Determinants of Maize Farmers’ Access to Climate Information Services in Ghana

Abstract

This chapter appeared in Walter Leal Filho, Johannes Luetz, Desalegn Ayal (eds), Handbook of Climate Change Management (Springer, 2020). 

Abstract

Agriculture plays a central role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ghana. However, climate change impacts may reduce the potential of agriculture to achieve SDGs, given that the agricultural sector in Ghana is heavily dependent on rainfall and prevailed by smallholder farmers, with limited access to agronomical assistance and climate information. Lack of empirical evidence on farmers’ access to climate information services (CIS) is a challenge. This chapter focused on the analysis of the factors that influence maize farmers’ access to CIS based on a field study carried out in selected districts of Ashanti, Central, and Eastern regions of Ghana. A binary probit regression model was employed in the empirical analysis of 344 maize farmers’ access to several types of local services. The results revealed that a low percentage of farmers has received CIS. Access to health-care facility, market, tarred road, native farmers, farm size, and climate change awareness level have a significant positive correlation with the farmers’ likelihood of receiving CIS. Although correlation does not necessarily mean causality, the results show that access to climate services must be understood as part of a broader development issue in Ghana. Therefore, it is not sufficient to invest in the provision of high-quality climate information alone, but also ensure that smallholder farmers get such information and receive the necessary support to effectively use this information for improving their agricultural practices, while reducing their local vulnerabilities to climate change.