Climate Change Adaptation Strategies and Income Inequality Among Cocoa Farmers in The Ashanti Region of Ghana

Cocoa production is highly vulnerable to fluctuations in some weather parameters and efforts are now channeled at reducing farmers' vulnerability through provision of some adaptive strategies. This study analyzed the effects of climate change adaptation strategies on income inequality among Ghanaian cocoa farmers. The data were collected from cocoa farmers using multi-stage sampling method. Out of the districts where cocoa is grown in the Ashanti region, Ahafo Ano North district was randomly selected. The sampling proceeded with compilation of the names of the villages in the District where cocoa is largely grown. Although 379 cocoa farmers were interviewed with structured questionnaires, this study made use of 349 respondents with completed information on their sources of income. Data were analyzed with factor component income inequality decomposition and regression-based approaches focusing on the Gini coefficient. The analyses were carried out with Distributive Analysis Stata Package (DASP) software. The results showed that high temperature was 69.63% of the farmers in 2015, while 70.20% observed more crop pests. Cocoa farmers tried to adapt to climate change through regular spraying of cocoa (74.9%), planting of hybrid seeds (68.50%) and changing of planting time (66.10%), diversification of livelihood sources (70.60%), monitoring of weather through media houses (59.6%) and indigenous knowledge (59.3%). The results further showed high income inequality among cocoa farmers (Gini = 0.6838). Farmers indicated they were among others spraying cocoa regularly, planting of hybrid seeds and changing cocoa's planting time as means of adapting to climate change. Crop income source was inequality reducing having accounted for 55.34% of all incomes but contributed 48.37% of inequality. Other income sources that reduced inequality were livestock, non-farm wages and remittances. Farmers' incomes were significantly influenced (p<0.05) with land area, possession of formal education, access to agricultural extension services, planting of hybrid seeds, change of planting time, coping index and diversification into other crops. Among these, income inequality increased with coping index and diversification into other crops. It was concluded that provision of more effective climate adaptation methods would enhance farmers' income and reduce inequality given recent fluctuations in some weather parameters.