Response to the Effects of Drought Spell on Livelihoods of Agro-Pastoralists in Northern Ghana

Abstract

Climate shocks remains a threat to the livelihoods of agro-pastoralists in Africa, given that crop and livestock farming in the continent are mainly rain-fed. Thus, erratic rainfalls and temperatures are environmental factors bedeviling agro-pastoralism. In Ghana, northern Ghana is the food basket of the country, with over 70% of the labour force engaged in agriculture, producing both crops and livestock. Unfortunately, this part of the country for a long time has suffered from the perennial floods and droughts. In the 2024 farming season, there was a prolong drought in northern Ghana spanning for almost 50 days. In response, the government of Ghana commissioned the registration of farmers for support. However, this support was mainly limited to crop lost, with little emphasis on livestock lost. In view of this, CLIP commissioned a study to assess the effect of the drought spell on agro-pastoralists’ livelihoods in the five regions of northern Ghana. The objectives of the study are to examine agro-pastoralists drought experience, determine the perceived effect of the drought spell on agro-pastoralists’ livelihoods, and identify and analyse agro-pastoralists’ drought adaptation strategies. The study relied on primary quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data was collected through a survey with 745 agro-pastoralists using survey questionnaire, randomly selected from 22 districts from the five northern regions. Qualitative data was collected through interviews with 22 District Livestock Officers using unstructured interview guide and also interviews with the agro-pastoralists. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in tables and charts. The results show that over 98% of agro-pastoralists experienced the drought for an average of 28 days and a maximum of 41 days, with agro-pastoralists in the Upper East region experiencing the longest drought periods of over 32 days. The results further showed that agro-pastoralists’ livelihoods were severely impacted adversely by the drought. The effect of the drought on their livelihoods manifest in the form of reduced pasture availability, stunting and mortality of livestock, increased competition over water and crop residue, outbreak of diseases among livestock, increased cost of livestock feed, and reduced farm income. Though the government of Ghana registered some farmers affected by the drought for support, only 21% of agro-pastoralists interviewed were captured in this registration. Yet, the government’s promised support targets crop lost, rather than livestock lost. Over 76% of agro-pastoralists are either not expecting any external support or not sure if there will ever be an external support for them to recover from the adverse effect of the drought. This renders their livelihoods more vulnerable to climatic shocks. Finally, the results showed that the main strategies adopted by agro-pastoralists to adapt to the effects of the drought spell are: buying more fodder for their livestock, migrating to other communities in search for pasture and water, and selling off some livestock. These strategies are not sustainable given that migrating to other communities has implications on farmer-herder relations, buying more fodder has cost implications for agro-pastoralists and selling off livestock may deplete the stock. Based on the prevailing drought spell effects on agro-pastoralists livelihoods, the policy implication is for governmental and non-governmental organisations to be intentional about the climate change effect on livelihoods of agro-pastoralists by setting up special funds to support agro-pastoralists during climate shocks such as drought and/or floods.