Assessing smallholder women farmers’ adaptive capacity to climate change and variability in the Northern Region of Ghana: A Composite Index Approach

Abstract

This study assessed the adaptive capacity of smallholder women farmers to climate change and variability in Northern Region of Ghana using a composite index approach. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 210 smallholder women farmers from Tolon and Central Gonja districts and data on their adaptive capacities solicited using questionnaire. Based on literature, seven adaptive capacity indicators, namely, livelihood diversity, information accessibility, physical, financial, natural, human and social resources were used to determine women farmers’ adaptive capacities to climate variability. The empirical results revealed that farmers in Tolon District had higher adaptive capacity than those in Central Gonja District in  terms of all the indicators and the overall adaptive capacity, except human resources. In the combined data, most farmers had low adaptive capacity in terms of financial indicators and the overall adaptive capacity; moderate adaptive capacity in terms of physical, human, natural, social, and livelihood diversity; and high adaptive capacity in terms of information accessibility. The study concludes that women farmers have low adaptive capacity to climate change due to low access to financial capital. The study recommends that intervention programs in the region should be directed at enhancing financial ability of women farmers to improve their adaptive capacity to climate change and variability.