Households’ Coping Dynamics to Climatic Shocks of Flood and Drought in Northern Ghana

Abstract

The Guinea and Sudan Savannah zones of Ghana experiences much of the recent climate change effects than any other ecological zone in the country. This paper presents the coping strategies adopted by households in response to the climate change effects of floods and droughts in Northern Ghana. The study espoused a case study design. Key informants’ interviews, focus group discussions and household interviews were the methods applied in gathering primary data from 250 household heads randomly selected from six farming communities along the white Volta basin within three disaster prone districts. The descriptive statistic tool of SPSS was employed in analyzing, summarizing and describing the data obtained. Key subjective views of the participants were also presented using quotations. Destruction of food crops and livestock, decline in crop yield and food shortage as well as destruction of building were identified by the study as the most devastating effects of floods and droughts in the study areas. To cope with these effects, households adopted various coping dynamics which included decision not to farm or build in lowlands areas or waterways, migration, reliance on external support and early planning of activities. The study concludes that the effects of both floods and drought in Northern Ghana poses great challenges to livelihoods of households who have adapted by find coping strategies. The findings reveal new dimensions of the empirical accounts on households’ coping dynamics in response the climatic effects of flood and drought.

Keywords: Floods; droughts; climate change; coping strategies; rural household