Determinants of adaptation strategies to offset decreasing provisioning ecosystem services in the Savannah ecological zone of Ghana
Complex environmental challenges associated with altering provisioning ecosystem services (PES) impede the livelihood requirements of environmental reliant households in Ghana. International efforts at unearthing sustainable pathways have acknowledged the role of adaptation as a policy option. This...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2024-01-01
|
| Series: | Environmental Challenges |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010024000222 |
| _version_ | 1827339654246957056 |
|---|---|
| author | Philip Aniah |
| author_facet | Philip Aniah |
| author_sort | Philip Aniah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Complex environmental challenges associated with altering provisioning ecosystem services (PES) impede the livelihood requirements of environmental reliant households in Ghana. International efforts at unearthing sustainable pathways have acknowledged the role of adaptation as a policy option. This notwithstanding, existing studies has largely focused on coping and adaptation strategies to rising temperature and erratic rainfall. Few studies have attempted to explore the factors that determine the capacity of individuals to adapt to waning supply of PES. This study employed a mixed methodological design to interview 400 smallholder farmers. The results reveal that in vulnerable landscapes, smallholder farmers were more likely to implement off-farm adaptation measures such as livelihood diversification, migration, sale of assets to purchase grains and altering diets. Conversely, in resilient landscapes, smallholder farmers were more likely to implement on-farm adaptation strategies such as planting drought tolerant crop varieties and application of manure. The findings further reveal that ecosystem compatible adaptation measures such as agro-forestry and reclamation of degraded lands are costly to implement, hence have been practised by few smallholder farmers. Binary Logistic Regressions (BLR) modelling indicates that the ecological zone of an area and socio-economic factors such as sex, education, age, land tenure arrangement, length of stay in the community, and position in household significantly determine the choice of adaptation measures implemented by smallholder farmers. The integration and mainstreaming of local level adaptation practices in conventional practices are pivotal to enhancing ecosystem integrity and livelihood resilience. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T20:03:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-17ab88d88a5748d389d351452a282c97 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2667-0100 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T20:03:48Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Challenges |
| spelling | doaj.art-17ab88d88a5748d389d351452a282c972024-02-28T05:14:29ZengElsevierEnvironmental Challenges2667-01002024-01-0114100856Determinants of adaptation strategies to offset decreasing provisioning ecosystem services in the Savannah ecological zone of GhanaPhilip Aniah0Department of Sustainable Development Studies, Faculty of Sustainable Development Studies, University for Development Studies, P. O. Box TL1350, Tamale NT-0272-1946, GhanaComplex environmental challenges associated with altering provisioning ecosystem services (PES) impede the livelihood requirements of environmental reliant households in Ghana. International efforts at unearthing sustainable pathways have acknowledged the role of adaptation as a policy option. This notwithstanding, existing studies has largely focused on coping and adaptation strategies to rising temperature and erratic rainfall. Few studies have attempted to explore the factors that determine the capacity of individuals to adapt to waning supply of PES. This study employed a mixed methodological design to interview 400 smallholder farmers. The results reveal that in vulnerable landscapes, smallholder farmers were more likely to implement off-farm adaptation measures such as livelihood diversification, migration, sale of assets to purchase grains and altering diets. Conversely, in resilient landscapes, smallholder farmers were more likely to implement on-farm adaptation strategies such as planting drought tolerant crop varieties and application of manure. The findings further reveal that ecosystem compatible adaptation measures such as agro-forestry and reclamation of degraded lands are costly to implement, hence have been practised by few smallholder farmers. Binary Logistic Regressions (BLR) modelling indicates that the ecological zone of an area and socio-economic factors such as sex, education, age, land tenure arrangement, length of stay in the community, and position in household significantly determine the choice of adaptation measures implemented by smallholder farmers. The integration and mainstreaming of local level adaptation practices in conventional practices are pivotal to enhancing ecosystem integrity and livelihood resilience.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010024000222Smallholder farmersAdaptationDecreasingProvisioning ecosystem servicesSavannah ecological zoneGhana |
| spellingShingle | Philip Aniah Determinants of adaptation strategies to offset decreasing provisioning ecosystem services in the Savannah ecological zone of Ghana Environmental Challenges Smallholder farmers Adaptation Decreasing Provisioning ecosystem services Savannah ecological zone Ghana |
| title | Determinants of adaptation strategies to offset decreasing provisioning ecosystem services in the Savannah ecological zone of Ghana |
| title_full | Determinants of adaptation strategies to offset decreasing provisioning ecosystem services in the Savannah ecological zone of Ghana |
| title_fullStr | Determinants of adaptation strategies to offset decreasing provisioning ecosystem services in the Savannah ecological zone of Ghana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determinants of adaptation strategies to offset decreasing provisioning ecosystem services in the Savannah ecological zone of Ghana |
| title_short | Determinants of adaptation strategies to offset decreasing provisioning ecosystem services in the Savannah ecological zone of Ghana |
| title_sort | determinants of adaptation strategies to offset decreasing provisioning ecosystem services in the savannah ecological zone of ghana |
| topic | Smallholder farmers Adaptation Decreasing Provisioning ecosystem services Savannah ecological zone Ghana |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010024000222 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT philipaniah determinantsofadaptationstrategiestooffsetdecreasingprovisioningecosystemservicesinthesavannahecologicalzoneofghana |