Download Proven drought adaptation measures.The sissala district

THE AFRICA-ASIA ADAPTATION FORUM
1-2 OCTOBER 2012 NAIROBI KENYA
FRANCIS NANABANYIN MILLS
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT ORGANISATION GHANA
OUTLINE
 Introduction
 Geography/climate of Ghana
 The climate /vegetation of the three northern regions
 Drought- a historical perspective
 Policy Response-national and in the three northern
regions
 The Pilot African Adaptation Programme project in
the Sissala District
INTRODUCTION
 Ghana, like many other African countries, faces
enormous social, economic and environmental
challenges that are likely to be exacerbated by the
impacts of climate change. At both the individual and
the national levels, climate change is of serious
concern because of the nation's over dependence on
climate-sensitive sectors, such as hydro-power
generation, agriculture, fisheries and wildlife
resources.
 Projections indicate that temperature will continue to
rise.
INTRODUCTION
 In Ghana, the experience of continuous drought
conditions in 1982/83 causing wild bush fires
throughout most parts of the country causing
extensive damage to farms, forest, flora and fauna and
the land has triggered a number of actions at all levels,
national ,regional, district and individual.
INTRODUCTION
 Reductions in rainfall is already impacting on rain-fed
agriculture and hydro-power outages, causing
significant decreases in industrial production. The
rural poor, especially in the northern regions of
Ghana, affected by frequent droughts and annual
flooding, are forced to adopt non-sustainable
measures such as migration, farming and building in
flood plains. These in turn increase their vulnerability
and make the fight against poverty increasingly
difficult.
GEOGRAPHY/CLIMATE
 Location
Ghana lies between latitudes 4o 44' and 11o 15' N and longitudes 3o 15' W
and 1o 12' E with a land area of 238,539 km2.
 Administration
The country is divided into ten regions ,with each region subdivided
into districts . Accra is the capital.
 Climate
The climate of Ghana is tropical, influenced by two prevailing winds
which determine the two main seasons-the dry and wet seasons
Wet season- last from May to October, peaks in August in the south
and from June to September in the north,
Dry season- starts from September, peaks in January,length and
severity decreases southwards
THE TEN REGIONS OF GHANA
Vegetation and agro ecological zones
of Ghana
 Ghana is divided into six agro-ecological zones,
namely Sudan, Guinea and Coastal Savanna
zones, the Forest-Savanna Transitional zone, the
Semi-deciduous Forest and the High Rainforest
Zones. The three northern regions fall within the
first two agro-ecological zones.
Vegetation and agro ecological zones
of Ghana
 The Sudan Savanna-this covers an estimated area
of 1,900 km2 and consists of short drought and fire
resistant deciduous trees interspersed with open
savanna grassland. Grass cover is very sparse and
in most areas the land is bare and severely eroded.
Vegetation and agro ecological zones
of Ghana
 The Guinea Savanna –this also covers almost the
northern two-thirds of the country with an area of
147,900 km2. The vegetation consists typically of a
ground cover of grasses of varying heights
interspersed with fire resistant, deciduous, broadleaved trees at the forest margins. This grades
into a more open grassland with widely spaced
shorter trees towards the north.
Vegetation and ecological zones
CLIMATE AND VEGETATION IN THE DROUGHT
PRONE THREE NORTHERN REGIONS
 The Sudan Savanna zone is characterized by a uni-modal
rainfall regime lasting 5-6 months and a long dry period of
6 - 7 months in a year. Average annual rainfall,
temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, sunshine
hours and solar radiation are 885 mm, 28.6oC, 54%, 81
km/day, 7.9 hours and 20.4 MJ/m2/day respectively.
Potential evaporation is 1652 mm per annum and the
annual aridity index is 0.60.
CLIMATE AND VEGETATION IN THE DROUGHT
PRONE THREE NORTHERN REGIONS
 The Guinea Savanna experiences a similar rainfall
pattern as in the Sudan Savanna zone. Average annual
rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, wind speed,
sunshine hours and solar radiation are 1033 mm,
28.1oC, 61%, 138 km/day, 7.3 hours and 19.6 MJ/m2/day
respectively. Potential evaporation is 1720 mm per
annum and the annual aridity index is 0.60.
Drought adaptation measures: a historical
perspective
 Drought is a naturally occurring phenomenon when precipitation falls
below normal recorded levels. Human activity can however influence
climatic change and accelerate drought and its attendant
desertification. The adverse effects of drought and desertification on
land resource production systems and water resources lead to poverty
and suffering for people in the affected areas.
 Efforts towards drought management and mitigation should be
directed, among others, at the development of early warning systems,
contingency plans for drought relief schemes, contingency crop
planning and dry season farming.
Drought adaptation measures: a historical
perspective
 The Pre-independence Era
Two main policies were pursued
A. Forest Conservation
 Aimed at halting desert encroachment and mitigate drought conditions.
Forest reserves were established to:
 protect the headwaters of streams
 Shelterbelt reserves were created in the path of the prevailing north-south
drying winds
 Act as barriers along the fringes of the forests
 Provide timber and wood products in accessible areas for demands not met in
the protective reserves.
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Measures adopted
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Watershed protection
Forest reservation
Fuelwood plantations
Demarcation, fencing and re-seeding of grazing areas.
Dam construction for seasonal irrigation farming and fish
farming.
Soil conservation measures including contour bank
construction on arable lands.
Sinking of wells
Construction of roads
Fish farming
Community participation
Introduction of appropriate land preparation methods
The historical perspective C’td
B. The Land Planning Approach
Objective: to resettle populations in less degraded
lands in order to undertake measures to restore the
environment and resource conditions of the degraded
areas. Soil Conservation and Land Planning
Ordinance (1953).
Achievements of the Land P/lanning approach
By 1959 seven land planning areas had been established
in the northern savanna areas and the following had
been achieved:
 12,400 acres (4960 ha) of water impounded
 640 km of narrow based contour banks constructed
serving 30720 acres (12288 ha) of land
Achievements of the Land P/lanning approach
 1976 acres (800 ha) of land unsuited to arable crop
cultivation fenced and partially re-seeded as grazing
camps
 4130 acres (1,670 ha) re-afforested
 790 acres (320 ha) of bonded rice fields and
300acres(120 ha) of dry season gardens developed
 Mixed farms using bullock ploughs increased from
100 in 1949 to 3000 in 1959 (Pitman and Ramsey 1959).
The post independence era
Major extended periods of dryness :
 1968-73, 1982-85 and 1990-92 and 1983.
 1981-1983, was very severe.
1. adversely affected land resources production
systems in Ghana, especially soil quality, fresh water
supplies, vegetation and crops.
2. The results were shortages in food production,
famine and a general decline in human livelihood
National level response
 Tree planting/afforestation schemes
 Construction of small holder dams
 Small scale irrigation schemes
 Research into and provision of drought resistent crops
 Zero burning sensitisation intensified
 Enactment of laws against bush burning
 Early warning systems
Response measures C’td
 Zero grazing methods encouraged
 Provision of bore holes
 Mainstreamng of CCDRR/Adaptation into district and
national devt plans
 Promotion of the use of LPG as an alternative to
charcoal
 National Action Progamme for Dessertification and
Drought(NAP
The African Adaptation
Progamme(AAP)in Ghana
What is it ?
A stategic innitiative aimed at creating an environment
for more informed and capable adaptation decisions
and practice.
-Funded by Japan and operates in 20 african countries
-National projects are designed to further develop
country capacity to succesfully implement adaptation
and DRR in line with national develpment goals
Project profile
 Funding-Japanese Government
 Total project budget-$2,790,900
 Executing Agency-Minstry Of Environment Science
And Technology(MEST)
 Implementing Agency-EPA
 Project partnersNADMO,Gmet,Mofep,NDPC,Care
 Tech.Support- UNDP
UNDP AAP PROJECT IN SISSALA
EAST DISTRICT
Focus- on three main thematic areas:
 Climate Change & Disaster Risk Reduction Awareness
Creation
 Providing Alternative Livelihoods to Women Groups;
 Establishing Agro-Forestry Plantation Demonstration
Farms.
Two Non Governmental Organizations; Action for
Sustainable Development (ASUDEV) and Youth Action for
Reproductive Order (YARO) have also been chosen to
partner the DA in implementing the Alternative
Livelihoods to Women Groups and Agro-Forestry
SITUATION BEFORE THE AAP
INTERVENTION
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Little or no awareness on climate change issues
indiscriminate felling of trees for charcoal production
Little or no conscious effort to grow trees
Women are culturally forbidden from owning cattle
and sheep which are considered as ‘black animals’.
Little or no awareness on climate change issues
indiscriminate felling of trees for charcoal production
Little or no conscious effort to grow trees
Women are culturally forbidden from owning cattle
and sheep which are considered as ‘black animals’.
PROJECT RESULTS /MAJOR
ACHIEVEMENTS
 Nine(9) communities have increased knowledge on climate
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change adaptation and resilience
45 women groups with total membership of 225 trained on
small ruminant production
225 small ruminants (sheep and goats) supplied to the 45
women beneficiary groups
Reduced socio-cultural barriers in the communities that
inhibit women quest to engage in small ruminant
production.
A total of 20 acres of 2000 mango plantation established
40 volunteers trained to fight against bush fires in 5
selected communities.
SENSITIZATION OF COMMUNITY
Distribution of small ruminants
Project staff on monitoring
Free range animals before project
Project sensitisation team at banu
community
Pilot farms
Pilot farms C’td
Tree planting
CHALLENGES
 bad roads at the peak of the rainy season
 Delay in the release of project funds hinder project implementation schedules
 The absence of standard and comprehensive reporting guidelines/formats
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posed challenge to partner reporting
The uncooperative attitude of some members of target communities
challenging
Project could not cover many communities who had shown
Lack of fencing exposed the saplings to animals.
Lack of access to nearby sources water in the dry season .
Waned enthusiasm among communities , work on the plantations left to the
plantation development committees thereby placing some untold pressure on
them.
Inadequate motivation for the plantation development committees.
Weed control was a problem.
LESSONS LEARNT
 The district’s climatic and geographical location
exposes it to serious threats of climate change but few
adaptation and resilience opportunities exist for the
people
 Women are enthusiastic and will defy the sociocultural barriers to produce and own small ruminants
to increase their incomes if they are given some
support as done under this project.
LESSONS LEARNT
 A preparedness to accept adapting measures against
deforestation due to the very significant level of knowledge
acquisition and awareness on particularly the causes and
negative effects of climate change, a situation that was
hitherto non-existent.
 A strong desire had been built on economic trees planting
as a livelihood sustaining option , particularly mango
trees, as individuals made requests for seedlings that could
not be met.
 There was a general willingness to release land by land
owners (chiefs) of beneficiary communities for the
plantations development.
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Conclusions
 Drought as a consequence of climate change is a real threat
to ghana,especially the three northern regions
 The Government of Ghana ,in collabotration with
international organisations ,District Assemblies,local
communities and civil society organisations ,is putting
adaptation measures in place to contain the threat
Conclusions
 The adaptation measures adopted are :
1.Long term orriented
2.a continuous process
3.focuses on livelihood security
4. targeted planning
5.Focuses on finding alternatives
6.uses resources efficiently
7.results oriented and practical
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