Features
IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON FOOD SECURITY IN GHANA
Changes in climatic conditions are not a recent phenomenon and different epochs on the geological time scale show how climate change has led to the extinction of some plants and animals. The more recent Holocene epoch, also known as the ”Age of Man”, has seen worrying climatic changes including extreme warming and cooling and the extinction of some large mammals in many parts of the world.
Global climatic changes have not only caused the extinction of mammals, big and small, but in some instances, threatened the survival of plants and animals that serve as food sources for humans.In many ways, climate variability affect almost every sector in a country including health, agriculture and the economy. For most developing countries where reliance on agriculture is the bedrock for their survival, any occurrence that tends to negatively impact on that sector plunges their economies into crises andeventually, development tends to suffer. A major threat, moreover, of the unfolding changes in climatic conditions are the impact on a country’s food security.
Threats to food security is not only a consequence of the fast emerging Malthusian catastrophe, where food supply is unable to match the exponential growth in population size, but also, a direct consequence of climate change. In Ghana, like many African countries in the sub-Saharan region, the system of farming is heavily reliant on rainfall. Irrigation, an alternative source of water supply for crops in farms are virtually non-existent in many communities that serve as food basket for the countries. Consequently, any slight change in rainfall patterns has the potential of affecting annual yields. Such shot-falls create food shortages; with the little available only accessible by the rich.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO),“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”. Indeed, the impact of climate change is intrinsically interwoven with food security and this can be viewed from global to local levels considering the components of food systems.
Climate Change trends in Ghana
The trends show that Ghana has been experiencing climate changes over a substantial period of time. According to climate researchers, rainfall pattern in Ghana was mostly high in the 1960s but this decreased to low levels in the latter part of 1970s and early 1980s. This decline in rainfall patterns still prevails in recent times. A year period data also show that temperatures in all zones in Ghana are rising, and rainfall has been reducing and becoming increasingly erratic.
The impact of climate change is projected to be severe on Ghana, though there will be fluctuations in both annual temperatures and precipitation. According to a 2010 World Bankreport on Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change, Ghana will continue to experience rising temperature especially in the Northern, Upper East, and Upper West regions. Other parts of the country, however, are expected to experience very cold temperature.
Climate researchers have observed significant climatic variations in Ghana with their corresponding time periods. The period January–July 1976 and October–December 1989 is reported to have experienced very hot weather conditions with the period 1983–1984 experiencing severe droughts and a year-long bush fires. The years 1991, 2012 and 2013 experienced severe rains resulting in floods that destroyed properties running into millions of cedis with some persons losing their lives in the disaster.
Presently, Ghana has a high temperature with the average annual temperature ranging between 24 °C to 30 °C. In spite of this average annual temperature, there are instances where the temperature can be 18 °C and 40 °C in the southern and northern parts of Ghana, respectively. Rainfall in Ghana generally decreases from south to north. The wettest area in Ghana is the extreme southwest where annual rainfall is about 2000 mm. However, the annual rainfall in extreme north of Ghana is less than 1,100 mm.
The country has two main rainfall regimes which are the double maxima regime and the single maximum regime. In relation to the double maxima regime, the two maximum periods are from April to July and from September to November in Southern Ghana. While the single maximum regime is from May to October in Northern Ghana, this is followed by a long dry season from November to May. Over the years, the temperatures in all the ecological zones of Ghana are rising while rainfall levels have been generally reducing.
Climate Change and Food Security in Ghana
Climate change is likely to contribute substantially to food insecurity in the future, by increasing food prices, and reducing food production. Food may become more expensive as climate change mitigation efforts increase energy prices, water required for food production may become scarcer due to increased crop water use and drought and competition for land may increase as certain areas become climatically unsuitable for production. In addition, extreme weather events, associated with climate change may cause sudden reductions in agricultural productivity, leading to rapid price increases.
Food availability, access, stability and utilization are the key parametres for measuring food security situationsin any country. On all fronts, climate change is negatively impacting on agriculture and farmersare already adapting to rainfall variability and higher temperatures by shifting sowing dates and changing crop mix or plot location.
Food Availability
Food availability addresses the “supply side” of food security and is determined by the level of food production, stock levels and net trade. Climate change is making Africa become dependent on food imports and aid due to increasing environmental degradation of arable lands, low soil fertility, depletion of water bodies, high incidence of pests attacks and diseases that affect crops and livestock and decreased animal productivity from high temperatures.In Ghana, a reported $450m and $374m of rice and chicken respectively are imported annually into the country. Variability in rainfall patterns coupled with high temperature is causing changes ingrowing seasons for food crops resulting in lower agricultural yield. These factors are largely contributing to shortages in the national food basket and gradually causing glides instead of the expected gluts.
Food Access
An adequate supply of food at the national or international level does not in itself guarantee household level food security. Climate change has important implications for food distribution as it affects accessibility due to destruction of road, bridges and other infrastructure, and influences the functioning of markets and other social and economic institutions. Extreme weather events affect local production and therefore local income and accessibility to food. Quite a number of roads that lead to farm lands in Ghana are in deplorable state and this in effect affects the distribution of food stuff across the country. While food crops get spoilt on farm lands, many communities risk being cut off from the supply of food crops and for the few that get on the market, they are too expensive to be afforded by all.
Food Utilisation
Utilisation is commonly understood as the way the body makes the most of various nutrients in the food. Sufficient energy and nutrient intake by individuals is the result of good care and feeding practices, food preparation, and diversity of the diet and intra-household distribution of food. Combined with good biological utilisation of food consumed, this determines the nutritional status of individuals. Climate induced changes affect food diversity, causes increase in vector diseases of humans, and pests of livestock and crops and therefore affect food utilisation patterns.
Even if a country’s food intake is adequate today, they are still considered to be food insecure if they have inadequate access to food on a periodic basis, risking a deterioration of the country’s nutritional status. Adverse weather conditions, political instability, or economic factors (unemployment, rising food prices) may have an impact on a country’s food security status. Food stability is a direct consequence of food availability and access. However, extreme events, such as droughts, floods and high temperature tend to threaten the stability of food access and utilisation. Such factors that contribute to food insecurity are expected to become more frequent as a consequence of climate change leading to frequent temporary food shortages.
Mitigating the Impact of Climate Crises
Tackling climate change impacts on food security needs to be addressed with adequate resources and well thought-through policies. Key measures such as effective irrigation systems, a more scientific forecasting mechanism to aid farmers to plant crops in the right seasons, planting of climate resistant crops and protection of the environment through a more conscious and sustained policies will help mitigate the potential impact of climate crises on Ghana’s food security situation.
The writer is the Head of Department,
Mass Communication and Journalism,
BlueCrest University College.
By: Philip Acquaye
Someone said, if we cannot plan for an occurrence as predictable as the annual rains, then what else can we plan for as a country? God has caused nature to schedule rains for specific periods or months within the year and everybody knows this.
One need not be a meteorologist to tell that the rains will fall in May and June every year. Any serious person who has something that the rains can affect, would therefore plan taking into consideration the likelihood of the rains falling. Therefore to find out that a whole country like ours, had not planned effectively, is mind-boggling.
The report by the World Bank that fiscal policy measures by the Finance Minister has led to no money being released for the World Bank sponsored project to deal with the perennial flooding situation in Accra, is so disappointing. The fact that this contributed immensely to the flooding in Accra, is an understatement.
There have been fires in our markets, but who is checking the wiring on a regular basis as a system designed to prevent future outbreaks? The occurrence of fires in our markets is something that must engage the attention of government and all the stakeholders.
The causes may be several but if a system of proper fire prevention is in place, l believe the number of occurrences will be drastically minimised. Electrical wiring for instance has been found to be one of the causes of market fires. Fire as we know from the experts, can only happen if these three things are present, namely source of heat, combustible material and oxygen i.e. air.
lf any one of these is missing, there will be no fire. It has been realised that heat generated in wires have caused fires in the past and therefore, an effective system must be put in place to ensure that, only certain approved qualified electricians, can execute wiring jobs in our markets instead of the current situation where different electricians execute wiring with different types of wires, of different quality, dimensions etc.
Preventive inspections schedule must also be put in place to endure compliance with uniform wiring standard, as well as adherence to expiry dates of the wires.
What baffles me is why some MCEs and DCEs are still at post while things are deteriorating in their areas of influence and yet the President or the Minister for Local Government seems to be unwilling to relieve them of their positions. People have lost their lives, official count is about 37 lives, properties worth millions of Ghana Cedis have been destroyed, people’s livelihoods have been destroyed and they are at ground zero.
We can go on and on and on about the devastating impact of the recent floods. Suddenly, we have these local authority heads, all over the place, demolishing buildings after the flood. Is this not insanity? Where were the LUPSA Engineers who issue permits at the local assemblies?
If they were doing their jobs, for which they are paid every month, they would have seen people constructing structures at Ramseyer sites. They would have seen people putting up structures very close to the bank of streams or rivers and could have enforced the regulations, which could have averted the level of impact on lives and property.
One particular issue which drives me crazy is the Kasoa to Mallam Junction stretch of the N1. The traffic jam between West Hills Mall and Weija Junction is due to the flooding of a place called Ataala. Anytime it rains heavily, the area floods and vehicles moving from West Hills towards Weija cannot use their normal lane but are forced to switch to the inner lane of those headed towards West Hills Mall from Weija and it did not start yesterday. I am so, so disappointed. God Bless.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
The romance between man and wife ends where chopmoney palaver begins. When the man is leaving for work and the woman’s face looks like a rainy day, anyone can guess that the chop money delivered is quite below sea level.
But when she smiles too broadly for comfort and waves her husband goodbye zealously, it means the man did not only perform well under the cover of darkness but also dished out the correct amount of chop money.
The typical matrimonial home is a complex one. Many factors contribute to fuelling or preventing occasional civil wars. When Pyram became a household word, some husbands and wives put heads together, went borrowing, sold their belongings and invested in the sham scheme.
When Pyram collapsed, many marriages got shattered beyond repair. Wives blamed their husbands and husbands complained about nagging wives. In a few instances, punches were traded. Crises could not be managed as debts soared and creditors wanted back their money.
Chop money grew slim. Only Mr Kofi Annan could negotiate a truce between warring partners as daggers were drawn. The Pyram palaver brought more woes to Sikaman than the joy it was supposed to bring.
Many women have died from distress and frustration. All their resources which were joyfully invested in the scheme cannot be retrieved.
“Today, the Government says it cannot use taxpayers’ money to pay those who lost various sums of money to the two money-doubling banks Pyram and Resource 5000 Ltd. “We told you not to take your monies there and you didn’t listen. Paddle your own canoe, or canoe your own paddle,’ says the Sikaman government.”
The chop money palaver in Sikaman is getting heady. People are citing chop money problems for their offences. The newspapers report of a man who allegedly injected his three-week-old daughter with DDT because the wife was disturbing him with chop money matters too much. He is being tried by the courts.
Some women claim they abandoned their babies because their fathers refused to offer chop money. So when they dump the babies in the latrine, they are relieved of any burden. Looks like maternal instincts are withering out of mothers. These are indeed times when mothers no longer love their children because of chop money palaver.
Stomach capacity
The amount of chop money a father gives out each day, week or month depends on the family size and the stomach capacity of each family stomach. Members of some families are very light eaters and little is spent on food. But for other families where some members have ‘double chambers’ the food budget requires additional funds.
Indeed, in some families, members have natural appetite for food whether or not they take peters (bitters). And when food isn’t enough, there can be an uprising against constituted domestic authority, the family equivalent of the Guinea Bissau rebellion.
Yes, where one person can eat four balls of kenkey and cry for more, but is given only two balls, he can get angry and start breaking louvres.
The chop money size also depends on the level of nutrition typical of each family. Some families believe in the third world theory that QUANTITY is better than QUALITY. The bigger the banku and the smaller the fish, all the better for Ghanaians. Yes quantity, not quality. Such families stock maize in bags.
Those who believe in quality spend much on vegetables, meat and fish and therefore spend more, but it is worth it because they are healthier and stronger. They also spend on fruits and are averse to the “quantity supremacy” theory.
The problem with chop money issues is that when the correct amount is not flowing, the women think the men are misapplying their salaries in overt pleasures. They accuse their husbands of drinking too much bitters and burukutu, and they can prove the accusation using a formula. They only have to smell the breath of their partners. The fuse can be great!
One woman told her neighbour when her husband comes back home drunk, he behaves like a walking distillery, swaggering like a drunken sailor. You’d think he has been baptised with raw akpeteshie or immersed in the stuff. Her only compliment was that in spite of his alcoholic status, the guy could perform. That is Viagra or no Viagra.
Women also accuse men of chasing other women in the same manner as a he-goat does. Half their salaries cannot be accounted for as a result, they claim. So when the chop money isn’t at least at sea-level, they must protest either noisily or stage a sit-down strike.
Domestic sit-down strikes by wives can cause problems. When a man takes full quarter and is expecting a wonderful dinner with soup and its accompaniments and comes to meet an empty table and a brooding woman, he can go berserk. The clash can be worse than a plane crash.
As it were, it all requires patience to make a marriage last, chop money or not.
This article was first published on Saturday, July 11, 1998
