FAO visits the Volta Delta

Climate change affects agriculture, health, ecosystems (especially in climate hotspots) and social infrastructure in varying degrees. In coastal communities, additional threats from the impacts of sea level rise such as erosion, flooding, salinization and the destruction of critical habitats such as mangroves threaten the sustainability of ecosystem-dependent livelihood systems. Among vulnerable populations, migration remains a significant response strategy to coping with climatic and non-climatic stressors.

 

The Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Regional Meeting held at the Royal Senchi Hotel in Akosombo, Ghana from November 20-24, 2017 focused on migration and rural development. As part of the programme, the Team undertook a day’s visit to the Keta Municipality (within the Volta delta) with the objective of having an overview of the impact of climate change on migration and agriculture in the delta. The team interacted with officials of the District Assembly through presentations and discussions on climate change and agriculture-related issues in the Municipality and how these are impacting on the lives of the people. Officials from the planning department, Community development workers and the Information Services Department (ISD) of the Assembly as well as DECCMA representatives were present during the interactions.

DECCMA’s Invitation

 WP3 Lead, Dr. Mumuni Abu represented DECCMA Ghana in response to the special invitation to share DECCMA’s findings on climate change and migration in the Volta delta of Ghana as well as discuss how to leverage the opportunities presented by the FAO in collaborating for further studies. He shared information on who migrants in the delta are, reasons for migrating, where the migrants go to, duration of migration and the general perception of the people about migration.

Dr. Abu Mumuni (DECCMA, UG) presenting during the FAO visit to Keta



Following the interactions at the Municipal Assembly, the Team undertook a tour of key areas such as the sea defense site where Prof. Appeaning explained the erosion phenomenon that led to massive destructions of homes, migrations and the subsequent intervention, the construction of the sea defense (groins) in 2004 to avert the erosion by trapping sediments and rebuilding the beach. There was also a visit to the remnants of Fort Prizenstein built by Danish traders 1784 as a defensive unit and later an instrumental dungeon for slaves awaiting transportation to the Caribbean.

 

Professor Appeaning-Addo (DECCMA, UG) explaining the issues of erosion at Keta to the FAO Team

DECCMA Research Uptake and Research into-Use (RiU)

Using evidence from climate hotspots, the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA) initiative has been exploring the dimensions of climate change vulnerability, impacts and the role of migration in adaptation. By assessing the climate vulnerabilities, hazards and through hotspot mapping, the Deltas, vulnerability, Climate Change, Migration and Adaptation (DECCMA) consortium aims at providing an understanding of the present state of climate change, adaptation and migration across deltas in Africa and Asia. An analysis of the status of migration in the Volta delta of Ghana (comprising nine administrative districts across two regions) using household surveys, shows that most migration (39%) occurred between three and five years ago whilst more than one-quarter (27.4%) migrated in less than 12 months suggesting a continuity of migration in the delta. Overall, 40% of the survey respondents (1364) are considering migrating in the future.

 

The Deltas, Vulnerability and Climate Change: Migration and Adaptation (DECCMA) project is evaluating the effectiveness of adaptation options including migration in Africa and Asia to deliver policy support for sustainable adaptation by analysing the impacts of climate change and the process of migration across contrasting deltas.