Unpacking innovation demands for climate-resilient mixed farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: a case of northern Ghana
According to the United Nations (n.d.), climate change is the long-term shift in temperatures and weather patterns due to natural changes, such as the sun’s activity and significant volcanic eruptions, or human activities, such as burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. The effects of and chal...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | Inglés |
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Thomas A. Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems
2025
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174426 |
| _version_ | 1855526898660016128 |
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| author | Ofosu, Abena Minh, Thai Thi Zemadim, Birhanu |
| author_browse | Minh, Thai Thi Ofosu, Abena Zemadim, Birhanu |
| author_facet | Ofosu, Abena Minh, Thai Thi Zemadim, Birhanu |
| author_sort | Ofosu, Abena |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | According to the United Nations (n.d.), climate change is the long-term shift in temperatures and weather patterns due to natural changes, such as the sun’s activity and significant volcanic eruptions, or human activities, such as burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. The effects of and challenges caused by climate change on farmers’ ability to manage mixed farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa are well documented in the literature. However, the synergies among mixed farming systems’ components and farmers’ innovation demands and responses to climate change impacts remain fragmented. Using a case of mixed crop-livestock-tree (MCLT) systems in northern Ghana, this paper examined farmers’ responses, their innovation needs, and how these innovations can be catalyzed to enable more farmers to adopt similar climate change adaptations. Our findings show that climate change impacts mixed farming systems in several domains, with these impacts being more visible in some domains. Significant productivity declines are observed in crops, livestock, and the whole mixed farming system. Productivity declines lead to decreased incomes, food availability, and household food security. Female farmers’ access to production factors, resource management, and market participation is reduced. Farmers make technical, managerial, and business changes in response to climate change impacts. Such changes are dominated by technical changes, including using highyielding, disease-resistant, and early-maturing crop varieties, crop and animal pest and disease management, agricultural water and land management, and wind and bush fire control. Interconnections between the MCLT system components include cross-component investments, additional income generation, animal feeding and healthcare improvement, nutrition exchanges, and family nutrition improvement. These interconnections generate income and cash flow and support food and nutrition security, enabling farmers’ adaptation. Climate-resilient innovation bundles to enable farmers’ adaptation include good agricultural practices, circular farming techniques, irrigation packages, information services, and value-chain linkages. Scaling climate-resilient innovations in northern Ghana and other sub-Saharan African contexts require multiple pathways, including innovation platforms, innovation bundling, multi-actor partnerships, inclusive finance, and multistakeholder dialogues to support farmers’ adaptation to climate change. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace174426 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Thomas A. Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems |
| publisherStr | Thomas A. Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1744262025-10-26T12:57:04Z Unpacking innovation demands for climate-resilient mixed farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: a case of northern Ghana Ofosu, Abena Minh, Thai Thi Zemadim, Birhanu mixed farming farming systems climate change impacts climate resilience innovation scaling climate change adaptation livestock farmers According to the United Nations (n.d.), climate change is the long-term shift in temperatures and weather patterns due to natural changes, such as the sun’s activity and significant volcanic eruptions, or human activities, such as burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. The effects of and challenges caused by climate change on farmers’ ability to manage mixed farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa are well documented in the literature. However, the synergies among mixed farming systems’ components and farmers’ innovation demands and responses to climate change impacts remain fragmented. Using a case of mixed crop-livestock-tree (MCLT) systems in northern Ghana, this paper examined farmers’ responses, their innovation needs, and how these innovations can be catalyzed to enable more farmers to adopt similar climate change adaptations. Our findings show that climate change impacts mixed farming systems in several domains, with these impacts being more visible in some domains. Significant productivity declines are observed in crops, livestock, and the whole mixed farming system. Productivity declines lead to decreased incomes, food availability, and household food security. Female farmers’ access to production factors, resource management, and market participation is reduced. Farmers make technical, managerial, and business changes in response to climate change impacts. Such changes are dominated by technical changes, including using highyielding, disease-resistant, and early-maturing crop varieties, crop and animal pest and disease management, agricultural water and land management, and wind and bush fire control. Interconnections between the MCLT system components include cross-component investments, additional income generation, animal feeding and healthcare improvement, nutrition exchanges, and family nutrition improvement. These interconnections generate income and cash flow and support food and nutrition security, enabling farmers’ adaptation. Climate-resilient innovation bundles to enable farmers’ adaptation include good agricultural practices, circular farming techniques, irrigation packages, information services, and value-chain linkages. Scaling climate-resilient innovations in northern Ghana and other sub-Saharan African contexts require multiple pathways, including innovation platforms, innovation bundling, multi-actor partnerships, inclusive finance, and multistakeholder dialogues to support farmers’ adaptation to climate change. 2025-04 2025-05-05T10:19:06Z 2025-05-05T10:19:06Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174426 en Open Access Thomas A. Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems Ofosu, Abena; Minh, Thai Thi; Birhanu, Birhanu Zemadim. 2025. Unpacking innovation demands for climate-resilient mixed farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: a case of northern Ghana. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 14(2):461-482. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.142.020] |
| spellingShingle | mixed farming farming systems climate change impacts climate resilience innovation scaling climate change adaptation livestock farmers Ofosu, Abena Minh, Thai Thi Zemadim, Birhanu Unpacking innovation demands for climate-resilient mixed farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: a case of northern Ghana |
| title | Unpacking innovation demands for climate-resilient mixed farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: a case of northern Ghana |
| title_full | Unpacking innovation demands for climate-resilient mixed farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: a case of northern Ghana |
| title_fullStr | Unpacking innovation demands for climate-resilient mixed farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: a case of northern Ghana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unpacking innovation demands for climate-resilient mixed farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: a case of northern Ghana |
| title_short | Unpacking innovation demands for climate-resilient mixed farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: a case of northern Ghana |
| title_sort | unpacking innovation demands for climate resilient mixed farming systems in sub saharan africa a case of northern ghana |
| topic | mixed farming farming systems climate change impacts climate resilience innovation scaling climate change adaptation livestock farmers |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174426 |
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