Urban agriculture as a strategy for building climate resilience: evidence from Accra, Ghana

YESI International Fellows Seminar with Professor Philip Antwi-Agyei, Professor of Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainability Science, and the Director of the Office of Grants and Research at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.

Increasing temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns continue to compromise the livelihoods of many city and rural dwellers in Ghana. Climate change adaptation therefore remains a major priority for city and rural authorities in Ghana. Yet, it remains unknown how urban agriculture could contribute to climate resilience for urban growers in Accra, Ghana.

Employing qualitative approaches including policy analysis, stakeholders’ interviews, and field observations, this talk seeks to shed light on the potential of urban agriculture in building climate resilience in Accra, Ghana. Specifically, the talk will establish the links between urban agriculture and climate resilience. This talk will show the extent to which urban agriculture has been prioritised in climate change and agriculture related policies in Ghana. It will demonstrate how agricultural practices can contribute to reducing the exposure and sensitivity of urban communities to climate shocks and stresses.

Further, the talk will highlight the challenges confronting policymakers in integrating and incorporating urban agriculture into national policies. It will also shed light on the challenges that urban growers face in Accra, including land availability and security, inadequate labour, lack of coherent policy on urban agriculture, amongst others.

The talk concludes by proposing recommendations including land reforms to address critical land tenure issues, governmental support, policy guideline for urban agriculture, etc., aimed at making urban agriculture viable and resilient in the face of climate change and using urban agriculture to address climate challenges.