Crops built for the climate: How farmers survive droughts and floods

For many farmers in Ghana, the climate is no longer predictable. Rains that once came steadily now fall in torrents or fail to arrive at all, while scorching sun burns crops before they reach maturity. Yet, in the midst of this uncertainty, some farmers are finding hope in seeds bred to withstand the shocks of climate change.

Take Innocent Kwabi, a young farmer at Comet Hills in the Eastern Region. Although the land he farms is not his, he has invested time and energy into cultivating maize using improved, climate-resilient varieties. “Last year, when the rains delayed, most of my neighbours lost their first planting,” he recalled in an interview with Graphic Online. “But my improved maize survived. The crop matured earlier and tolerated the dry spell better than the traditional seeds I used to plant.”

His story reflects a wider reality. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 2024), climate change could reduce crop yields in Sub-Saharan Africa by up to 20 percent by 2050 if adaptation is not scaled up. Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has also warned that erratic rainfall and rising temperatures are threatening food security. Improved seeds — bred for drought tolerance, early maturity and pest resistance — are one of the tools being promoted to help farmers adapt.

“Climate-smart farming is not just about the seed”

Agricultural extension officer Patricia Asare emphasises that climate-smart seeds must go hand in hand with better farming practices.

“We see farmers benefiting when they combine improved seeds with practices like soil conservation, mulching, and timely planting. Climate-smart farming is not just about the seed; it is about the system. But without access to resilient varieties, the risks are far greater,” she said.

She added that access and affordability remain barriers. “Many smallholders cannot always afford the improved seeds, and distribution points are often far from rural communities.”

“It feels like a gamble”

While improved seeds are proving useful, farmers are quick to point out the hurdles. Innocent Kwabi, for instance, says cost is his biggest worry. “A bag of improved seeds is more expensive, and for someone like me, farming on borrowed land, it feels like a gamble. But if you don’t take the risk, you also don’t get the reward,” he said.

Scepticism among other farmers is also common. Innocent explained that some of his peers doubted the seeds at first. “They thought it was hype. But when they saw my harvest survive last year’s drought, they began asking where to get them,” he said.

“We cannot depend excessively on chemicals”

In a separate interview with Graphic Online at an agricultural forum, Wilberforce Laate, Deputy Executive Director of the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD), stressed the need for balance.

“Agroecology, climate-smart agriculture, and farmer knowledge must work together. We cannot continue to depend excessively on chemical inputs. Our policies must guarantee land access, support soil fertility management, and encourage environmentally friendly practices,” he said.

He added that climate-smart seeds are valuable, but sustainability will come from combining them with indigenous knowledge and environmentally sound practices.

“We don’t want to keep gambling with the weather”

Despite individual struggles, the shift towards climate-smart farming is gaining traction. A 2023 CSIR-STEPRI report noted that nearly 35 percent of Ghanaian maize farmers had adopted at least one improved variety designed for resilience. Researchers stress that if adoption increases, Ghana could significantly reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks.

For farmers like Innocent Kwabi, the message is simple: climate change is here, but adaptation is possible. With government support, accessible seed systems and ongoing training, more farmers could secure harvests against floods and droughts.

As Innocent put it: “We don’t want to keep gambling with the weather. If these improved seeds can help us harvest something even in a bad season, then it means hope. And in farming, hope is everything.”