ABSTRACT

This thesis explores the perception and adaptation strategies undertaken among smallholder farmers in agro-ecological zones in rural Ghana. It applies a quantitative analysis of data on 529 farmers in four agro-ecological zones to assess difference in perception of climate change and the influence on their adaptation strategies. Data for the study was obtained from the 2016 Climate Change, Women in Agriculture and Food Security survey collected by Regional Institute for Population Studies. The main objective of the study was to examine the relationship between farmers’ perception of climate change and the adaptation strategies undertaken in the four agro-ecological zones in Ghana. Descriptive statistics were employed to assess the characteristics of respondents. Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23.0 were used for the analysis of the data. At the bivariate level, gender, marital status, level of education, household size, agro-ecological zones and wealth categories had a significant association with adaptation (p< 0.05). A multinomial logistic regression model was employed to assess how perception and socio-demographic and economic characteristics of farmers influence the adaptation strategies undertaken. The model revealed that perception of climate change, wealth categories and agro-ecological zones were significantly associated with adaptation strategies. Finally, the study recommends that dissemination of information through education, financial support to farmers and construction of dams and irrigation systems should be employed.