed, risk that may hinder the drive for modernised agriculture as an engine for growth and poverty reduction. Ghana, according to this framing, should be helped to access funds and technologies to make the agriculture sector more robust and “climate proofed” to face climate change challenges. This dominant framing is supported by key government institutional actors (clustered around environmental units), and by key bi- and multilateral donors in Ghana. Most of climate change activities and funding arising from this framing centre on mitigating the effects of climate change.[...] Read more
On 05/09/20
Climate change and climate variability form a continuously growing and major constraint to the development of the food and agriculture sector (including fisheries) in Ghana. The impact of climate change is mainly due to the increasing variability of rainfall resulting in recurrent and longer dry spells that delay and shorten the growing seasons. In addition, rainfall is becoming more intense resulting in flash floods that destroy crop lands and cause land degradation due to erosion. In the area of fisheries development, increasing numbers of coastal communities continue to experience a reduction in land areas available for agriculture due to sea erosion caused by rising sea levels.[...] Read more