Strengthening Climate Resilience in Northern Ghana through Early Warning and Anticipatory Action
FAO partners with the Government of Ghana to enhance community resilience through early warning systems and anticipatory action in disaster-prone regions.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is working with the Government of Ghana and key partners to build the resilience of vulnerable communities in the Upper East and Savannah Regions through the strengthening of Early Warning Systems (EWS) and Anticipatory Action (AA) mechanisms.
FAO already has an extensive portfolio of work in this area, globally, on the African continent, and on the country level, and sees multi-hazard early warning systems and anticipatory action as a key component of resilient livelihoods and agrifood systems to ensure food and nutrition security. The FAO Regional Office for Africa Resilience Team reinforced this approach during the workshop by providing technical guidance, sharing regional best practices, and helping align Ghana’s initiatives with broader resilience efforts across the continent.
As part of the inception phase activities for two climate resilience projects, FAO is organizing a series of stakeholder consultations to tailor the EWS and AA project components to the needs on the ground. These projects, generously funded by the governments of the Kingdom of Norway and Canada, “Strengthening Resilience of Vulnerable Communities in Northern Ghana Through Climate-Resilient Livelihoods and Integrated, Environmental Practice” and “Increasing Climate Resilience and Improving Farmers’ Livelihoods in Ghana’s Upper East Region”, equip vulnerable communities with information and capacities to better anticipate and respond to climate-related shocks.
The agricultural sector in Northern Ghana continues to face the brunt of climate-related shocks, with the most recent dry spell between mid-July and mid-August 2024 dealing a devastating blow to farming communities. In regions like the Upper East and Savannah, critical food production zones for over 2 million people, the impact has been especially severe. Rainfed agriculture dominates these regions, and with limited irrigation infrastructure and persistent poverty, the dry spell impacts on farmers’ production capacities further exposed communities to food insecurity and livelihood loss.
Women, who form a large part of the agricultural workforce in these areas, are disproportionately affected. The lack of access to small-scale irrigation equipment, such as motor pumps, limits their ability to diversify crops and forces many into labor-intensive water collection duties during periods of drought.
As part of the efforts, FAO is focusing its support on four of the hardest-hit districts, Sawla Tuna Kalba, Central Gonja, Kasena Nankana West, and Builsa South. These areas have experienced the most significant effects of climate shocks, and strengthening their resilience is crucial to preventing future crises.
“It is imperative that we shift from reactive disaster response to proactive risk mitigation through early warning and anticipatory action mechanisms. This is a proven, cost-effective approach that enables communities and institutions to act before a disaster strikes, thereby reducing loss and damage,” said Priya Gujadhur, interim FAO Representative to Ghana, highlighting the urgency of coordinated action in the face of intensifying climate threats.
As part of the early warning component, FAO will enhance and maintain early warning systems in the target communities, train residents on interpreting warning signals, and establish early action committees that ensure gender-inclusive participation in climate resilience planning.
FAO already has an extensive portfolio of work in this area, globally, on the African continent, and on the country level. In Africa, FAO is providing support in nearly all countries to strengthen Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems. It also supports countries on Anticipatory Action. In 2024, FAO supported the development of 16 Anticipatory Action Protocols linking early warning to action and enabling stakeholders to plan ahead, as well as implementing targeted Anticipatory Actions with a total value of USD 8 million. FAO sees multi-hazard early warning systems and anticipatory action as a key component of resilient livelihoods and agrifood systems to ensure food and nutrition security. The FAO Regional Office for Africa Resilience Team reinforced this approach during the workshop by providing technical guidance, sharing regional best practices, and helping align Ghana’s initiatives with broader resilience efforts across the continent.
With these initiatives, FAO and its partners hope to create a foundation for long-term resilience by equipping communities in Northern Ghana with the tools, knowledge, and infrastructure they need to anticipate and respond to future climate shocks.