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- Convenor:
-
Simon Bawakyillenuo
(University of Ghana)
Send message to Convenor
- Chair:
-
Michael Pregernig
(University of Freiburg)
- Format:
- Panel
- Stream:
- Climate change
- Location:
- Room 1199
- Sessions:
- Wednesday 8 June, -
Time zone: Europe/Berlin
Short Abstract:
Building context specific knowledge founded on empirical data and research from the global south, especially Africa will facilitate understanding of how different groups and people are affected by the impact of climate change and the degrees of exposure, sensitivity and adaption practices.
Long Abstract:
The discourse on climate change and its multiple and devastating impacts could not have been more important given its prognosed apocalyptic consequences Past Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment reports including the recent one, have highlighted the need to enhance adaptation and mitigation especially in Africa on the backdrop of its weak adaptive capacity to withstand the present and future catastrophic consequences. While best practices and outputs of research from other regions may be useful for understanding and fashioning solutions, efforts at mitigating climate change effects and enhancing adaptation should ideally be based on contextually relevant empirical research that explores the sources of vulnerabilities and how options for adaptation can be accessed and applied by different social groups. Such knowledge will be grounded in socially relevant structures that limit or enhance adaptation. This panel seeks to provide the opportunity for scholars and experts to engage in the discussion of research outputs and experiences within specific contexts in the African continent on how vulnerabilities to climate change impacts and adaptive practices are shaped.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Wednesday 8 June, 2022, -Paper short abstract:
This study contributes to the understanding of successful adaptation/resilience practices against climatic variability/change and its determinants in Ethiopia. The application of indigenous knowledge encouraged communities to adjust their livelihood strategies and resilience/adaptation mechanisms.
Paper long abstract:
This study ascertains the knowledge factors contributing to the successful adaptation/resilience against climatic variability/change and its determinants in Northern Ethiopia. We use empirical field studies involving quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the characteristics of the resilience of two indigenous rural communities (Kebeles), Abreha we-Atsbeha and Debretsion, in Kilite Awelao District of Ethiopia’s Tigray Region. The different levels of resilience were analyzed using the Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF) and the Resilience Analysis Framework (RAF). Analysis of the severity of drought and adaptation strategies shows significant variation between the two communities. Logistic regression was run to test the adaptation strategies/knowledge and revealed that successful adaptation in Abreha we-Atsbeha unlike Debretsion, is significantly attributable to growing indigenous drought-resistant crop varieties, cash crops, perennial crops, environmental rehabilitation, and indigenous cash savings schemes. Surprisingly, the use/reliance on indigenous water harvesting is negatively associated with the likelihood of being successful in adaptation to drought. Variations in the trend of improvement of physical capital are not significant, while there are declining trends in social indigenous capital in both kebeles. Indigenous knowledge of natural and institutional forms of capital was more likely to increase resilience/adaptation. Key drivers of resilience and climate adaptation in Abreha we-Atsbeha include the attitude of the community members and strong kebele indigenous leadership when compared to Debretsion. We conclude that empowering the community to employ indigenous knowledge to determine priorities encouraged them to adjust their livelihood strategies and resilience mechanisms and to allow the scaling up of resilience/adaptation across Ethiopia.
Paper short abstract:
This paper explores whether or not contract farming enhanced smallholder farmers resilience to climate change in Northern Ghana. Findings challenge the general notion that contract farming improves smallholder resilience. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Paper long abstract:
Numerous indicators of social and biophysical vulnerability to climate change with negative consequences on agriculture continue to increase exponentially in Sub Sahara Africa (SSA). Despite the fact that contract farming has burgeoned in developing countries and it is often seen as a resilience building strategy of smallholder farmers, there is a lack of empirical evidence to show how and why contract farming enhance smallholder farmers resilience to climate change in SSA. Moreover, questions on models of contract farming that better produce resilience outcomes and why remain unanswered in the literature. This paper posits that although considerable potential exists for leveraging contract farming to build resilience to climate change, this nexus remains under-explored in SSA. To substantiate this argument, the paper combines theoretical insights from climate change adaptation literature with qualitative data collected in Northern Ghana. It explores different contract farming arrangements and whether or not they enhance smallholder farmers resilience to climate change. Findings challenge the general notion that contract farming improves smallholder resilience. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Paper short abstract:
Climate change, small-scale farmers, on-farm, adaptation, yield
Paper long abstract:
The risks and impacts of climate change are of significant concern because of its linkage to food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Although a number of studies have been conducted on climate change adaptation in Ghana, there still exists a gap on the outcomes of on-farm climate change adaptation approaches to small-scale farmer. Investigating the outcomes of on-farm climate change adaptation approaches by small-scale farmers in two categories of communities (planned and autonomous) quantitatively, this study fills the gap mentioned above. Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and yield prediction among two categories of farmers of which eight types of climate change adaptation approaches were common, it was established that, overall, the planned category of farmers are more likely to adopt multiple adaptation approaches than the autonomous farmers. Also, the same category of farmers are more likely to have higher yield as compared to their counterparts in the autonomous category. The study recommends a more integrative programming approaches for any planned climate change adaptation initiative so as to integrate the autonomous approaches in any planned climate change adaptation model.
Paper short abstract:
Vulnerability to climate change impacts is shaped by the convergence of factors that can potentially limit or enhance adaptation. Exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity to climate extreme events are explored in this paper as the key variables that shape the nature of climate vulnerability.
Paper long abstract:
Following from the approach of Glitz et al (2017), this paper use a Multidimensional Livelihood Vulnerability Index (MLVI) to assess the nature of climate change vulnerability among 789 households in the savanna (Bawku West District) and transitional (Nkoranza South Municipal) zones of Ghana. Vulnerability was constituted using the definition of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These include exposure to climate variability or extreme weather events, sensitivity to climate variability impacts and adaptive capacity to address the conditions and changes that arise from climate variability impacts. While the analyses point to high levels of vulnerability to climate change impact regarding the incidence and intensity among all households, the vulnerability index of Bawku West District was at least 10 percentage points higher relative to Nkoranza South. Additionally there was a clear indication that adaptive capacities were generally low among households. Large household sizes, low levels of education, low income levels, limited channels of economic diversification and limited access to fertile and productive lands especially for female headed households were important contributing factors. Improving adaptive capacities across the board is important to limit exposure and sensitivity to climate change impacts in order to forestall the collective effects of increased vulnerability to climate change impacts on communities.