Assessing adaptive capacity to climate change and variability in the savannah and forest agro-ecological zones of Ghana

This chapter explores the differentiated adaptive capacities of farming households in the Savannah and forest agro-ecological zones of Ghana. While adaptive capacity is sometimes highly focused on a specific unit of analysis – for instance, the individual, household or community – the chapter takes a broader, cross-scalar approach, including adaption and adaptation strategies, the role of institutional and governance factors in shaping adaptive capacity, and climate-related mobilities. Bringing these different bodies of literature into productive engagement with one another and applying them on empirical findings, the chapter concludes that capacity for adaptation to climate change is determined by household characteristics and location in the agro-ecological zonedetermine. Additional factors include age, sex, education, household size, farm size, and size and perception of climatic changes.