Browsing by Author "Antwi- Agyei Philip"
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- ItemEffectiveness of planning and implementation stages of the ISO 14001 standards EMS at the Obuasi gold mine, Ghana(Academic Journals, 2010) Antwi- Agyei Philip; Foli Gordon; Hogarh N. Jonathan; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8599-474XThis paper evaluated the effectiveness of the planning and implementation stages of the ISO 14001 Standards Environmental Management System (EMS) at the Obuasi gold mine in Ghana. The purpose was to identify growth factors, challenges and opportunities for improving process efficiencies through ISO 14001 Standards EMS implementation. A modified ISO 14031 Standards criterion for performance evaluation at the Plan-Do stages was adopted. In all, planning and implementation at eighteen business units were evaluated over a two-year period. Nine out of ten systems procedures evaluated scored above certification audit pass mark of 90%. Environmental Aspect and Impact Identification, and Competence training improved in performance over the study period by average values of 151% and 104%, respectively, while significance rating and environmental observations respectively dropped by 12% and 64%. Environmental training and awareness creation, good aspect and significance rating schemes, establishment of performance reward system for meeting environmental objectives, among others, could serve as key factors that can sustain the ISO 14001 standards EMS. Notable challenges of the EMS were: lack of guide tools, apathetic attitudes, group certification concept, cost constrains, legacy issues and complexity of company’s operations.
- ItemEvidence of Climate Change Coping and Adaptation Practices by Smallholder Farmers in Northern Ghana(mdpi.com, 2021) Antwi- Agyei Philip; Frimpong Nyantakyi Hanson; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8599-474XEvidence on how coping practices for immediate climate variations can transform into long-term adaptive capacity are relatively limited. This study addressed this gap by identifying the coping practices for short-term climate variations and the adaptation measures used by smallholder farmers to address future climate change in northeast Ghana. The paper used a mixed-methods approach, including household surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Data were collected from 555 households located in six communities across three districts in northeast Ghana. Results indicated that smallholder farmers were employing a host of practices to address the threats posed by climate change. Key adaptation practices included the planting of drought-tolerant crop varieties, the use of indigenous knowledge, intensification of irrigation, migration, adjusting the planting calendar, crop diversification, mixed farming, and sustainable land management practices. On the contrary, short-term coping practices reported by the study participants included the sale of non-farm assets, complementing agriculture with non-farm jobs, selling livestock, engaging in wage labor, charcoal burning and reliance on social networks. The results further revealed that barriers to climate change adaptation and coping practices differed by gender. The paper recommends that capacities of smallholder farmers in vulnerability hotspots should be enhanced to address immediate climate variations, as well as future climate changes. Ghana’s climate change and agricultural policies should prioritize adaptations by smallholder farmers in addressing threats posed by climate change.
- ItemExploring the Need for Developing Impact-Based Forecasting in West Africa(original research, 2020) Nkiaka Elias; Taylor Andrea; Dougill J Andrew; Antwi- Agyei Philip; Adefisa Adesanya Elijah; Ahiataku A Maureen; Ata -Baffour Frank; Fournier Nicholas; Indasi S Victor; Konte Oumar; Lawal Abiodun Kamoru; Toure Awa; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8599-474XWhile conventional weather forecasts focus on meteorological thresholds for extreme events, Impact-Based Forecasts (IBF) integrate information about the potential severity of weather impacts with their likelihood of occurrence. As IBF provides an indication of local risk, there is an increasing uptake of this approach globally. Despite the vulnerability ofWest Africa to severe weather, and the potential benefits of such a risk-based approach for informing disaster risk reduction, IBF remains rarely used in this region. To meet this need, three national workshops were held in Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal with forecasters, project researchers and users of Climate Information Services (CIS) from key sectors (e.g., agriculture, water resources, disaster, risk reduction). In addition, a more localized district level workshop was held in Northern Ghana to explore needs at a subnational scale in Tamale District. The objectives of these workshops were to evaluate the current use of forecast products provided by National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and to explore the potential for applying IBF. Findings indicate a recognition that the quality of forecast products provided by NMHSs in West Africa has substantially improved in recent years. However, challenges remain related to user understanding, clarity about forecast uncertainty, insufficient spatial and temporal resolution of forecasts leading to limited trust in forecasts. The workshops identified high demand for weather information related to storms, droughts and heatwaves in all the three countries. Dust storms were identified as having strong potential for IBF application in both Nigeria and Senegal. To increase the uptake of CIS by users in West Africa, NMHSs will need to develop and implement user-tailored IBF in their normal weather forecast approaches and improve communication channels with user communities. There is an urgent need for governments in West Africa to enhance the capacity of NMHSs to incorporate IBF as a routine forecast activity by first establishing a National Framework for Climate Services with user engagement as a key first pillar.
- ItemFarmers response to climate variability and change in rainfed farming systems: Insight from lived experiences of farmers(Heliyon, 2023) Antwi- Agyei Philip; Yeleliere Enoch; Guodaar Lawrence; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8599-474XClimate adaptation, while urgent, is complicated by a slew of unknowns and uncertainties through insufficient scholarship. This study addresses these slews of unknowns surrounding local adaptation to climate change and associated determinants among rainfed smallholder farmers in rural Ghana. We utilized a mixed-method approach to collect primary data from 410 households, 15 key informants and 10 focus group participants coupled with meteorological data from the Ghana Meteorological Agency, Accra (GMet). Results from meteorological analysis from 1989 to 2020 and farmers’ perceptions showed a consistent pattern exemplifying a temperature rise, and a decline in rainfall pattern in the study area over the period. Rainfed smallholder farmers employed multiple coping strategies including—cognitive restructuring, resource seeking, experiential avoidance, expressive coping, capital disinvestment and relying on social networks to deal with current and future climate shocks. Also, key adaptation interventions implemented by rainfed smallholder farmers based on lived experiences include farm and crop management, soil and water conservation, conservation agricultural practices, smart-farming practices and cropping decisions, livelihood diversification and indigenous knowledge application. Market access, access to climate information/services, access to extension services, use of indigenous knowledge and practice, risk perception, and government support, livestock ownership, asset ownership, credit access, and farm insurance significantly increase rainfed smallholder farmers’ decision to cope/adapt to climate variability in rural Ghana. However, improved soil fertility and farm labour significantly influenced rainfed smallholder farmers’ adaptation response but not coping. The findings have implications for developing effective adaptation interventions to build resilient agricultural systems and sustainable livelihood in rainfed farming areas.
- ItemGendered perceptions and adaptation practices of smallholder cocoa farmers to climate variability in the Central Region of Ghana(ELSEVIER.COM, 2021) Antwi- Agyei Philip; Jamal Mohammed Alawi; Ata -Baffour Frank; Nkiaka Elias; Antwi Kwabena; Gbordzor Antoinette; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8599-474XUnderstanding gendered adaptation practices among smallholder cocoa farmers is crucial to ensuring sustainable cocoa production in Ghana. This study examined the gendered perceptions and adaptation practices of small- holder cocoa farmers to climate variability in three selected communities (Breman Ayipey, Breman Baako and Breman Kuntanase) in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District of the Central Region, Ghana. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach including household surveys and focus group discussions with 10 participants in each community. Mann-Kendall trend test was used to determine the rainfall and temperature changes in the study district from 2000 to 2015. Results indicated that there was no significant difference between male and female farmers’ perceptions of climate variability ( p > 0.05). Both male and female farmers perceived an increasing temperature, rainfall, windstorms and flooding for the past 15 years. The Mann-Kendall trend test showed that annual rainfall and temperature had increased over the study period although the trends were not statistically significant ( p > 0.05). Both male and female farmers had resorted to the use of different adaptation practices to reduce the threats of climate variability. There was a substantial difference between adaptation practices used by male and female farmers such as changing planting dates, use of drought tolerant hybrids, shade management, livestock rearing and income from sale of properties ( p < 0.05). The study recommends policy formulations that incorporate gender perspectives into climate change adaptation practices among smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana.
- ItemSubsistence farmer knowledge of strategies alleviating food insecurity in the context of climate change in the lower river region of the Gambia(SPRINGER, 2020) Antwi- Agyei Philip; Sonko Ebrima; Florkowski J. Wojciech; Agodzo Sampson; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8599-474XKnowledge of strategies to improve farm household resilience to food insecurity and counter adverse weather events and poor resource endowment is a pre-requisite for implementing solutions fitting local conditions. This paper examines subsistence farmer knowledge of strategies to cope with food insecurity and progressive climate change in the Lower River Region of The Gambia. The study applies survey data collected from the predominantly agricultural, poorly urbanized region in 2017 with regard to knowledge of eleven strategies, nine strategies directly related to farm practices and two related strategies associated with insufficient food crop production. Farmer strategy knowledge is estimated using the logit technique and identified farmer, farm household, farm practice, and environmental characteristics and factors significantly influencing such knowledge. The calculation of probability changes quantified the effect associated with a particular factor on knowing a strategy. Formal education, secondary household activities, gender, government support, farm size, and income influence the knowledge of selected strategies. Additionally, knowledge of some strategies is also associated with certain practices, e.g., planting trees. Insights gained from the study into the factors driving illiterate, ultra-poor farmer knowledge of available strategies are of use for multiple stakeholders helping to channel their efforts to reduce food insecurity in the studied region, The Gambia, other regions, which share similar socioeconomic and environmental conditions.