African Savannas: Global narratives and local knowledge of environmental change, edited by Thomas J. Bassett and Donald Crummey. Oxford: James Currey and Portsmouth NH: Heinemann, 2003. xviii + 270 pp.  45.00 hardback,  16.95 paperback. ISBN 0-85255-429-X (hardback), ISBN 0-85255-424-9 (paperback). * Social History and African Environments, edited by William Beinart and JoAnn McGregor. Oxford: James Currey, Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, and Cape Town: David Philip, 2003. xii + 275 pp.  45.00 hardback,  18.95 paperback. ISBN 0-85255-951-8 (hardback), ISBN 0-85255-950-X (paperback)

2004 ◽  
Vol 103 (413) ◽  
pp. 690-692
Author(s):  
B. Adams
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Social History ◽  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Ohio University

scholarly journals Livelihood Sustainability Under Environmental Change: Exploring the Dynamics of Local Knowledge in Crop Farming and Implications for Development Planning in Ghana

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-180
Author(s):  
Emmanuel K. Derbile ◽  
Alfred Dongzagla ◽  
Francis Dakyaga
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
Soil And Water Conservation ◽  
Knowledge Systems ◽  
Endogenous Development ◽  
Crop Farming ◽  
Wa Municipality ◽  
Soil And Water

The relationship between environmental change, local knowledge systems and livelihood sustainability has received increased scholarly attention over the past few decades. However, the inter-linkages and emerging dynamics of knowledge systems in response to environmental change is still a grey area. This paper explores the dynamics of local knowledge systems for adapting crop farming to environmental change in the Wa Municipality, northern Ghana. The study employed a mixed methods research approach to collect data from four farming communities. Qualitative data was collected through in-depth interviews of Key Informants and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with women, men and youth groups involved in farming. This was complemented by a household survey that targeted 200 farmers. The results show that farmers have resorted to integration of indigenous and new external knowledge systems for diversifying crop varieties and soil and water conservation strategies for adapting crop farming to environmental change, particularly, climate change and soil degradation. Drawing on the results, the paper advocates that Development Planning (DP) should emphasize an Endogenous Development (ED) approach and promote pro-poor approaches to crop diversification and integrated soil and water conservation for achieving inclusive environmental and livelihood sustainability in smallholder agriculture in the Wa Municipality and country at large.

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