Climate change threatens Ghana’s food security
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanaian Chronicle
10 October 2011
An increased body of evidence shows that climatic variability is adversely affecting Ghana’s natural resources such as land, water, forests, and vegetation, as well as human capital. Climate change is, therefore, expected to have significant impact on key resource-dependent sectors, such as agriculture and food production, and consequently on food security. Food security is under threat from unpredictable changes in rainfall and more frequent extreme weather. Recent statistics show that a total of 1.2 million Ghanaians are with limited access to sufficient and nutritious food throughout the year, whiles another 2 million are at risk or becoming food insecure during the lean season or at the onset of a natural or man-made disaster. These figures constitute between 5 to 10% of the total population, but the majority of people at risk of food insecurity are concentrated in the three northern regions – the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions – according to researchers. Events such as the severe floods and drought of 2007, coupled with climate change, chieftaincy conflicts, rise in global food and fuel prices have cumulatively heightened the already existing vulnerabilities among people and communities in these regions. […] In northern Ghana, the following experiences and observations in relation to a changing climate have been made: erratic rainfall, i.e., unpredictable patterns of rainfall; poor rainfall – both in volumes and distribution; increase incidence of pests and diseases – both on crops and livestock; low crop yields and extinction of some species of animals and plants. The observed impacts of climate change on food security in northern Ghana include: destruction of lives and property due to floods and droughts (for instance the 2007 disaster that led to the demolition of human and animal housing, the loss of animals, arable land and markets among others); decrease in the amount of physical resources available for agricultural purposes, and mainly due to increase in maintaining cost of destroyed infrastructure (example, for rehabilitation of roads, dams, among others) Some farmers say erratic rainfalls and shifting weather patterns make the planning of the planting season increasingly difficult. This, coupled with soil fertility loss to floods and expanding deserts, plus depletion of ground water reserves due to prolonged droughts and wide proliferation on crops and livestock pests, can easily lead to drops in food crop yields, putting food security and income generated from food crops, livestock and fisheries in jeopardy. […] However, Ghana’s fisheries have experienced gradual decline during the last four decades, mostly due to overfishing and lack of good governance in the fishery sector. The decline of the fishing sector has limited the country’s ability to meet domestic demand and threatened the economic and food security of many Ghanaians. Ghanaian fishermen produce 70-80% of Ghana’s fish protein requirements and provide jobs for fishmongers, and other traders, hence many livelihoods depend on it. Currently, 10% of the Ghanaian population is estimated to depend on coastal fisheries for their livelihood, and inland fisheries are equally important factors in determining productivity of fisheries, with changes in climate also having an impact on productivity of coastal and river ecosystems, as well as catchability. Because fish is a main protein source in Ghana, a dramatic reduction in fish harvesting will affect negatively the nourishment level of the nation, likely to impact women and children the worst. […]
Climate change threatens Ghana’s food security
By Tim Gros
11 February 2011 Ghana’s increasing population, changing weather patterns and global food price hikes are squeezing the budget of the less well-off. Although agricultural production has grown at over 5% annually since 2001, this has largely been achieved by bringing new land into cultivation. Yield gaps between Ghana’s productivity levels, compared to what is achievable, are far too high. Adopting a business-as-usual approach to agriculture in Ghana is really not an option if long-term and sustainable food security is to be achieved. But already, Ghana commits almost 10% of its annual budget to improving agriculture, placing it top of the list of investors in the sector in Africa. Added to this, Ghana’s spending on agricultural research and development more than doubled between 2002 and 2008. In developing this pro-agriculture policy, Ghana makes an ideal platform for the first AGRITEC West Africa 2011, a brand new regional agribusiness exhibition and conference already attracting international interest from China, South Africa, Brazil, Denmark and Spain amongst others. The event, which takes place from 10-12 May 2011 at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, brings together international vendors of agricultural and horticultural equipment, systems and technologies to regional importers, distributors, agents, investors and entrepeneurs in West Africa. It will demonstrate how the latest available world quality products and services can augment and improve upon Ghana’s traditional agricultural practices. One of the most important factors identified as militating against the growth of agriculture in the region is inadequate and limited irrigation infrastructure and practices. Amongst the government’s priorities is the Accra Plains Irrigation Project which is expected to identify 200,000 hectares of which 5,000 hectares will be designated as a priority area for irrigation development. The project, when completed, will be used to cultivate crops such as banana, soya bean, rice, pineapple, mango, maize, groundnut and cowpea. Food crop yields in Ghana have shown disappointing growth in past years largely thought to result from low investment in fertilisers, seed technology and other agricultural inputs. AGRITEC West Africa 2011 participants and multinational supplier of mineral fertilisers, YARA Ghana, will demonstrate how crop knowledge and locally applied expertise can produce above-average crop yields. […]
