IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v13y2024i11p1737-d1504751.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cocoa Farmers’ Perceptions of Drought and Adaptive Strategies in the Ghana–Togo Transboundary Cocoa Belt

Author

Listed:
  • Afi Amen Christèle Attiogbé

    (West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (WASCAL KNUST), Kumasi AK-385-1973, Ghana)

  • Udo Nehren

    (Institute for Technology and Resources Management in the Tropics and Subtropics (ITT), Faculty of Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems, University of Applied Sciences, 50679 Cologne, Germany)

  • Emmanuel Quansah

    (Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, College of Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi AK-385-1973, Ghana)

  • Enoch Bessah

    (Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi AK-385-1973, Ghana)

  • Seyni Salack

    (WASCAL Competence Center, West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL CoC), Ouagadougou 9507, Burkina Faso)

  • Jean Mianikpo Sogbedji

    (Department of Soil Sciences, Université de Lomé, Lomé 01 BP 1515, Togo)

  • Sampson K. Agodzo

    (Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi AK-385-1973, Ghana)

Abstract

This study investigated the perception of drought by cocoa farmers and explored the effectiveness of adaptive strategies (ASs) used in smallholding farms in the transboundary region between Ghana and Togo. Drought significantly threatens cocoa production in this region, affecting farmers’ livelihoods and cocoa supply chains. This study used a multistage sampling approach, which involved surveys with questionnaires administered to 330 cocoa farmers throughout the study area, along with on-site observations. Statistical analysis included binary logistic and Poisson regression models to explore the relationship between farmer socioeconomic characteristics and adaptation practices. The findings revealed that cocoa farmers in the region have a nuanced understanding of drought, attributed to changing climatic patterns and unsustainable land management practices such as deforestation. To mitigate its impacts, farmers employ a variety of ASs, including investment in farm management, soil management, and intercropping with crop diversification. Furthermore, socioeconomic factors, including age, formal education, household size, land tenure right, adaptation cost assessment, and an underestimation of self-efficacy, were shown to affect the choice in the AS. Among the ASs adopted, only farm management practices (weeding, pruning, fertilizer application, etc.) significantly improved the cocoa yield. This study contributes to understanding drought as a critical issue for cocoa farmers and the adaptation practices used by smallholder cocoa farmers. Given that among the strategies adopted, only farm management practices, also known as good agricultural practices (GAPs), significantly improves yield, this study recommends well-designed and innovative packages of sustainable farm management based on farm and owner characteristics. These include irrigation schemes, timely soil fertilizer monitoring and supply, and the provision of drought-resistant varieties along with technical itineraries. Additional interventions require drought emergency responses, with other factors such as education and financial support mechanisms expected to improve farmers’ timely decision-making to adapt and improve cocoa production resilience to drought episodes in international transboundary regions with complex governance structures.

Suggested Citation

  • Afi Amen Christèle Attiogbé & Udo Nehren & Emmanuel Quansah & Enoch Bessah & Seyni Salack & Jean Mianikpo Sogbedji & Sampson K. Agodzo, 2024. "Cocoa Farmers’ Perceptions of Drought and Adaptive Strategies in the Ghana–Togo Transboundary Cocoa Belt," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-20, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:11:p:1737-:d:1504751
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1737/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1737/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. P. Läderach & A. Martinez-Valle & G. Schroth & N. Castro, 2013. "Predicting the future climatic suitability for cocoa farming of the world’s leading producer countries, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 119(3), pages 841-854, August.
    2. Irene Egyir & Kwadwo Ofori & Godfred Antwi & Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu, 2015. "Adaptive Capacity and Coping Strategies in the Face of Climate Change: A Comparative Study of Communities around Two Protected Areas in the Coastal Savanna and Transitional Zones of Ghana," Journal of Sustainable Development, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 8(1), pages 1-1, January.
    3. B. Fosu-Mensah & P. Vlek & D. MacCarthy, 2012. "Farmers’ perception and adaptation to climate change: a case study of Sekyedumase district in Ghana," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 495-505, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wongnaa, Camillus Abawiera & Babu, Suresh, 2020. "Building resilience to shocks of climate change in Ghana's cocoa production and its effect on productivity and incomes," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    2. Blazquez-Soriano, Amparo & Ramos-Sandoval, Rosmery, 2022. "Information transfer as a tool to improve the resilience of farmers against the effects of climate change: The case of the Peruvian National Agrarian Innovation System," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    3. Portia Adade Williams & Olivier Crespo & Mumuni Abu, 2020. "Assessing vulnerability of horticultural smallholders’ to climate variability in Ghana: applying the livelihood vulnerability approach," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 2321-2342, March.
    4. Abdulai, Issaka & Hoffmann, Munir P. & Jassogne, Laurence & Asare, Richard & Graefe, Sophie & Tao, Hsiao-Hang & Muilerman, Sander & Vaast, Philippe & Van Asten, Piet & Läderach, Peter & Rötter, Reimun, 2020. "Variations in yield gaps of smallholder cocoa systems and the main determining factors along a climate gradient in Ghana," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    5. Dao Duy Minh & Nguyen Dang Hao & Philippe Lebailly, 2020. "Adapting to Climate Extreme Events Based on Livelihood Strategies: Evidence from Rural Areas in Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-17, December.
    6. Cook, Aaron M. & Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob E. & Sesmero, Juan P., 2013. "How do African households adapt to climate change? Evidence from Malawi," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 150507, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    7. Nyadzi, Emmanuel, 2016. "Climate Variability Since 1970 and Farmers’ Observations in Northern Ghana," Sustainable Agriculture Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 5(2).
    8. Theodoros Skevas & Ray Massey & Jasper Grashuis, 2022. "Farmer adoption and intensity of use of extreme weather adaptation and mitigation strategies: evidence from a sample of Missouri farmers," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 174(1), pages 1-23, September.
    9. Alistair Munro, 2020. "Using experimental manipulation of questionnaire design and a Kenyan panel to test for the reliability of reported perceptions of climate change and adaptation," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 162(3), pages 1081-1105, October.
    10. Salamatu J. Tannor & Christian Borgemeister & Shalom D. Addo–Danso & Klaus Greve & Bernhard Tischbein, 2023. "Climate variability and mining sustainability: exploring operations’ perspectives on local effects and the willingness to adapt in Ghana," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 3(8), pages 1-26, August.
    11. Götz Schroth & Peter Läderach & Armando Isaac Martinez-Valle & Christian Bunn, 2017. "From site-level to regional adaptation planning for tropical commodities: cocoa in West Africa," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 22(6), pages 903-927, August.
    12. Minghui Zhang & Gabriel Abrahao & Sally Thompson, 2021. "Sensitivity of soybean planting date to wet season onset in Mato Grosso, Brazil, and implications under climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 168(3), pages 1-28, October.
    13. Frédéric Kosmowski & Antoine Leblois & Benjamin Sultan, 2016. "Perceptions of recent rainfall changes in Niger: a comparison between climate-sensitive and non-climate sensitive households," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 135(2), pages 227-241, March.
    14. TRAORE Lamine & Coulibaly Mamadou & Cisse Fatimata & Sissoko Dioukou, 2022. "Strengthening the Resilience of Maize Producers in the Koulikoro Region against the Adverse effects of Climate Change," International Journal of Sciences, Office ijSciences, vol. 11(03), pages 4-19, March.
    15. Md. Jahangir Kabir & Mohammad Alauddin & Steven Crimp, 2016. "Farm-level Adaptation to Climate Change in Western Bangladesh: An Analysis of Adaptation Dynamics, Profitability and Risks," Discussion Papers Series 576, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    16. N & a Kaji Budhathoki, "undated". "Climate Change: Perceptions, Reality and Agricultural Practice: Evidence from Nepal," Working papers 123, The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics.
    17. Isaure Delaporte & Mathilde Maurel, 2018. "Adaptation to climate change in Bangladesh," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(1), pages 49-62, January.
    18. Megersa, Bekele & Markemann, André & Angassa, Ayana & Ogutu, Joseph O. & Piepho, Hans-Peter & Valle Zaráte, Anne, 2014. "Impacts of climate change and variability on cattle production in southern Ethiopia: Perceptions and empirical evidence," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 23-34.
    19. Wang, Weijun & Zhao, Xueyan & Cao, Jianjun & Li, Hua & Zhang, Qin, 2020. "Barriers and requirements to climate change adaptation of mountainous rural communities in developing countries: The case of the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    20. Zongo, Beteo & Dogot, Thomas & Toe, Patrice, . "Farmers’ Perception of Indigenous Forecast and Climate Information in West Africa: an Evidence-based Review," Sustainable Agriculture Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 11(3).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:11:p:1737-:d:1504751. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.