Paper short abstract:

The paper presents a political ecology analyses of the factors that influence local adaptation strategies of fishers in Ghana. It also examines the power relationships that shape climate change policies/initiatives and their impact on local issues of vulnerability and adaptive capacity.

Paper long abstract:

Fisher folks living in coastal communities are highly vulnerable to climate change and climatic variability. In recent years climate change and other factors like overfishing have contributed to a depletion in fish stocks and other natural resources. This has an adverse impact on livelihoods and general well-being of fisher folks.

Fishers have by themselves taken initiatives to adapt to climatic changes however the rate of adaptation does not seem to keep pace with the magnitude of changes, hence the need for institutional support. Power asymmetries tend to limit opportunities for them to participate in decision making processes at the formal level, consequently their concerns are often not incorporated into national priorities, leading to a mismatch between local adaptation strategies and formal climate policies/initiatives.

The paper discusses results from a case study of a fishing community in Ghana. Data was gathered using participatory tools, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews at the household, community and institutional level. The paper explores the linkages between vulnerability, access to capital assets, asset functions, livelihood strategies and outcomes at the local level. The paper presents a political ecology analyses of the political and socio-economic factors that influence access to assets, analysing how individuals combine different assets and their functions to achieve the livelihood and adaptation strategies they use in responding to climate variability and change. It also examines the political processes that shape climate policies/initiatives looking at the intersection between narratives, actors-networks, politics-interests and their impact on local issues of vulnerability and adaptive capacity.