Access to climate change adaptation information among farmers in Twifo-Atti Morkwa district, Ghana

Smallholder agriculture is increasingly threatened by rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, and more frequent extreme weather events, yet access to timely and actionable climate change adaptation information (CCAI) remains inadequate. The paper assessed farmers’ access to CCAI in the Twifo-Atti Morkwa District of Ghana. Specifically, the study described the socio-demographic characteristics of smallholder farmers, assessed the types of CCAI accessed by the farmers, identified the various communication channels through which CCAI are accessed, ascertained the effectiveness of the CCAI accessed for mitigating climate change, analysed the determinants of farmers’ access to CCAI, and identified the challenges farmers face in accessing CCAI. Access refers to the availability of credible, context-specific and action-oriented CCAI that farmers are able to utilise in decision-making through multiple channels. The cross-sectional survey design was chosen, and 400 smallholder farmers were selected using a multistage sampling technique. Structured interview schedules were used to collect data, and descriptive statistics, a multivariate probit (MVP) model and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance were used to analyse the data. Findings indicated that although a majority of farmers reported access to information on weather forecasts (81.5%), agroforestry (82.8%) and tree planting (82.8%), the overall frequency of access was moderate (Mean = 3.11, SD = 0.72). Long-term adaptation domains such as water harvesting (53.5%) and soil conservation (57.0%) recorded comparatively lower access levels. Radio (84.5%) and social media networks (73.8%) were dominant communication channels, while formal research (4.50%) and academic (3.0%) institutions played a minimal role. Education, years of farming experience, extension contact, and labour positively influenced access, whereas larger household and farm sizes reduced the likelihood of accessing various CCAI. Farmers perceived CCAI as generally effective (Mean = 3.57, SD = 1.08), particularly when addressing immediate production risks such as the control of pest and disease (Mean = 4.09, SD = 1.03). However, ranked constraints (12 items; Kendall’s W = 0.78, p < 0.001) revealed strong consensus on systemic barriers, notably lack of timely information and infrequent extension visits. The findings suggest that adaptation communication systems are selective, highlighting the need for localised, participatory, and institutionally coordinated information delivery models to strengthen smallholder resilience.