Multiple shocks, agroecology and resilience of smallholder food security in Northern Ghana

Dagunga, G. (2024). Multiple shocks, agroecology and resilience of smallholder food security in Northern Ghana. Tamale, Ghana: University for Development Studies, (243 p.).

Agroecology offers a sustainable food system approach for the resilience of smallholder food security. Global coinciding shocks such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukraine conflict coupled with economic downturns in developing countries affected agricultural inputs and food prices. Also, climate shocks continue to affect the resilience of smallholder food security. Against this backdrop, the study sought to examine how adoption of agroecological practices moderate the impact of price and climate shocks on the resilience of smallholder food security. To achieve this broad objective, different analytical approaches were adopted. First, a systematic literature review was employed to assess the reported impact of agroecology in fostering the resilience of smallholder food security. Second, econometric approaches were employed to assess smallholder agroecological practices adoption behaviour to shocks as well as the moderation role of agroecology on the shock-resilience nexus in northern Ghana. Finally, the study simulated how projected changes in rainfall and temperature could affect the resilience of smallholder food security and the potential of agroecology to moderate the resulting impacts. The results showed that flood, food and input price shocks significantly affect both initial and consistent adoption of agroecological practices. Meanwhile, agroecology was found to moderate the impact of flood, food and input price shocks. The simulation results also showed that a policy aimed at promoting agroecology could help moderate extreme drought and heat stress. The study concluded that agroecology should be promoted and upscaled in northern Ghana as a mechanism for enhancing the resilience of smallholder food security to shocks. Meanwhile the second phase of the Planting for Food and Jobs policy should include a component of agroecology to help maximize its resilience and ecological synergistic benefits.