Food security and climate change in drought-sensitive savanna zones of Ghana
(2011) In Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 16(3). p.291-306- Abstract
- Desertification, climate variability and food security are closely linked through drought, land cover changes, and climate and biological feedbacks. In Ghana, only few studies have documented these linkages. To establish this link the study provides historical and predicted climatic changes for two drought sensitive agro-ecological zones in Ghana and further determines how these changes have influenced crop production within the two zones. This objective was attained via Markov chain and Fuzzy modelling. Results from the Markov chain model point to the fact that the Guinea savanna agro-ecological zone has experienced delayed rains from 1960 to 2008 while the Sudan savanna agro-ecological zone had slightly earlier rains for the same period.... (More)
- Desertification, climate variability and food security are closely linked through drought, land cover changes, and climate and biological feedbacks. In Ghana, only few studies have documented these linkages. To establish this link the study provides historical and predicted climatic changes for two drought sensitive agro-ecological zones in Ghana and further determines how these changes have influenced crop production within the two zones. This objective was attained via Markov chain and Fuzzy modelling. Results from the Markov chain model point to the fact that the Guinea savanna agro-ecological zone has experienced delayed rains from 1960 to 2008 while the Sudan savanna agro-ecological zone had slightly earlier rains for the same period. Results of Fuzzy Modelling indicate that very suitable and moderately suitable croplands for millet and sorghum production are evenly distributed within the two agro-ecological zones. For Ghana to adapt to climate change and thereby achieve food security, it is important to pursue strategies such as expansion of irrigated agricultural areas, improvement of crop water productivity in rain-fed agriculture, crop improvement and specialisation, and improvement in indigenous technology. It is also important to encourage farmers in the Sudan and Guinea Savanna zones to focus on the production of cereals and legumes (e.g. sorghum, millet and soybeans) as the edaphic and climatic factors favour these crops and will give the farmers a competitive advantage. It may be necessary to consider the development of the study area as the main production and supply source of selected cereals and legumes for the entire country in order to free lands in other regions for the production of crops highly suitable for those regions on the basis of their edaphic and climatic conditions. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1757216
- author
- Armah, FA ; Odoi, JO ; Yengoh, Genesis Tambang LU ; Obiri, S ; Yawson, DO and Afrifa, EKA
- organization
- publishing date
- 2011
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Climate change, Agro-ecological zones, Savanna, Modelling, Desertification, Agriculture, Food security
- in
- Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
- volume
- 16
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 291 - 306
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000287147300002
- scopus:79751535659
- ISSN
- 1573-1596
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11027-010-9263-9
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 74a16399-e2d4-40a5-8e86-8df487acbc97 (old id 1757216)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 14:19:29
- date last changed
- 2022-04-22 02:40:14
@article{74a16399-e2d4-40a5-8e86-8df487acbc97,
abstract = {{Desertification, climate variability and food security are closely linked through drought, land cover changes, and climate and biological feedbacks. In Ghana, only few studies have documented these linkages. To establish this link the study provides historical and predicted climatic changes for two drought sensitive agro-ecological zones in Ghana and further determines how these changes have influenced crop production within the two zones. This objective was attained via Markov chain and Fuzzy modelling. Results from the Markov chain model point to the fact that the Guinea savanna agro-ecological zone has experienced delayed rains from 1960 to 2008 while the Sudan savanna agro-ecological zone had slightly earlier rains for the same period. Results of Fuzzy Modelling indicate that very suitable and moderately suitable croplands for millet and sorghum production are evenly distributed within the two agro-ecological zones. For Ghana to adapt to climate change and thereby achieve food security, it is important to pursue strategies such as expansion of irrigated agricultural areas, improvement of crop water productivity in rain-fed agriculture, crop improvement and specialisation, and improvement in indigenous technology. It is also important to encourage farmers in the Sudan and Guinea Savanna zones to focus on the production of cereals and legumes (e.g. sorghum, millet and soybeans) as the edaphic and climatic factors favour these crops and will give the farmers a competitive advantage. It may be necessary to consider the development of the study area as the main production and supply source of selected cereals and legumes for the entire country in order to free lands in other regions for the production of crops highly suitable for those regions on the basis of their edaphic and climatic conditions.}},
author = {{Armah, FA and Odoi, JO and Yengoh, Genesis Tambang and Obiri, S and Yawson, DO and Afrifa, EKA}},
issn = {{1573-1596}},
keywords = {{Climate change; Agro-ecological zones; Savanna; Modelling; Desertification; Agriculture; Food security}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{291--306}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change}},
title = {{Food security and climate change in drought-sensitive savanna zones of Ghana}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11027-010-9263-9}},
doi = {{10.1007/s11027-010-9263-9}},
volume = {{16}},
year = {{2011}},
}