Extent of Climate Information Service as a Decision Support Tool to Climate Smart Agricultural Technology Use and Adoption in Ghana
Abstract
Climate information services have been crucial in the quest to promote sustainable agricultural production. Access to information is a first step in addressing such a situation. In this context, getting information on events, actions, situations, or happenings that threaten the achievement of sustainable agriculture production is the top most priority. Climate information received by farmers is critical to farmers decision making and planning process in the agriculture sector specifically with productivity, food security, plant and soil health. Use and adoption of CSA technologies by farmers is largely influenced by inherent decisions based on climate information at all stages of production. Based on this, 679 farmers across 6 regions in Ghana, rainfall onset, first cessation, windstorm, humidity, drought spell and rainfall volume were identified as the CI required in order of importance out of nine (9). Out of all the farmers that accessed this information, about 72% had information on rainfall onset being the highest, followed by first-cessation with 47%. This top 2 is largely possible because of the heavily dependence of rainfall on agriculture and through farmer-to-farmer information sharing, and much focus on rain related information. CSA adoption, a little above one-fifth (22%) of the farmers adopted crop rotation. Pest and disease tolerant varieties were adopted by 15% of the farmers, with a close to equal adoption percentage across all three sampled groups. Minimum tillage was reported as a male-dominant CSA and was only adopted by less than one-fifth of the total respondents. Enhanced biopesticide use was male dominant. CIS proves to be a critical tool for decision making and hence influence CSA use and adoption. This therefore requires strong improvement in both content, strategy and approach to delivering tailor-made CI for farmers and other value chain actors.
