The impact of climate change on household food security in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region of Ghana

The study determined the impact of climate change on household food security, investigated awareness level and identified coping strategies used to mitigate negative impact of climate change in the Bongo District with emphasis on women. It was a cross-sectional survey conducted in four purposively selected farming communities in the District in the Upper East Region of Ghana. A sample size of 246 women participated in the study. Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected on socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, awareness of climate change, food consumption patterns, coping strategies and household food security. Data on rainfall and temperature for the past 30 years period in the District were obtained from the Ghana Meteorological Service. Crop yields data over a period of 21 years in the District was also obtained from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA). The results revealed that rainfall in the Bongo District has been decreasing at - 0.3 mm per annum and maximum temperature has been increasing at 0.005 °C. More than half (62.6%) of the participants were aware of climate change in their communities. Majority (89.4%) of the participants reduced the quality and quantity of diets as coping strategy method during food shortage periods and almost all (97.2%) of the households were food insecure. Participants who reported to have observed decrease in rainfall were more likely to be food insecure (OR = 3.96; CI = 0.56 – 27.81). Participants were aware of climate change and employed reduction in the quality and quantity of diet as coping mechanism. Almost all households were food insecure. There is the need to intensify climate resistant agriculture technology such as irrigation methods to offset the negative impact of climate change on food security in the District.

Spatiotemporal Variability of Drought and its Relationships to ENSO and IOD Indices in Somaliland

Drought is one of Somaliland’s most prevalent natural hazards, causing serious socioeconomic and environmental harm. This study investigated the spatial and temporal variability of drought and its relationships with El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) indices using the Standardized Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) from 1981 to 2020. The Mann-Kendall trend test and Sen's slope estimator were used to assess the trends of annual and seasonal SPEI time series. The Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) was employed to examine the dominant modes of the SPEI series, and Pearson and partial correlation analyses were performed to investigate the associations between significant modes of drought variability and ENSO and IOD indices. The results demonstrated a statistically significant downward trend of SPEI (increasing drought) at 99% confidence level. The EOF analysis indicated two spatially distinct zones of drought variability in the west and east of the country. Drought variability had a statistically significant negative correlation with ENSO in the summer and winter seasons, and with IOD in the winter season and annual time series. The findings of this study will provide important information for drought risk assessment, mitigation, and predictability in Somaliland. Keywords: Drought, Standardized Precipitation Index, ENSO, IOD, Somalilan

Peasant and indigenous transnational social movements engaging with climate justice

International audienceThis article offers a comparative account of the engagement of two key transnational social movements, the agrarian movement La Via Campesina (LVC) and the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC), in global climate discussions, particularly the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Since 2007 these movements have each developed their own framing of climate justice and sought political and legal opportunities to advocate rights-based policies. LVC has advanced a development paradigm grounded in food sovereignty and agroecology, and IIPFCC has sought to increase indigenous participation in United Nations climate schemes and regain control over ancestral territory

From Constitutional Law to Reality: A Field Study on the new Kenyan Constitution’s Affects on Land Conflicts

In this field study it is examined how the new Kenyan constitution, approved in 2010, has affected conflicts related to land. The study is based on a combination of quantitative data, conducted through standardized interviews with 90 people living in areas affected by land disputes, and qualitative data, gathered through deep-interviews with seven policy experts, all being differently involved in the constitutional reform work. The results show that people perceive that conflicts over land have decreased after the approval of the new constitution. Still, many frequently refer to continuous land problems that relate to title deed mismanagement, land transaction fraud and inheritance disputes. However, ethnic land conflicts, widely focused on in previous research, appear to be exceptions. The results are interpreted through implementation theory through which it is concluded that a legal framework now is in place, yet few institutional tools are available in order to use it, largely because of political reluctance

Review of agricultural production systems in eastern Africa in relation to food and nutrition security and climate change

The goal of this paper is to provide a unified resource for Eritrea, Djibouti, Somaliland, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. For each country the review covers the topics of livestock production systems and agroecological zones, food and nutrition security, climate change, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate-smart agriculture (CSA) with a focus on the role of, or impact on, livestock systems. Each of these topics is broad and many excellent studies and reviews have been produced covering these topics either at the country level or for the entire East Africa region. It is the goal of this paper to provide an accessible introduction to these topics and to direct readers to the resources that exist for gathering detailed information on livestock production, food nutrition and security, climate change, GHG emissions and climate-smart livestock production in each country

Local institutions responses to climate governance policies in adaptation to climate change : a case of small scale farmers in Alego Usonga-Siaya County in Kenya

Alego Usonga-Siaya County in Kenya can be considered a climate change vulnerable area with larger population dependent on substance and rain-fed farming and other social-economic activities. Drawing on national climate policy the study explore and analyse how vulnerable small scale farmers adapted more (adaptation+) to changes in local forms of institutions. The aim of the study is to gain more insights into roles of planned national climate state use policies and responses of village level institutions in adaptation in farming. The study used a qualitative methodological approach with semi-structured and group interviews, key informants and observation as main data collection methods. The study was based on five normative principles of sustainable adaptation. Research findings indicate that the nature of devolved climate policies and local forms of institutions interaction is critical for how sustainable adaptation can be supported. The adoption of seed crops and other policy interventions can potentially contribute to the adaptation process. The policy takes a distinct outcome vulnerability approach, opposite of the contextual vulnerability approach. Attributing local vulnerability to drought and flooding and low adaptive capacity is classical outcome vulnerability. The study demonstrates that some efforts deployed by rural farmers and government to strengthen local adaptation and adaptive capacity through traditional practices and national policy interventions cannot be isolated from usual development pathways of carbon emissions from western models of development. The study demonstrates that interaction between policy interventions and farmer practices supports adaptation process. To strengthen adaptation, local institutions responses to climate policies determine how interventions can be applied practically. However, development pathways may actually undermine the adaptation process and potentially increase the vulnerability of some farmers. Nevertheless, the study concludes that policy devolution to some extent can limit local forms of institution adaptation responses to climate change. Local forms of institutions shape climate policies. However, climate policies have more influence in facilitating and shaping institutional changes for sustainable adaptation pathways.M-IE

The effects of climate change on the realisation of the right to adequate food in Kenya

This thesis examines the interplay between the effects of climate change and human rights. It seeks to interrogate the contribution of human rights in addressing the effects of climate change on the enjoyment of the right to food in Kenya. Climate change has been recognised as a human rights issue. Despite this acknowledgement, many states are yet to deal with climate change as a growing threat to the realisation of human rights. The situation is made worse by the glacial pace in securing a binding legal agreement to tackle climate change. The thesis also reveals that despite their seemingly disparate and disconnected nature, both the human rights and climate change regimes seek to achieve the same goal albeit in different ways. The thesis argues that a considerable portion of the Kenyan population has not been able to enjoy the right to food as a result of droughts and floods. It adopts the view that, with the effects of climate change being evident, the frequency and magnitude of droughts and floods has increased with far reaching consequences on the right to food. Measures by the Kenyan government to address the food situation have always been knee jerk and inadequate in nature. This is despite the fact that Kenya is a signatory to a number of human rights instruments that deal with the right to food. With the promulgation of a new Constitution with a justiciable right to food, there is a need for the Kenyan government to meet its human rights obligations. This thesis concludes by suggesting ways in which the right to food can be applied in order to address some of the effects of climate change. It argues that by adopting a human rights approach to the right to food, the State will have to adopt measures that take into consideration the impacts of climate change. Furthermore, the State is under an obligation to engage in activities that will not contribute to climate change and negatively affect the right

Coping with uncertainty: perspectives on sustainability of smallholder agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa

Agricultural sustainability of smallholder farms in the tropics has rarely been examined in an integrated manner by addressing simultaneously ecological, social and economic dimensions and exploring its spatial and temporal characteristics. In this submission I have prepared a Context Statement (Part I) that provides a background to my submitted body of works on assessment of agricultural sustainability of smallholder farms in Kenya. In the Context Statement I have positioned myself and my body of works and its impacts, critiqued my methodologies and reflected on my epistemology, brought out overarching messages on sustainability of smallholder farms and examined my research journey and contributions to academic knowledge and to professional practice. I position my public works within an inclusive ontological realism and epistemological pluralism that informed my use of mixed-methods research. I used (i) decision support systems and models (NUTMON, MonQI and QUEFTS), (ii) participatory learning and interdisciplinary research methodologies (on-farm comparative participatory research, PTD, Farmer Field Schools), and (iii) qualitative perceptions of farmers and researchers to investigate sustainability of smallholder farms. The smallholder farms in the low-to-medium agricultural potential areas were moving in the direction of unsustainability with performance of major indictors related to soil quality, crop productivity and socio-economics below threshold values. This was in direct contrast to the situation in high agricultural potential areas. The collaborative and interdisciplinary research partnerships within which this body of works was prepared was productive with co-authored papers standing at 98.5% of the total number of papers and the average number of citations per paper by other researchers was 5. My research and the body of works presented together with this context statement created a positive impact on farmers’ attitudes, beliefs and behavior regarding sustainability of their farms. Smallholders adopted good agricultural practices and “new” technologies and improved their livelihoods. My reflections on the submitted body of works have further shown that it contributed to knowledge and practice through bridging knowledge gaps on sustainability of organic farming systems, developing new methodologies or adapting current ones to give new meaning in the areas of participatory technology development, communication between “hard sciences” and “soft sciences” on soil quality, farmer learning for sustainability on integrated nutrient management and smallholder tea production, and in the use of decision support systems and models to assess sustainability of smallholder agriculture in an integrated manner. In the Context Statement I have also reflected on my research journey and painted a picture of the impacts of this doctoral pathway on my research practice and future direction. This doctoral pathway provided the opportunity to blend an academic research doctoral model with my professional research practice resulting in a submission equivalent to PhD by thesis. Through it I have re-discovered myself as a research scientist, a flexible autonomous learner, framed my research experiences as forms of personal, professional and academic growth and created linkages with my career interests and opportunities for improving frontiers of my research practice in the future