American Journal of Business and Society
Articles Information
American Journal of Business and Society, Vol.5, No.3, Sep. 2020, Pub. Date: Aug. 26, 2020
Vulnerability of Women Crop Farmers’ Sensitivity and Exposure to Climate Change Impacts in the Agona West Municipality in Ghana
Pages: 119-127 Views: 1015 Downloads: 284
Authors
[01] Barbara Baidoo, Department of Arts and Social Sceinces, St. Ambrose College of Education, Wamfie, Ghana.
[02] Daniel Kwame Emilio, Department of Arts and Social Sceinces, Bia Lamplighter College of Education, Sefwi Debiso, Ghana.
[03] Francis Nyantakyi, Department of Arts and Social Sceinces, St. Joseph’s College of Education, Bechem, Ghana.
[04] Vida Amankwaah Kumah, Department of Arts and Social Sceinces, Agogo Presbyterian, Asante Akyem Agogo, Ghana.
[05] Shani Osman, Department of Arts and Social Sciences, Tumu College of Education, Tumu, Ghana.
[06] Frimpong Akromah, Department of Arts and Social Sciences, E. P College of Education, Amedzope, Ghana.
[07] Emmanuel Brew, Department of Arts and Social Sceinces, Enchi College of Education, Enchi, Ghana.
[08] Abu Bakar, Department of Education, Enchi College of Education, Enchi, Ghana.
[09] Anthony Bordoh, Department of Arts and Social Sceinces, Enchi College of Education, Enchi, Ghana.
Abstract
Exposure and sensitivity together describe the potential impact that climate change can have on a farming system. Women farmers are said to be most vulnerable to climate change due to their multifaceted roles in the society. The Agona West Municipal Assembly in the Central Region of Ghana is selected as a case for study. The research approach employed for this study was survey method. The target population for the study was 291 which were sampled based on Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) table for determining sample size out of 1200 women crop farmers in the Agona municipality. The main tools used for data collection were the Global Positioning System (GPS) points and questionnaires, through open and closed ended questions from women farmers in the Agona Swedru, Nkum, Abodom, Bobikuma, Nyakrom and Ostenkorang communities. This research applied statistical analysis to the data collected from the field through the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and vulnerability index. the Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to depict the exact location of some farms questionnaire. A vulnerability index was developed using indicators from the Human Development Index (HDI). Construction of vulnerability index for the women farmers Sensitivity indicators include age, education, marital status, residence status and household size. The study concluded that women crop farmers’ exposure to climate change was unevenly distributed across the municipality with farmlands falling within high, medium and low risk zones. The findings of the also concluded that, the sensitivity of the respondents were analysed based on indicators such as age, educational status, number of dependents and residence status. It was recommended that, Extension agents should also be trained on climate change science to enable them pass adequate information to farmers on appropriate adaptation measures or strategies. The study also recommended that, the government should identify means of managing climate change stresses such as droughts and floods to ensure food safety through the provision of dams to collect surface runoff in times of floods and also as a form of water supply in times of drought.
Keywords
Vulnerability, Women Crop Farmers, Sensitivity, Exposure, Climate Change, Agona West Municipality
References
[01] Raney, T., Anríquez, G., Croppenstedt, A., Gerosa, S., Lowder, S., Matuscke, I., Skoet, J., & Doss, C. (2011). The State of Food and Agriculture 2010-11: Women in agriculture: Closing the gender gap for development. Retrieve online on 9th May, 2020. http://www.fao.org/publications/sofa/en/.
[02] Asante, A. F., & Amuakwa-Mensah, F. (2015). Climate Change and Variability in Ghana: Stocktaking. Climate, 3 (1), 78-99; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli3010078.
[03] FAO (2012). Country Statistics: Ghana. Last accessed in 2014. Available at http://www.countrystat.org/gha/cont/pages/page/indicators/en.
[04] African Development Fund (2008). Ghana Country Gender Profile. Human Development Department.
[05] Peterman, A., Behrman, J., & Quisumbing, A. (2010). A review of empirical evidence on gender differences in non-land agricultural inputs, technology, and services in developing countries. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), 11 (11), 1-42.
[06] Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change (2011). http://www.worldbank.org/eacc.
[07] Agona West Municipal Assembly (2013). Four-Year Medium Term Development Plan (2010-2013).
[08] Baidoo, B., Emlio, K. D., Nyantakyi, F., Brew, E., Kumah, A & Osman, S. V. (2020). Adapting to Climate Change Impacts: An Appraisal of Women Crop Farmers in the Agona West Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. Vol. X, No. X, pp. XX-XX (At Press) http://www.aiscience.org/journal/jssh.
[09] IPCC. (2012). Managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation. A Special Report of Working Groups I and II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge, UK, and New York, USA, Cambridge University Press. 582 p.
[10] Adger, W. N., Arnell, N. W., & Tompkins, E. L., (2005). Successful adaptation to climate change across scales. Global Environmental Change 15, 77–86.
[11] Antwi, A. (2013): Climate Change and Food Security: An overview about the issue. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/ ghana/10518.pdf.
[12] Smit, B., & Wandel, J. (2006). Adaptation, adaptive capacity and vulnerability. Global Environmental Change, 16, 282-292.
[13] Vahab, A., Haris, A., Biswas, S., Chhabra, V., Elanchezhian, R., & Bhagwati Bhatt, P. (2013). Impact of climate change on wheat and winter maize over a sub-humid climatic environment. Current Science 104 (2), 206-214.
[14] Gbetibouo, G. A., & Ringler, C. (2009). Mapping South African farming sector vulnerability to climate change and variability, a sub national assessment. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Discussion Paper 00885.
[15] Grow Sun, L., & McCormick, S. (2015), "Foreseeable Disaster Mismanagement in a Changing Climate", Special Issue Cassandra’s Curse: The Law and Foreseeable Future Disasters (Studies in Law, Politics, and Society, Vol. 68), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp. 65-93. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1059-433720150000068003.
[16] O’Brien, K. L., Sygna, L., & Haugen, J. E. (2004). Resilient of Vulnerable? A Multi-Scale Assessment of Climate Impacts and Vulnerability in Norway. Climatic Change 64: 193-225.
[17] Maddison, D. (2006). The perception of and adaptation to climate change in Africa. CEEPA, Discussion Paper No. 10., Center for Environmental Economics and Policy in Africa, Pretoria, South Africa: University of Pretoria.
[18] Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment (2000). The Hidden Costs of Coastal Hazards: Implications for Risk Assessment and Mitigation. Covello, Cal.: Island Press.
[19] Dintwa, F. K., Letamo, G., & Navaneetham, K. (2019). Measuring social vulnerability to natural hazards at the district level in Botswana. Jamba, 11 (1), 447.
[20] Krejcie, V. R., & Morgan, W. D. (1970). Determining Sample Size for Research Activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30, 607-610.
[21] Adebayo, A. A., Onu, J. I., Adebayo, E. F., & Anyanwu, S. O. (2012). Farmers’ awareness, vulnerability and adaptation to Climate change in Adamawa State, Nigeria. British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences ISSN: 2046-9578, vol. 9 No. ii. British Journal publishing, inc. 2012. Retrieved from Http://www.bjournal.co.uk/bjass.aspx.
[22] Apata, T. G., Samuel, K. D., & Adeola, A. O. (2009). Analysis of Climate Change Perception and Adaptation among Arable Food Crop Farmers in South Western Nigeria. Contributed Paper prepared for presentation at the International Association of Agricultural Economists’ 2009 Conference, Beijing, China, August 16-22, 209.
[23] Deressa T., Hassan, R., & Ringler, C. (2010). Factors Affecting the Choices of Coping Strategies for Climate Extremes, IFPRI Discussion Paper 01032, November 2010.
[24] Blaikie, P., Cannon, T., Davis, I., & Wisner, B., (1994). At Risk: Natural Hazards, People’s Vulnerability and Disasters. Routledge: London.
[25] Ali, A., & Erenstein, O. (2017). Assessing farmer use of climate change adaptation practices and impacts on food security and poverty in Pakistan. Climate Risk Management, 16, 183-194.
600 ATLANTIC AVE, BOSTON,
MA 02210, USA
+001-6179630233
AIS is an academia-oriented and non-commercial institute aiming at providing users with a way to quickly and easily get the academic and scientific information.
Copyright © 2014 - American Institute of Science except certain content provided by third parties.