"Until a few years ago we were able to predict how much we could produce and the income that the farm would produce accordingly. Now it's very difficult”.
Dora runs a farm with her husband Asu. They live at the base of the Adaklu Mountains in Ghana and climate change is affecting their lives daily. In the area where they live, thanks to the presence of the mountains, the climatic conditions were once good for agriculture, since compared to the flat areas it rained sufficiently.
Now the temperatures have risen and the weather is more unpredictable. Even the rains are thinning out.
"In just one year our profits have fallen by 30%. We grow ocher, corn, peanuts and beans. Ocher is the most profitable crop for us because it grows rapidly, but every year the situation is more complex”.
Many in the same region face the same challenges. Once an expanding area, more affluent than other areas of the country, the area on the slopes of the Adaklu Mountains today clearly shows the impact of climate change, which affects the population’s food security. To mitigate the impact of this change, Dora has joined the Trefe women's group formed by ActionAid Ghana within the project Promoting Opportunities for Women Empowerment and Rights (POWER). With her husband, she attended a course to learn various techniques of agro-ecology and now they are more resistant and adaptable.
Dora explains: "We have adopted some of the sustainable, climate-resistant farming practices such as mulching (a procedure to protect the soil from erosion and keep it more humid) to reduce the effect of extremely high temperatures and evaporation from the soil. Furthermore, we differentiate our crops more, we practice the rotation and we use the compost to enrich the soil of our farm. This helps retain moisture, replenish soil nutrients and fight plant diseases and pests. We also prepare the neem extract from the neem tree, which is very common in our community, and we use it instead of synthetic pesticides to control pests. It is very effective, especially when applied early in the morning. However, it is essential that the government acts to reduce the effect of climate change. I have heard that some countries have contributed more than others to causing climate change. I would like everyone to realize what is happening and act to counter the climate crisis we are experiencing”.