Ghanaian climate affecting farmers- survey

Some farmers in the various regions of the country have expressed worry over bad weather conditions which they say is affecting production.
This concern was addressed in a recent survey conducted by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation, in connection with the General Agricultural workers’ Union of the Ghana Trade Union Congress to find out the impact of climate change on farming activities in the country.
The study, “climate change and its impact on the livelihood of farmers and Agricultural workers in Ghana” sampled the views of 3000 farmers in all ten regions of the country.” About 90.3 percent of farmers said they have lost more crops/livestock during the last years because of bad weather conditions 3.7 respondents were not sure of changes in their produce while 6.1 percent disagreed. The survey further indicates that farmers in the North, a region which is more underdeveloped compared to the southern regions, experienced a higher loss of crops.
Out of the total respondents, 86.1 percent of respondents believed that the quality of their produce has been compromised. This is due to uncertain weather conditions which make it difficult to plant the right crops at the right time. Also, lack of proper care, timing of planting and harvesting, pests and diseases on the farms, overuse of agro-chemicals, use of manure from waste in addition to fertilizers and lack of maintenance on farms has over the years led to high farm losses. Thus, turns agricultural production into a game of luck.
Meanwhile, production of specific crops reduced or increased overtime due to bad weather conditions. In the Upper East region for instance, production of sorghum and cereals has reduced, while maize production has increased. In the Upper West region, cereals production has reduced while maize and rice productions have increased.
In the Northern region, production of rice has reduced but maize production has increased.
In the Brong Ahago region, production of maize, plantain and pepper have reduced. However, cereals and cassava production has increased. In the Ashanti region, cereals production has reduced but maize production has increased.
In the Eastern region, maize and cassava production has increased whiles the production of pepper, rice and maize production has increased in the Volta region. In the Central region, cassava and plantain production has also increased.
The report also noted that farmers in Western and Ashanti have started cultivating specific crops due to the changing weather. But some farmers in region have stopped farming entirely.
In finding out whether the farmers have any knowledge on climate change, the study revealed that 89.2 percent of male farmers and 83.1 percent of female respondents said they have a general idea about the subject.