Version 1
: Received: 9 September 2024 / Approved: 10 September 2024 / Online: 10 September 2024 (15:12:45 CEST)
How to cite:
Akapule, G.; Tahiru, A.-W.; Tandoh-offin, P.; Garti, H. Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Food Security in Northern Ghana: Causes and Coping Strategies in the Upper East Region. Preprints2024, 2024090827. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0827.v1
Akapule, G.; Tahiru, A.-W.; Tandoh-offin, P.; Garti, H. Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Food Security in Northern Ghana: Causes and Coping Strategies in the Upper East Region. Preprints 2024, 2024090827. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0827.v1
Akapule, G.; Tahiru, A.-W.; Tandoh-offin, P.; Garti, H. Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Food Security in Northern Ghana: Causes and Coping Strategies in the Upper East Region. Preprints2024, 2024090827. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0827.v1
APA Style
Akapule, G., Tahiru, A. W., Tandoh-offin, P., & Garti, H. (2024). Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Food Security in Northern Ghana: Causes and Coping Strategies in the Upper East Region. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0827.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Akapule, G., Patrick Tandoh-offin and Helene Garti. 2024 "Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Food Security in Northern Ghana: Causes and Coping Strategies in the Upper East Region" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0827.v1
Abstract
Food insecurity remains a significant developmental challenge, particularly in rural areas, despite ongoing efforts to mitigate it. To better understand the persistence of this issue, this study investigates the causes of household food insecurity and the coping strategies employed by households in Zorkor Goo, Zorkor Kanga, and Zorkor Kadaare communities within the Bongo District of Ghana’s Upper East Region. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted, sampling 196 households systematically from these communities. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic factors, causes of food insecurity, household coping strategies, and dietary intake. The analysis was performed using SPSS (Version 21.0), with food security status and dietary intake assessed via the FANTA Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and Food Consumption Score, respectively. The study identified key factors contributing to food insecurity, including soil infertility, poor rainfall patterns, food spoilage, extravagant funerals, large family size, high unemployment, and lack of education. Major coping strategies among households included meal skipping, reducing meal size and frequency, migration, asset sales, and basket weaving. The findings revealed that 96.4% of households were severely food insecure, and over two-thirds (67.3%) exhibited poor dietary consumption. Notably, household employment levels, education, and food consumption scores were significantly associated with food insecurity (P<0.001). These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing the root causes of food insecurity and enhancing household resilience in these communities.
Keywords
climate change; food security; Ghana; consumption
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
