Baffour-Ata, F., Antwi-Agyei, P., Nkiaka, E. orcid.org/0000-0001-7362-9430 et al. (3 more authors) (2022) Climate information services available to farming households in Northern Region, Ghana. Weather, Climate, and Society, 14 (2). pp. 467-480. ISSN 1948-8327
Abstract
Climate information services can build the resilience of African farmers to address the increasing threats associated with climate change. This study used household surveys with 200 farmers and focus group discussions to identify the types of climate information services available to farming households in two selected districts (Tolon and Nanton) in the Northern Region of Ghana. The study also identified the dissemination channels and the barriers faced by farmers in their access and use of climate information services for building climate resilience in Ghanaian farming systems. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the determinants of farmers’ access to climate information services. Results show that 70% of the surveyed farmers had access to varied forms of climate information services. The most prevalent meteorological variables accessible to them were rainfall, temperature, and windstorms in the form of daily and weekly weather forecasts, with only very limited availability and use of seasonal climate forecasts. Radio, television, and advice from extension agents were reported as the major dissemination channels by study respondents. A majority of the farmers reported lack of communication devices, mistrust in weather and climate forecasts, and lack of visual representations in the forecasts as major barriers to access and use of climate information services. The results highlight the importance of timely and reliable access to climate information services in enhancing farmers’ decision-making capacities and the need for training and recruitment of more extension agents to work with farmers on linking climate information services to targeted actions on crop and land management.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 American Meteorological Society. Available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) |
Keywords: | Climate change; Climate services; Decision-making; Resilience |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Geography (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 21 Apr 2022 12:57 |
Last Modified: | 21 Apr 2022 13:01 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Meteorological Society |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1175/wcas-d-21-0075.1 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:185775 |