Farmers in the Bono Region have turned to Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices as they struggle to cope with the devastating effects of climate change, which continues to threaten their livelihoods and food security.

The region, known as one of Ghana’s major food baskets, is experiencing increasingly erratic weather patterns, prolonged droughts, and destructive bush fires.

In 2024, a severe drought crippled food production across all 12 municipalities and districts, significantly reducing yields of staple crops such as maize, tomatoes, and garden eggs. Many farmers faced financial losses after investing heavily in their lands, only to see their crops wither due to insufficient rainfall.

In response, many farmers have begun adopting CSA techniques to improve their resilience and maintain productivity despite the harsh conditions.

Two farmers from the Tweredua community shared their experiences with Channel One News, highlighting the strategies they are implementing to adapt to climate change.

“As a farmer, you have to understand seasonal trends to guide your planting decisions. In this area, we plant cashews with cassava surrounding them so that by the time the cashew trees are ready for harvest, we can also harvest the cassava. You can’t say you won’t plant anything just because the climate has changed,” one farmer explained.

Another farmer, who cultivates a mix of cocoa, plantains, cassava, coco yam, and palm trees, emphasized the importance of preserving trees on farmlands to provide shade for crops.

“During this period, my cocoa plants begin to wither and die, while my plantains struggle to thrive. However, I have observed that February is particularly harsh on my crops. One of my deliberate farming decisions is to preserve the trees on my land because they provide much-needed shade,” he said.

Experts say the adoption of CSA is critical to ensuring sustainable food production in the region. Francis Kudjoe, a Research Fellow at the Earth Observation, Research, and Innovation Centre at the University of Energy and Natural Resources, stressed the importance of educating farmers on climate adaptation.

“Climate change has come to stay. It is a natural phenomenon, though human activities contribute to it. We need to find ways to adapt. Even without human influence, the climate would still change, so we must engage farmers and educate them on climate change and what they can do to adapt,” he explained.