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Contribution short abstract:

Urban-to-rural migration serves as a response to climate challenges like flooding, yet remains underexplored in Ghana. This study on migrant farmers highlights key push and pull climate factors, gendered disparities and social support while recommending policy needs for sustainable land practices

Contribution long abstract:

Environmental variability is increasingly recognized as a major driver of global migration, with climate-induced changes such as disruptions in food and water security, extreme weather events, and rising sea levels, prompting migration as a survival strategy. In Ghana, urban-to-rural migration has emerged as a response to climate-related challenges, though it remains underexplored compared to rural-to-urban migration. This study examines the interplay of climate change, social capital, and urban-to-rural migration as a livelihood adaptation strategy, focusing on migrant farmers in Mangoase, Akwapim North Municipality. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, data was purposively collected from nine participants who initially migrated from northern Ghana to Adjin-Kotoku, a peri-urban area in Greater Accra, and subsequently to Mangoase due to climate-related disruptions. Thematic analysis using NVIVO revealed key environmental push factors such as flooding, sand mining, urbanization, and poor land management, which caused loss of arable land and unsustainable urban livelihoods. Pull factors to rural Mangoase included access to fertile land, favourable land-use terms, market proximity, and job stability, which supported sustainable livelihoods. The study highlights gender disparities, with migrant women farmers facing greater challenges in land use and ownership. Climate change impacts, including reduced incomes, job insecurity, and health complications, were mitigated by social support in the form of emotional, financial, material, and labour-intensive aid. Recommendations emphasize comprehensive land-use policies, education on sustainable land management, gender-inclusive land rights, and rural development initiatives such as healthcare, education, and agro-processing industries to enhance rural sustainability and support urban-to-rural migration as a climate adaptation strategy.