ghana climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessment

affecting carbon sequestration. Advocacy is needed for legislation defining carbon rights to provide equity tosmallholders (FtF, Dem/Gov, Gen).The land tenure system also imposes insecurity on tenants and increasestheir vulnerability to climate change by restricting access to credit and discouraging if not precluding longtermplanning and investment by tenants and landowners. Local strategies are needed to provide affordablecredit to landowners and tenant farmers (FtF). The extreme reliance on wood-based fuels in Ghana is asignificant vulnerability that seems largely unaddressed by any sector at any level. The Team viewed thewood-based fuel situation as a critical issue from the perspectives of dramatically increasing socialvulnerability to climate change, its clear unsustainability and environmental ramifications thereof, and forUSAID, the ability of FtF to succeed. Addressing forest management and tenure challenges to sustainablefirewood and charcoal production are sorely needed as are community-based approaches to managing woodbasedfuels sustainably (Dem/Gov, FtF). The FtF program emphasizes agricultural development which couldaffect land access and allocation of water resources. Social impact assessments of agricultural developmentprojects are needed to identify mitigation measures, to ensure people are not displaced or lose land access,and to ensure conditions for marginalized groups (i.e., women and migrants) are improved not worsened(FtF). Irrigation development will redistribute water resources and perhaps increase competition for wateraccess. An equitable system of water allocation and management should be developed as an integral part ofany irrigation development project (FtF).Many vulnerabilities under the capacity and infrastructure barrier cascade directly from the policy andgovernance/tenure vulnerabilities. Several relate directly to carbon sequestration and forestry issues. FtFactivities need to be melded with reforestation and afforestation projects to meet community and familyneeds for fuel and construction wood, to produce non-timber forest products (NTFPs), to protect riparianareas, and to sequester carbon (FtF). Further, partners need to be identified who can link FtF activity tocarbon financing or payments for ecosystem services markets as part of carbon offset payments (FtF).Technical capacity is needed to develop more efficient wood-based stoves to reduce deforestation, carbonemissions, and smoke (FtF, H&S, Gen). Community fuelwood programs need to be developed with technicalassistance in species selection, plantation establishment, and management and governance structures (FtF,Gen, H&S, Dem/Gov). Scarce fuelwood most impacts women, the traditional gatherers of wood forcooking. A national integrated fire management program, including traditional practices, is needed to managedestructive bush fires to protect soil quality, increase forage quantity and quality, increase rates ofreforestation and afforestation, and mitigate trends toward desertification in vulnerable areas (e.g., northernGhana).Several interventions related to the agriculture sector (and thus FtF) fall under the capacity and infrastructurebarrier. Transportation infrastructure limits access to markets with most households in most districts ofnorthern Ghana traveling >30 minutes to reach a food market and in many districts