Micro stressors and experiences: Effects of extreme climate events on smallholder food security in semi-arid Ghana

Abstract

The semi-arid region of Ghana is one of the major climate change vulnerability hotspots, characterized by extreme climate change events such as floods, droughts, and erratic rainfall. High vulnerabilities coupled with low adaptive capacities lead to catastrophic impacts on agriculture and food systems among subsistence farmers in semi-arid regions. This paper used a cross-sectional survey (n = 1100) to explore the association between the experience of four severe climatic stressors (i.e., drought, flood, erratic rain, storm) and household food insecurity among smallholder farmers in semi-arid Ghana. The results showed that an increase in the number of climatic stressors experienced by households was associated with a 2.6 times likelihood of being severely food insecure. Also, the experience of each of the severe climatic stressors (drought, flood, storm and rainfall) was associated with household food insecurity. The study highlights that the localized occurrence and experience of climatic stressors, along with their impacts on food security, make one-size-fits-all adaptation strategies inadequate for protecting smallholder households from the adverse effects of climate stressors on agriculture and food systems in semi-arid Ghana and similar contexts in sub-Saharan Africa. To address this, it is essential to actively engage smallholder households and communities in identifying their varying experiences of climatic stressors and implement targeted strategies tailored to address specific household vulnerabilities.