Participants got the opportunity to interact with climate researchers. Regina Mensah (left) and Charles Hombey (right) shared their climate experience and adaptation strategies.
ISSER and UESD jointly organised a workshop to train farmers on climate change. It was held near farming communities in the Eastern Region of Ghana and delivered in simple non-technical language using a blend of English and vernacular. The workshop gave the farmers and community leaders knowledge on new evidence-based climate information and adaptation strategies.
Reduce negative environmental impact
“Today, I’ve learnt about new ways to better manage rice straws on my farm to reduce my impact on the environment and make a positive contribution to climate action,” says Mr. Charles Tetteh Hombey, a rice farmer.
“A beneficial workshop that has opened my eyes to the negative environmental impacts of some of our practices. I look forward to sharing the lessons with my farm workers and other women,” adds Madam Regina Mensah, a rice farmer and a women’s group leader.
The workshop was held on 16th December 2021 at the conference hall of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), in Somanya in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The forms part of activities under the EfD Ghana project co-hosted by ISSER and the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
Two-way learning by researchers and farmers
ISSER Senior Research Fellow, Dr. Simon Bawakyillenuo gave a presentation on Farmers’ vulnerability to Climate Change and the implications for their adaptive capacities, while UESD lecturers Dr. Ishmael Lente and Dr. Peter Asare Nuamah respectively spoke on Information puts “smile” on faces of farmers, and Scaling up climate-smart agriculture practice amidst Climate Change in smallholder agriculture systems. Prof. Anthony Amoah, a Senior Research Fellow of EfD Ghana and Acting Dean of the School of Sustainable Development at UESD also made brief remarks on the subject.
This was followed by experience sharing by farmers and open discussions during which participants – including the Municipal Chief Executive for the area, chiefs, representatives from the local unit of the Ghana National Service, farmers, and leaders of farmers’ groups – engaged actively in the workshop, enriching discussions with their experiences of climate change.
Key speakers (l-r): Peter Asare-Nuamah, Anthony Amoah, Simon Bawakyillenuo, Ishmael Lente.
Regina Mensah expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to engage with researchers, adding: “We look forward to regular engagements of this kind to give us access to information we need to help improve our livelihoods while protecting the environment.”
About EfD Ghana
The Environment and Natural Resource Research Initiative (ENRRI – EfD Ghana) is one of the 15 centers under the Environment for Development (EfD) initiative. Hosted by ISSER and GIMPA, it brings together accomplished researchers with varied expertise in environmental economics to conduct evidence-based research and advise government and development partners on policy options for managing the environment. Funded by Sida, the EfD Ghana project includes Prof. Peter Quartey as Deputy Director and some faculty members of ISSER as research fellows.
