A study on gender-sensitive climate change adaptation for sustainable livelihoods in Northern Ghana has called for targeted interventions to support women farmers to improve household food security.
The study, commissioned by Youth Advocacy on Rights and Opportunities (YARO) and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), was launched at a two-day conference in Tamale attended by representatives of government agencies, civil society organisations and academia, drawn from the five regions in the North.
The conference was to deliberate on climate change, food security and their effects on vulnerable populations, especially women, as well as generate actionable recommendations to minimise the effects of climate change on communities in the northern part of the country.
The study, conducted in April, this year, examined gender-based differences in awareness, perceptions, adaptation strategies and the perceived impacts of climate change on livelihoods and household food security in northern Ghana.
Data for the study were collected from 500 farmers in the Northern, North East, Savannah and Upper East Regions.
The study found that men and women adopted different climate adaptation practices and also faced varying barriers in adapting to climate change.
It, however, found that the perceived benefits of adaptation strategies including improved farm productivity, increased income, acquisition of assets, better dietary diversity and enhanced food security, were found to be gender neutral.
It established that the adoption of multiple climate adaptation strategies significantly reduced food insecurity with female farmers recording substantial benefits when such measures were implemented effectively.
It also identified socio-economic and institutional factors as major influences on climate adaptation decisions amongst farming households.
The study called for the promotion of multiple climate adaptation strategies through extension services and farmer-based organisations to improve productivity, incomes and food security.
It called for the development of gender-specific training and support programmes tailored to the agricultural activities of both men and women.
It also emphasized the importance of using local extension agents and farmer-based organisations to provide training, establish demonstration plots, distribute toolkits and offer continuous mentoring support, suited to gender roles within farming communities.
The study also called for improving awareness creation, communication systems, financial access to climate-smart technologies and governance structures to address barriers to climate adaptation.
It urged government and development partners to provide micro-loans and subsidies to farmers to facilitate access to climate-smart technologies.
Mr Bennin Hajei, Director of YARO, speaking during the conference, said climate change had a strong gender dimension in the northern part of the country where women played central roles in food production and household food sustainability.
Mr Hajei urged communities to desist from indiscriminate tree felling, tackle plastic waste pollution and protect water bodies to ensure environmental sustainability and food security in the country.
Madam Eunice Asiedu, the Programmes Coordinator, FES, emphasiSed the need for community involvement in policy formulation to ensure that interventions addressed the real needs of the people.
Professor Gordana Kranjac-Berisavljevic – Professor of agriculture engineering, University for Development Studies called for inclusive measures to bridge the digital gap to ensure a just transition with regard to the drive towards digitalisation and modernisation.
By Albert Futukpor, GNA
