Farmers face rising poverty and insecurity in northern Ghana due to climate pressures
Farmers face rising poverty and insecurity due to climate pressures in northern Ghana. Flooding along the White Volta River, worsened by erratic rainfall and recurring spillage from the Bagre Dam, is destroying farms and deepening poverty in parts of Ghana's North East Region. Communities such as Nalerigu in the Nalerigu-Gambaga District and Wulugu are among the hardest hit, where once-thriving farmlands have been reduced to flooded plains. Lamisi Ayiebu, a rice farmer, said, "I cultivate rice and soyabeans. When it floods, our crops are destroyed. Also, because of the poverty in this area, we don't have money to do any other business."
Asaah Mohammed, a professor at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, attributes the persistent flooding partly to changes in the river's structure. He said, "Looking at the volume of water and the perennial flooding, if you take a downshot from Sapeliga to the Bawku area, you will see the water has silted. So it is not really about the volume of water, but the depth of the river has reduced drastically." Eric Asuman, Director-General of the Ghana Meteorological Agency, said, "The rising temperatures are causing erratic rainfall, making it difficult to predict. When you don't expect some conditions, they come, and when you expect them, they don't. It is because of these warming conditions." Saidu, a farmer in Nalerigu, said, "Every year when we farm, the water comes to destroy it. So the low yield is not our fault; it is the fault of the rain." Laari Jennifer said, "I cultivate maize and rice. While my maize farm did not have enough rain, the rice farm was destroyed by the flood from the White Volta."
Asaah Mohammed is calling for urgent measures to mitigate the impact, including improved
Quick Summary
Farmers in northern Ghana are struggling with climate pressures and the threat of the White Volta River. Erratic rainfall and flooding are impacting livelihoods - and the future looks uncertain.
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