Abstract:
Extreme events like droughts frequently affect West Africa, known
as the world’s centre for cocoa production. In Ghana and Togo,
these extreme events negatively affect water supplies and agricultural
land productivity, especially for cocoa. This study aims to
create a cocoa drought vulnerability map that offers a clearer perspective
of drought effects over the transboundary territory
between Ghana and Togo, where substantial amounts of cocoa
are produced. The vulnerability map used 16 criteria categorised
under three (3) vulnerability components Exposure [4], Sensitivity
[6], and Adaptive Capacity [6]. The study used the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) vulnerability
framework and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to normalise
the criteria. Results showed that over 70% of the cocoa cultivation
area in the study area is moderately to highly vulnerable
to drought, while less than 30% is classified as very low and low.
The most susceptible areas are located on the Togolese side,
extending from the central to the northern region, compared to
Ghana. These findings are relevant to support drought resilience
strategies in the cocoa sector aiming to prioritise interventions
and maximise cocoa productivity per drought vulnerability category
zone
Description:
A Publication submitted to the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Climate Change and Land Use
