Coping with adversity: Resilience dynamics of livestock farmers in two agroecological zones of Ghana

Francis Sena Nuvey, Adolphina Addo-Lartey, Priscillia Awo Nortey, Kennedy Kwasi Addo, Bassirou Bonfoh

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Despite the increasing occurrence of adverse events including droughts and conflicts, livestock farmers in Ghana continue to raise animals to support their livelihoods and the national economy. We assessed the resilience of cattle farmers (CF) to adverse events they faced using a cross-sectional survey of 287 CF in two agroecological zones in Ghana. Resilience to adversities was assessed using the Resilience Scale (RS-14). Resilience scores and categories were computed and factors that explained varia-tions in resilience categories assessed. The farmers kept, on average, 31 cattle per household, with a majority (91%) also growing crops. Key adverse events confronting them in both districts were animal disease outbreaks, pasture shortages, and theft, with 85% (240/287) losing, on average, seven cattle (15% of the herd size) over a one-year period. The mean resilience score was 71 (SD = 8) out of 98; 52% were highly resilient. Resilience was higher in the southern district (72 versus 70), albeit not statistically significant (p = 0.06). The resilience significantly improved with age, each unit increase in cattle in the herd, and having experience raising livestock (p < 0.001). The CF have relatively high resilience to adverse events affecting their productivity. The findings provide relevant information for implementing mitigation measures to improve production by reducing animal mortalities through high-quality veteri-nary services.

Original languageEnglish
Article number9008
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume18
Issue number17
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sep 2021

Keywords

  • Food security
  • Livestock farmers
  • Resilience
  • Vulnerability

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