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. 2020 Apr 21;6(4):e03679.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03679. eCollection 2020 Apr.

Evaluation of heat stress impacts and adaptations: perspectives from smallholder rural farmers in Bawku East of Northern Ghana

Kwasi Frimpong  1 , Stephen T Odonkor  2 , Francis A Kuranchie  2 , Victor Fannam Nunfam  3
Affiliations

Evaluation of heat stress impacts and adaptations: perspectives from smallholder rural farmers in Bawku East of Northern Ghana

Kwasi Frimpong et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Across the tropical developing countries, smallholder farmers are confronted with various climate related risks that hinge on agricultural activities. Climate change is predicted to impact smallholder farmers and their livelihood, especially within and beyond this century. Several studies have examined the impact of drought and rainfall on smallholder farmers as climate change impact assessment. However, there is limited information on impacts and coping strategies of poor farmers to heat exposure at household and farm level in tropical developing countries. As global temperature is predicted to increase with robust impacts on farmers in African region due to poverty and low adaptive capacity, this study evaluates how farmers in Bawku East of Northern Ghana experience the impacts of heat stress and how they cope with it both at the household level and on the field of cultivation. Using household survey and focus group discussion, the authors elicited impacts and responses of heat exposure from 308 resident farmers in three selected farming communities in Bawku East to gauge their vulnerability to heat exposure. Even though farmers have various impacts and coping strategies to heat exposure, these are ineffective to prevent them from heat related morbidity and mortality at both household and farm level. The study recommends the need for government led intervention to assist farmers in their effort to cope with heat stress as global temperatures will exacerbate heat stress impacts on small holder farmers especially in African region.

Keywords: Agricultural science; Bawku east; Climate; Climate change; Environmental science; Exposure; Farmers. heat; Health sciences; Heat stress; Livelihood; Risk.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A map of Ghana showing Bawku East and the selected villages for the study. Adapted from (Frimpong et al., 2014a, b).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of Heat on income and productivity of farmers.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Represents results of Focus Group Discussion from the three communities (Binduti, Manga, and Pusiga).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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