Effectiveness of Climate-Smart Agriculture Practices in Improving Productivity, Resilience, and Livelihood Outcomes Among Smallholder Farmers in the Upper West Region of Ghana

Abstract

Climate change poses a severe threat to rain-fed smallholder agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, undermining food security and livelihoods. Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) has been promoted as an integrated solution to enhance productivity, resilience, and mitigation, but empirical evidence on its effectiveness at the household level remains limited, particularly in northern Ghana (FAO, 2013; IPCC, 2022). This study assessed the effectiveness of CSA practices in improving agricultural productivity, household resilience, and livelihood outcomes among smallholder farmers in the Upper West Region of Ghana. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining a cross-sectional survey of 360 farming households with focus group discussions and key informant interviews. A CSA adoption index was used to capture adoption intensity. Household resilience was measured using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA)-based index. Econometric analyses, including Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Propensity Score Matching (PSM), and ordered logit models, were used to estimate the effects of CSA adoption. CSA adoption was moderate and selective, with higher uptake of low-cost practices like crop diversification (62%) and improved seeds (58%). Econometric results indicate that increased CSA adoption intensity significantly improved crop productivity (β=0.182, p<0.05), household resilience (Coeff.=1.312, p<0.05), farm income, and food security. CSA adopters recorded 420 kg/ha higher yields than matched non-adopters. Qualitative findings corroborated these results, highlighting improved soil fertility and risk reduction, alongside constraints of credit access and labour demands. CSA practices are effective in enhancing smallholder welfare in climate-vulnerable regions. Scaling up requires supportive policies that improve access to extension services, credit, and integrated CSA packages tailored to local contexts.