Climate Change Adaptation Plans Developed for West Mamprusi District

Climate Change Adaptation Plans (CAPs) have been development for five communities in the West Mamprusi District of the Northern Region. The communities are Zangum, Sayoo, Nayoku, Guakudow, and Guabuliga.

The plans which were jointly developed by the Zasilari Ecological Farms Project (ZEFP) and the West Mamprusi District Assembly will also be implemented throughout the district. It will guide implementation of Expanding Climate Change Resilience in Northern Ghana (ECCRING) project for this year and subsequent years.

According to the Project Coordinator of ECCRING, Issifu Sulemana Jobila, the plans defined a clear path to adaptation in the district as part of supporting communities to adapt to climate change.

He explained: “The plan strengthens existing livelihood sources of communities that are vulnerable to climate change impacts. These include agriculture, soil quality, vegetative resources, water resources, basic rural infrastructures and others. The purpose is to enable the communities to ensure food security”.

He also noted that, plans were far advanced to effectively mainstream the CAPs into the West Mamprusi District Medium Term Development Plans [MTDP] for the year 2014-2016.

In January 2013, ZEFP entered into an agreement with ACDEP/Canadian Hunger Foundation to jointly implement the ECCRING project. ZEFP was supported with one year grant of GH¢700,000.00 to implement series of activities under the project in the West Mamprusi District with special focus on rural innovative agricultural technology to increase food production, rural incomes as well as improve environmental conservation. 

The project seeks to build and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable rural communities to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts. The vulnerable farmers are expected to benefit from a wide range of climate change adaptation related activities which are expected to take place between January and December 2013. 

The project if implemented well would reduce the shocks of climate change impact on the vulnerable women and men who are mostly smallholder farmers.