Strategies for Building Resilience against Climate and Ecosystem Changes in Sub-Saharan Africa (Science for Sustainable Societies)

This book summarizes studies on climate and ecosystem change adaptation and resilience in Africa (CECAR-Africa), a collaboration with the goal of creating an integrated resilience enhancement strategy as a potential model for semi-arid regions across Sub-Saharan Africa by combining climate change and ecosystem change research. The case studies were conducted at multiple scales – local, national, and regional – and incorporate the natural sciences, social sciences and engineering in a transdisciplinary manner while also integrating the needs of local communities. The book chiefly addresses three thematic areas, namely: Forecast and assessment of climate change impacts on agro-ecosystems; Risk assessment of extreme weather hazards and development of adaptive resource management methods; and Implementing capacity development programs for local leaders and practitioners. The collaborative nature of the project and the use of various quantitative and qualitative research technique s and methods – such as field surveys, questionnaires, focus group discussions, land use and cover change analysis, and climate downscaled modeling – make the book truly unique. Especially at a time when both long-term climate change and short-term extreme weather events such as droughts and floods are worsening, this book offers potential approaches to developing an integrated framework for assessing the local ability to cope with floods and droughts, and for enhancing the resilience of farming communities in developing countries, which are the most vulnerable to these changes and extreme weather events. As such, it will be of interest to a wider audience, including academics, professionals, and government officials alike. Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Toward Enhancing Resilience to Climate and Ecosystem Changes in Semi-Arid Africa: Evidence from Northern Ghana (Osamu Saito, Yaw Agyeman Boafo, Godfred Seidu Jasaw)....Pages 3-9 The Ghana Model for Resilience Enhancement in Semiarid Ghana: Conceptualization and Social Implementation (Osamu Saito, Yaw Agyeman Boafo, Godfred Seidu Jasaw, Effah Kwabena Antwi, Shoyama Kikuko, Gordana Kranjac-Berisavljevic et al.)....Pages 11-37 Front Matter ....Pages 39-39 Response of Maize to Different Nitrogen Application Rates and Tillage Practices Under Two Slope Positions in the Face of Current Climate Variability in the Sudan Savanna of West Africa (Isaac Danso, Thomas Gaiser, Heidi Webber, Jesse Naab, Frank Ewert)....Pages 41-58 Impact of Floods on Farmers’ Livelihoods in the Semi-arid Zone of Benin (Alice Bonou, Tobias Wünscher, Anselme Adéniyi Adégbidi, Adama Diaw)....Pages 59-77 Socioeconomic Impacts of Climate Change on the Livelihood and Adaptation Strategies of Smallholder Farmers in the Upper White Volta Basin of Ghana (Joseph Amikuzuno)....Pages 79-91 Evaluating the Effect of Irrigation on Paddy Rice Yield by Applying the AquaCrop Model in Northern Ghana (Shaibu Abdul-Ganiyu, Nicholas Kyei-Baffour, Wilson Agyei Agyare, Wilson Dogbe)....Pages 93-116 Farmers’ Livelihoods and Welfare in the Wa West District, Upper West Region of Ghana (Samuel A. Donkoh, Isaac Gershon Kodwo Ansah, William Adzawla, Bismark Amfo)....Pages 117-133 Front Matter ....Pages 135-135 Diversity and Dispersion Patterns of Tree Species Within Household Farmlands and Open Parklands in the Talensi Area of Northern Ghana (Francis Azumah Chimsah, Joseph Saa Dittoh, Israel Kwame Dzomeku)....Pages 137-148 Assessing Land and Ecosystem Management at the Local Level in the Savannah Ecological Zone and the Implications for Sustainability (Effah Kwabena Antwi, Ruby Mensah, Emmanuel Morgan Attua, Gerald Yiran, John Boakye-Danquah, Richmond Ametepe et al.)....Pages 149-177 Non-timber Forest Products, Climate Change Resilience, and Poverty Alleviation in Northern Ghana (Yakubu Balma Issaka)....Pages 179-192 Material Flow Analysis of Shea Butter Production Systems: Implications for Sustainability in Semi-arid Ghana (Godfred Seidu Jasaw, Osamu Saito, Kazuhiko Takeuchi)....Pages 193-214 Front Matter ....Pages 215-215 Strategies of Farmers in the Bawku West District of Ghana to Mitigate the Impacts of Climate Variability on Farming (Apuswin Mercy Abarike, Richard Wilfred Nartey Yeboah, Israel Kwame Dzomeku)....Pages 217-235 Green Farming Practices for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: A Comparison of Conventional Practices and Vetiver Technology (Effiom Essien Oku)....Pages 237-246 Exploring the Role of Trust in Risk Communication Among Climate-Induced Vulnerable Rural Communities in Wa West District, Ghana (Subhajyoti Samaddar, Muneta Yokomatsu, Frederick Dayour, Martin Oteng-Ababio, Togbiga Dzivenu, Hirohiko Ishikawa)....Pages 247-264 Examining Farm Management Practices and Implications for Food Crop Production in Semi-arid Ghana (Effah Kwabena Antwi, John Boakye-Danquah, Kwabena Awere Gyekye, Alex Owusu Barimah, Isaac Botchwey, Richmond Ametepe)....Pages 265-289 Adaptation to Climate Change: Lessons from Farmer Responses to Environmental Changes in Ghana (Edwin A. Gyasi, Kwabena Gyekye Awere)....Pages 291-312 The State of Disaster Risk Reduction Mainstreaming in Pre-tertiary Education in Ghana: An Exploratory Study (Priscilla Toloo Apronti, John Boakye-Danquah, Effah Kwabena Antwi)....Pages 313-330 Front Matter ....Pages 331-331 Internationalization and Localization of the Ghana Model: Lessons Learned, Opportunities for Upscaling, and Future Directions (Osamu Saito, Yaw Agyeman Boafo, Gordana Kranjac-Berisavljevic, Richard Wilfred Nartey Yeboah, Adelina Mensah, Chris Gordon et al.)....Pages 333-343 This book summarizes studies on climate and ecosystem change adaptation and resilience in Africa (CECAR-Africa), a collaboration with the goal of creating an integrated resilience enhancement strategy as a potential model for semi-arid regions across Sub-Saharan Africa by combining climate change and ecosystem change research. The case studies were conducted at multiple scales - local, national, and regional - and incorporate the natural sciences, social sciences and engineering in a transdisciplinary manner while also integrating the needs of local communities. The book chiefly addresses three thematic areas, namely : Forecast and assessment of climate change impacts on agro-ecosystems; Risk assessment of extreme weather hazards and development of adaptive resource management methods; and Implementing capacity development programs for local leaders and practitioners. The collaborative nature of the project and the use of various quantitative and qualitative research techniq ues and methods - such as field surveys, questionnaires, focus group discussions, land use and cover change analysis, and climate downscaled modeling - make the book truly unique. Especially at a time when both long-term climate change and short-term extreme weather events such as droughts and floods are worsening, this book offers potential approaches to developing an integrated framework for assessing the local ability to cope with floods and droughts, and for enhancing the resilience of farming communities in developing countries, which are the most vulnerable to these changes and extreme weather events. As such, it will be of interest to a wider audience, including academics, professionals, and government officials alike