Climate variability, consumption risk and poverty in semi-arid Northern Ghana: Adaptation options for poor farm households

    Wossen, T and Berger, T and Nedumaran, S and Ramilan, T (2014) Climate variability, consumption risk and poverty in semi-arid Northern Ghana: Adaptation options for poor farm households. Environmental Development, 12. pp. 2-15. ISSN 2211-4599

    [img] PDF - Published Version
    Restricted to ICRISAT users only
    Download (336kB) | Request a copy

    Abstract

    This paper presents a micro-level simulation study on possible impacts of farm level adaptation strategies using a spatial dynamic hydro-economic model called Mathematical Programming based Multi Agent System. The model was validated for the Northern semi-arid region of Ghana. The simulation results revealed that climate variability has substantial impacts on the poverty and food security status of farm households. Policy interventions like the provision of agricultural credit and expansion of irrigation access are found to be highly important in reducing the adverse effects of climate variability for the capital constrained and poor rainfed farm households. However, to achieve significant changes in food security, a mix of adaptation strategies in the form of credit and irrigation has to be provided simultaneously. We also found that farm level adaption through shifting planting date as well as adopting early maturing crop varieties can substantially reduce the adverse impacts of climate variability.

    Item Type: Article
    Divisions: RP-Market Institutions and Policies
    CRP: UNSPECIFIED
    Uncontrolled Keywords: climate variability, bioeconomic modeling, irrigation, credit
    Subjects: Others > Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics
    Others > Climate Change
    Depositing User: Mr Siva Shankar
    Date Deposited: 25 Jul 2014 08:32
    Last Modified: 15 Sep 2015 04:18
    URI: http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/8241
    Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2014.07.003
    Projects: UNSPECIFIED
    Funders: UNSPECIFIED
    Acknowledgement: UNSPECIFIED
    Links:
    View Statistics

    Actions (login required)

    View Item View Item
    OAR@ICRISAT is powered by EPrints 3 which is developed by the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton. More information and software credits.