Common natural hazards
The most common natural hazards in my community, but not limited to floods, drought, extreme heat, erratic rainfall pattern, and wildfires. The frequency and the occurence of these natural hazards are exacerbated by climate change, mainly contribeted by human activities.
The agriculture, health, eaducation, economic, security, are some of the sectors that are severely affected by these natural hazards. And my community, including several other communities in the northern part of Ghana are the worst affected through flooding of farms and homes, delayed rainfall pattern, temperature rise, burning or destruction of farms and farm produce, and poor harvest, among others. These communities in the northern Ghana are most affected because, the northern has only one farming season throughout the year unlike the sourthern part with two farming seasons, least developed compared to the southern party and communities, lack of alternative livelihood opportunities, less endowed with natural resources, least educated and so on.
Some of the local methods and coping mechanisms include animal rearing, planting drought tolerant and short maturity crops, family support in the form of remittances, engaging in illegal mining popularly known as "galamsy", travelling to southern part to engage in minial jobs, among others.
There are NGOs supporting these communities through capacity building and alternative livelihoolds ventures, proper agronomic practices, provision of drought tolerant seeds, modern farming techniques that mitigate GHG emissions, enhance productivity and build resilience (climate smart agriculture), and many others. The government also provide support to these communities in the form of sensitization and eduaction awareness, capacity building and trainings, and general technical and other non-technical supports.