Trichotomous Analysis of Climate Change, Migration and Food Security in the Agro-Ecological Zones of Ghana

Abstract

Climate change, migration and food security are serious sustainable development challenges of global proportions. However, there is a dearth of research on the interrelationships among these three factors. This study examines the trichotomous relationship of climate change, migration and food security in the Coastal, Forest, Transition and Savannah agro-ecological zones of Ghana. The study adopted mixed research methods, using data from household surveys, focus group discussions (FGDs), in-depth interviews (II) and expert interviews. The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) was used to construct the overall Food Security Index (FSI). The unit of analysis was the migrant household and a total of 567 households were surveyed. The study used bivariate analysis and probit logistic regression models for analysis. Three types of households were found, namely, migrant, climatic migrant and non-migrant. Migrant households have members who migrated from the household. The findings of the study indicate that overall, migrant households were more food secure compared to non-migrant ones. Furthermore, climatic migrant households are more food secure than non-climatic migrant ones. Other significant determinants of food security include age, sex, marital status, education, wealth and health status of the household head. The study concludes that when climate change impacts on food security, migration is adopted as an adaptation strategy in times of food shortages.