Assessing the Adaptive Capacity of Smallholder Cocoa Farmers to Climate Variability in the Adansi South District of the Ashanti Region, Ghana

This study assessed the adaptive capacity of smallholder cocoa farmers to climate variability in the Adansi South District of the Ashanti Region, Ghana. The specific objectives were: (i) to assess the perception of the farmers to climate variability; (ii) to determine the perceived effects of climate variability on cocoa production in the district; and; (iii) to evaluate the adaptive capacity of the farmers to manage climate risks. The study used questionnaire surveys with 150 smallholder cocoa farmers, key informant interviews and focus group discussions in three selected communities (Afiaso, Tonkoase and Amudurase). A variety of capital assets (social, financial, human, physical and natural) were utilized to conceptualize smallholder cocoa farmers’ adaptive capacity. Smallholder cocoa farmers reported changes in the onset and duration of rains, rising temperature and increasing windstorms as the key variabilities in climate in the selected communities. The farmers perceived increased incidence of drought and cocoa failure, prevalence of diseases and pest invasion and decreased farmer income as the key effects on their cocoa production. Findings also revealed that cumulatively, all the selected communities in Adansi South District had a moderate adaptive capacity (0.531). The study therefore concluded that the smallholder cocoa farmers in Adansi South District of Ghana have a moderate adaptive capacity and recommends that appropriate policies aimed at enhancing the adaptive capacity of the smallholder cocoa farmers must be formulated by policy makers so as to minimize their vulnerabilities to climate risks