Send message to Authors

Paper short abstract:

Climate change manifestation in extreme weather destroys livelihoods. In Sub-Saharan Africa, most people in rural communities are peasant farmers who depend on the environment. Hence any change in climatic conditions affect farmers' yields. Migration becomes a strategy to ensure livelihood security.

Paper long abstract:

Climate change manifestation in extreme weather events such as floods or gradual processes such as drought destroys lives and livelihoods. Less developed countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, are most vulnerable to climate impacts because most rural communities are poor and peasant farmers who depend directly on the natural environment (i.e., agriculture) for their livelihoods, use little technology and have a low capacity to adapt, to the extent that minor climatic changes disturb the sensitive symbiotic environmental relationship. farmers suffer severe yield losses when seasonal rains miss expectations. In order to improve livelihood, migration becomes a viable option to ensure livelihood security. This paper examines the effect of flooding and drought on livelihoods in Yapei and Wungu communities in Northern Ghana and the use of migration as a way to ensure livelihood security. The study adopted mixed methods: quantitative data by using a survey and qualitative data using in-depth interviews (II), and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). A total number of 371 respondents were sampled for the survey and 20 participants were purposively selected for the interviews. High temperatures and erratic rainfall were found to be changes in climatic conditions. The study found that livelihoods were affected by climate events. The study also found that some participants engaged in seasonal migration to other communities in search of jobs. The study recommends the need for context-specific adaptation strategies to improve livelihood in the home communities.