A Collaborative Initiative by AfEI & GYEM
January 2026 | Asuogyaman District, Eastern Region, Ghana
Agriculture remains the backbone of rural livelihoods in Ghana, yet climate change is rapidly reshaping how farmers live, work, and survive. In the Asuogyaman District, home to over 100,000 people, more than 60% of households depend on smallholder farming. Today, unpredictable rainfall, prolonged droughts, recurring floods, declining soil fertility, and rising pest outbreaks are eroding yields and incomes. These pressures hit women and young people hardest, deepening poverty and driving youth disengagement from agriculture.
Climate change is not only an environmental challenge; it is a social and economic one. Addressing it requires solutions that are locally grounded, inclusive, and co-created with the communities most affected.
Co-designing resilience with farmers
In response, the Alliance for Environmental Intervention (AfEI) and the Ghana Youth Environmental Movement (GYEM) partnered with farming communities in Asuogyaman under the Life in a Changing Landscape pilot programme supported by Gower Street. Together with farmers, we co-designed The Adaptive Farmer, a Climate and Nature-Smart Agriculture (CNSA) approach rooted in agroforestry, soil restoration, and peer learning.
Between November 2024 and April 2025, we worked closely with farmers to understand their realities, farming systems, and challenges. Through participatory training sessions and on-farm demonstrations, practical solutions were co-created and tested on community demonstration farms. To ensure sustainability, we adopted a training-of-trainers model, equipping farmer group leaders to cascade knowledge across their networks, reaching last-mile farmers cost-effectively.
Follow-up field visits allowed farmers, AfEI, and GYEM to jointly evaluate results, adapt techniques, and learn directly from the land. This iterative learning process reinforced a core principle: nature is our greatest teacher.
Scaling Impact: Life in a Changing Landscape II
Building on the success of the pilot, AfEI, GYEM, and the Asuogyaman farming communities are now advancing Life in a Changing Landscape II, a district-wide effort to institutionalise climate-resilient livelihoods. The next phase will focus on vulnerable but highly organised communities, including Kwanyarko, Nnudu, Aboasa, Asikuma, Fintey, Osiabra, and Frankadua.
Over the next two years, AfEI and GYEM will jointly lead this phase, drawing on our complementary strengths: AfEI’s technical expertise in CNSA and farmer mobilisation, and GYEM’s youth leadership, advocacy reach, and agroecology innovation. Our long-standing presence and trust within the district position us to scale impact responsibly and inclusively.
Two hubs, one shared vision
The programme will deliver two interconnected, field-based interventions:
- AfEI’s Adaptation Village – a living demonstration and training hub for climate- and nature-smart practices such as composting, mulching, soil restoration, agroforestry, and water conservation.
- GYEM’s ACRE Hub – integrating a demonstration farm, seedling nursery, irrigation system, organic composting facility, repurposed storage container, and space for training and stakeholder engagement.
Together, these hubs respond directly to land degradation, erratic rainfall, and declining youth participation in farming, providing visible, practical learning spaces where farmers can see results firsthand.
Working together, learning together
AfEI and GYEM will jointly plan, implement, and monitor all activities under a shared governance framework. We will co-develop training curricula, co-facilitate workshops, host joint field days, and produce a consolidated Learning and Impact Report.
Collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), District Assembly, traditional authorities, and farmer cooperatives will ensure alignment with local and national priorities, including Ghana’s NDCs, climate adaptation strategies, and food systems transformation agenda.
Our shared goal
Overall Objective:
To strengthen climate resilience in the Asuogyaman District through Climate and Nature-Smart Agriculture and agroforestry that enhance food security, restore ecosystems, and empower women and youth.
Within two years, the Adaptation Village and ACRE Hub will serve over 1,200 farmers, with at least 60% women and youth, delivering improved yields, restored soils, stronger cooperatives, and renewed confidence in farming as a viable livelihood.
Looking ahead
By 2030, we envision communities across Asuogyaman with healthier landscapes, diversified incomes, and resilient farming systems. Farmers, especially women and youth, will emerge as mentors and champions of climate adaptation. The Adaptation Village and ACRE Hub will stand as enduring centres of community-led innovation, learning, and hope.
Life in a Changing Landscape II is not just a project; it is a shared journey of learning, resilience, and collective action.
Stay connected with us for more updates on this project.
1 comment
Daniel
A great initiative. I believe there should be more initiatives to promote the soil health agenda among Ghanaian farmers.