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Provisioning ecosystem services-sharing as a coping and adaptation strategy among rural communities in Ghana's semi-arid ecosystem

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  • Boafo, Yaw Agyeman
  • Saito, Osamu
  • Jasaw, Godfred Seidu
  • Otsuki, Kei
  • Takeuchi, Kazuhiko

Abstract

As complex challenges linked to changing socio-economic, environmental, political, and cultural conditions continually hamper the delivery of ecosystem services to natural resource dependent communities, local level adaptation needs attention. This paper presents the findings of an empirical survey in rural semi-arid Ghana investigating how households are employing communal sharing as a strategy to enhance access and management of nine provisioning ecosystem services (provisioning ES) namely crops and vegetables, livestock and poultry, bushmeat, freshwater, wildplants, fodder and forage, traditional medicine, fuelwood, and building materials. The results indicate that the variations in the sharing patterns of the nine provisioning ES can be linked to a mix of closely-linked socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental factors. Traditional medicine is the most commonly shared, whilst building materials are the least commonly shared. Sharing intensifies during the long dry season for majority of the provisioning ES. Logistic regression modeling indicates annual household income to be the most significant socio-demographic variable influencing participation in sharing. A greater proportion of interviewed household heads (64%) perceive sharing to be on the decline. These findings provide important baseline data for further quantitative and qualitative research exploring sharing's potential contribution to rural households’ livelihoods sustenance and ecosystem sustainability under changing conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Boafo, Yaw Agyeman & Saito, Osamu & Jasaw, Godfred Seidu & Otsuki, Kei & Takeuchi, Kazuhiko, 2016. "Provisioning ecosystem services-sharing as a coping and adaptation strategy among rural communities in Ghana's semi-arid ecosystem," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 92-102.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoser:v:19:y:2016:i:c:p:92-102
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2016.05.002
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    3. Sigwela, Ayanda & Elbakidze, Marine & Powell, Mike & Angelstam, Per, 2017. "Defining core areas of ecological infrastructure to secure rural livelihoods in South Africa," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 27(PB), pages 272-280.
    4. Tucker, Catherine M. & Hribar, Mateja Šmid & Urbanc, Mimi & Bogataj, Nevenka & Gunya, Alexey & Rodela, Romina & Sigura, Maurizia & Piani, Lucia, 2023. "Governance of interdependent ecosystem services and common-pool resources," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    5. Schild, Johanna E.M. & Vermaat, Jan E. & de Groot, Rudolf S. & Quatrini, Simone & van Bodegom, Peter M., 2018. "A global meta-analysis on the monetary valuation of dryland ecosystem services: The role of socio-economic, environmental and methodological indicators," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 32(PA), pages 78-89.
    6. Osamu Saito & Chiho Kamiyama & Shizuka Hashimoto, 2018. "Non-Market Food Provision and Sharing in Japan’s Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, January.
    7. Das, Manob & Das, Arijit & Pandey, Rajiv, 2022. "Importance-performance analysis of ecosystem services in tribal communities of the Barind region, Eastern India," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    8. Baraka P. Nyangoko & Håkan Berg & Mwita M. Mangora & Martin Gullström & Mwanahija S. Shalli, 2020. "Community Perceptions of Mangrove Ecosystem Services and Their Determinants in the Rufiji Delta, Tanzania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-22, December.
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