Paper short abstract:

Extractivism and climate variability affects rural livelihoods but differentiated by household and community factors. Gender, age, education and occupation are less likely influential factors whilst household size, indigenes, agro-ecology and resource type are more likely influential factors.

Paper long abstract:

The resilience of African rural livelihoods is at risk due to over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture, which increasingly suffers from climate variability. Resource-fringing communities are double exposed to changes from extractive activities coupled with increasing climatic variability and changes. The study employs the double exposure framework to understand the contextual factors influencing households' perspectives on the overlapping impacts of extractivism and climate change on their livelihoods. The results affirm a general awareness that both climate variability and extractivism affect rural livelihoods. In addition, contextual factors such as gender, cultural connections, education, type of occupation, agro-ecology as well as the type of resource extractivism significantly influence households' perception of climate variability and extractivism effects on livelihoods. For instance, respondents with large household size and located in the semi-deciduous forest zones are more likely to perceive that their livelihoods are double exposed to climatic variability and extractivism effects. Communities affected by mineral/forestry extractivism are more likely to perceive double exposure of climatic variability and extractivism effects on their livelihood sources. Households expect the national government and extractive companies to provide alternative livelihoods and improve infrastructure to enhance their resilience to the cumulative impacts. The study shows that differential factors underpin the perceived risk of rural livelihoods in mining landscapes to double exposure of climate change and extractivism, thus supporting the need for policy-makers to include them in national adaptation programs.

Keywords: Climate Variability, Extractivism, Ghana, Livelihood, Resilience