Study Setting and Methodology
Several considerations informed the choice of the District. First, Wa West District is entirely rural and has the highest poverty headcount (92.4%) in the Upper West Region of Ghana (Ghana Statistical Service, 2015). Upper West Region (70.7%) has the highest poverty headcount among all the regions in Ghana. The poverty gap or depth of poverty follows a similar pattern and is highest (59.0%) in Wa West (Ghana Statistical Service, 2015). In terms of the number of poor persons, Wa West has the highest (74,297). Secondly, radical change in climate has presented persistent floods and severe droughts that harmfully affect agricultural production particularly food crops in the Wa West District (Antwi et al., 2015). Agriculture production is further constrained by the unpredictable rainfall pattern as well as the decreasing duration of the raining period in the District. This situation forces agricultural household members to adopt harsh coping strategies, creating a virtual cycle of insufficiency in their welfare (Coulombe & Wodon, 2007; Ghana Statistical Service, 2015).
The primary economic activities in the District include agriculture, tourism, rural commerce and social services. Agriculture accounts for 86.0 percent of District’s economy (Ghana Statistical Service, 2014). The primary agriculture activity is farming. However, most farmers embark on a combination of animal and crop production. The main crops grown are maize, cowpea, millet and groundnut. Seventy- seven percent of the female population is engaged in agriculture to compare with 90.3 percent for male (Ghana Statistical Service, 2014). The household respondents were involved in crop farming for both commercial and subsistence purposes. Both women and men cultivated cereals such as maize and guinea corn. Women grew legumes such as cowpea, groundnuts, and soya beans. They were also required by customary practice, to grow vegetables that are used for the family meals. Yams and potatoes cultivation were reserved for men; the physical demands of the production process were given as the justification. Women- only income-generating enterprises were shea nuts processing and strip weave garment production. Women’s reproductive roles such as cooking and childcare were evident on the farm sites.
Empirically, this study employed aqualitative research approach. The qualitative research approach is geared towards the exploration of social relations and describes reality as experienced by the respondents (Sarantakos, 2005). The qualitative approach allows for an in-depth, contextual, and holistic analysis of the issues under study (Cassell & Symon, 1994). The specific study design for this study was exploratory research. Exploratory research was employed because the outcomes of previous studies warrant further investigation particularly the result on the gender dynamics of coping strategies. The study’s population were female and male farmers in Wa West District. In the District, the study was conducted at Ponyentanga and Dorimon. These two communities were purposively selected based on their level of market integration and settlement history. Ponyentanga, a well-integrated and settler farming community, and Dorimon, a relatively remote and indigenous farming community, were selected. The reason for choosing more than one community is to get a detailed understanding of the gender perspective.
Homogeneous purposive sampling was used to select four farmers (women and men) were selected from each of the following groups; married, single household heads and elderly. Respondents were selected from different demographic groups to get a detailed understanding of the gendered experiences of vulnerability and coping strategies. A total of twelve women and men respondents were selected from Dorimon and Poyentanga respectively for the in-depth household interviews. This sample size was informed by the saturation point of those respondents who were capable of providing informed views on the practices and outcomes of the various social protection interventions.