Adaptation to floods and droughts in the Afram-Plains, Ghana

Lucy K.A. Adzoyi-Atidoh, Lincoln University
Samuel Codjoe

Adaptation should occupy the minds of scientists and policy makers since Africa will not escape the negative consequences of climate change. Afram–Plains (Ghana), is vulnerable to incidence of floods and droughts because of its overdependence on rain-fed agriculture compounded by factors such as widespread poverty and weak institutional capacity. This paper assesses the most preferred adaptation strategies during floods and droughts of males and females in different occupations (farming, fishing, and charcoal production). It uses focus group discussions to undertake pair-wise ranking and scoring as well as cross-impact assessments. Results show that firstly, there are some similarities as well as differences within genders, and occupations regarding preferred adaptation strategies. Secondly, while certain adaptation strategies are perceived to have synergistic effects, others could have undesirable side effects. It is recommended that similar kinds of assessments reported in this paper should be undertaken in deciding what adaptation options communities should pursue.