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JDR Vol.9 No.4 pp. 516-528
(2014)
doi: 10.20965/jdr.2014.p0516

Paper:

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Farmer-Perceived Effects of Climate Change on Livelihoods in Wa West District, Upper West Region of Ghana

Yasuko Kusakari*1, Kwabena Owusu Asubonteng*2,
Godfred Seidu Jasaw*3, Frederick Dayour*4, Togbiga Dzivenu*4,
Victor Lolig*4, Samuel A. Donkoh*4, Francis Kwabena Obeng*4,
Bizoola Gandaa*4, and Gordana Kranjac-Berisavljevic*4

*1Graduate Program in Sustainability Science – Global Leadership Initiative (GPSS-GLI), The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba, Japan

*2United Nations University – Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA), Ghana

*3United Nations University – Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), Japan

*4University for Development Studies (UDS), Ghana

Received:
February 2, 2014
Accepted:
July 3, 2014
Published:
August 1, 2014
Creative Commons License
Keywords:
climate change, farmers, perceptions, livelihoods, Upper West Region, Ghana
Abstract
The effects of climate change on people’s livelihoods are perceived differently across various localities. It is imperative to examine how farmers understand the effects of climate change on their livelihoods. Their viewpoints can help create strategies for responding to climate and ecosystem changes in an appropriate and practical manner. Such perceptions are insufficiently understood in theWa West District of the Upper West Region of Ghana, despite the increasing frequency and magnitude of climate change’s effects. This paper first examines farmers’ perceptions about climate change in their communities in relation to available, conventional climate information. It also assesses farmers’ livelihood activities during both the wet and dry seasons in the district and discusses the area’s proneness to floods, droughts, and other types of climate change phenomena. This assessment reveals the challenges faced by the farmers in the study area and the opportunities to enhance their livelihoods.
Cite this article as:
Y. Kusakari, K. Asubonteng, G. Jasaw, F. Dayour, T. Dzivenu, V. Lolig, S. Donkoh, F. Obeng, B. Gandaa, and G. Kranjac-Berisavljevic, “Farmer-Perceived Effects of Climate Change on Livelihoods in Wa West District, Upper West Region of Ghana,” J. Disaster Res., Vol.9 No.4, pp. 516-528, 2014.
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