Assessing nuanced social networks and its implication for climate change adaptation in northwestern Ghana

• Published in: World development perspectives 2022-03, Vol.25, p.100390, Article 100390
• Main Authors: Alare, Rahinatu S., Lawson, Elaine T., Mensah, Adelina, Yevide, Armand, Adiku, Prosper
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation; Climate change; Gender; Social capital
• ISSN: 2452-2929; 2452-2929
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wdp.2021.100390

•Climate adaptation in rural Africa has always been carried out as a collective action.•Social networks of smallholder farmers in northern Ghana are influenced by relational and structural processes which have implications for climate change adaptation.•Intersections such as educational level, occupation and marital status may individually or collectively influence a person’s social network.•Findings revealed that an interplay of age, marital status and educational levels influenced access to social networks for support in minimising climate risk.•Promoting adaptation actions without addressing structural and relational inequalities within vulnerable communities may deepen existing inequalities. The current uncertainty, frequency and intensity of climate change impacts limits opportunities for climate adaptation among smallholder farmers in developing countries. This paper seeks to critically examine how gendered relations at the household level influence access to social networks for climate change adaptation in northwestern Ghana. By doing so, the study contributes to an improved understanding of how inter-gender dynamics shape adaptive capacities among vulnerable groups. Using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and key informant interviews, a total sample size of 156 respondents were studied. The study also employed an intersectional framework and a network analysis to examine the nuanced networks of smallholder farmer households. Findings revealed that the interplay of age, marital status and educational levels influenced access to social networks for support in minimising climate risk. As such, promoting adaptation actions without addressing structural and relational inequalities within vulnerable communities may deepen existing inequalities.