Exploring the effects of climate change on crop productivity in Northern Ghana. A case study of maize in Nyankpala community

The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) goal 2 aims to “end hunger and ensure access by all people in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations including infants to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round”. A number of categories stated in the goal 2, relates with the current threats to food security faced in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, Africa and Asia and this threats are brought about by climate change. Climate change is explained by various scholars to mean the periodic shifts and change in atmospheric conditions, rainfall patterns, increasing global warming and emission of heat radiations from the earths’ surfaces which are as a result of human activities and actions. The commonest of these actions are burning of fossils, emission of carbon-monoxide into the atmosphere which all reduces the ozone layer, makes it thinner and affects overall rainfall patterns and the amount of rains in some area. The impacts of climate change according to various scholars are not central but are felt more in some areas or warmer regions such as sub-Saharan African than other areas. In sub-Saharan Africa, there are seasonal changes, thus the rainy and dry or harmattan season. This has limited agricultural productivity and has made production of food crops only seasonal. In most parts of the sub-Saharan Africa region including Nyankpala and the northern part of Ghana, farmers are limited to single-season production, coupled with low income and earnings of the region and more recently the impacts of climate change are all contributing factors to decline and reduced crop yields in the region. In the earliest studies and reviews conducted prior to this research, the findings informed the aim of this research which was to investigate the effects of climate change on the general production of maize in Nyankpala among smallholder, peasant or subsistence farmers. These groups of farmers usually produce for household consumption and also sell out a small portion of their produce to generate some income to support other expenses. Additionally, the research aimed to understand the knowledge gaps of the peasant farmers on climate change and the issues leading to the significant decline of their crop yields. The study employed purely qualitative tools such as interview guides and observation to understand the patterns, and the results of climate change on the productivity of the peasant, smallholder and subsistence farmers living in the region. The study scope was limited to Nyankpala as it is a typical traditional society which represents and has all the characteristics of a typical northern society such as majority of its people engaged in maize farming. Also the dominance of agriculture research institutes and practical fields informed the choosing of the study location. Data was analyzed using thematic and critical content analysis. The findings of the research showed that climate change has adversely affected the production of farmers in the region, especially for farmers’ stuck with old and traditional methods of farming. The adaptive practice in Nyankpala was the adoption of genetically modified species (GMS) that can withstand drought and harsh weather conditions. The effects of climate change as well has led to a decline in the overall quality of life of farmers living in the area.