SMALLHOLDER FARMERS FACING CLIMATE CHANGE IN WEST AFRICA: DECISION-MAKING BETWEEN INNOVATION AND TRADITION

Climate change and increasing extreme events are a major threat to West African farmers,
affecting crop production and exacerbating food insecurity. Climate Services, including
weather and climate forecasts, are acknowledged as a valuable innovation to support
Climate Smart Agriculture. The hypothesis is that agrometeorological information and
services can effectively support farmers' decision-making, improving agricultural productivity
and increasing farmer incomes. While considerable research effort has been deployed
in the development of climate services, the impacts of such services on West African farming
communities are still largely unknown. This paper addresses this lacuna, assessing the
use and impacts of climate services on farmers' behavior and crop productivity within the
Agricultural Innovation Systems of four countries: Mauritania, Niger, Ivory Coast and
Ghana. The results of this quali-quantitative assessment demonstrate that farmers use the
information for a variety of choices with related impacts, which vary by country and agroecosystem.