Agroforestry as a climate change adaptation strategy: Evidence from Ghana's cocoa sector
This study assesses how decreases in rainfall affect cocoa yield among agroforestry adopters and non-adopters in Ghana and examines whether these effects vary by regional climatic suitability. In sub-Saharan Africa, where most farmers rely on rain-fed agriculture, climate change poses serious threats. Agroforestry offers a promising adaptation strategy, with well-documented ecological and economic benefits. Yet, evidence on its role in enhancing household-level resilience to adverse weather events, such as drought, remains limited.
The authors find that, on average, agroforestry adopters are less severely affected by reduced rainfall. A one-millimeter decrease in rainfall significantly reduces yield by 2.17 kg/ha for adopters and 2.84 kg/ha for non-adopters. However, when disaggregating between regions, this effect only holds in climatically suitable regions. In less suitable, drier regions, we do not find any significant effects. Our findings suggest that agroforestry could be used as a strategy for adapting to climate change, although more research is needed to understand the conditions under which it would be most effective.
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Country and region
Ghana
ISBN/ISSN/DOI
10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104519 (DOI)
Number of pages
11 p.
Publication year
2025