{"id":100678,"date":"2025-10-28T17:27:31","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T17:27:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=100678"},"modified":"2025-10-28T17:27:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T17:27:31","slug":"left-behind-by-long-dry-days-nante-zongos-farmers-struggle-to-survive-changing-weather-patterns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=100678","title":{"rendered":"Left behind by long dry days: Nante-Zongo\u2019s farmers struggle to survive changing weather patterns"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>4 Minute, 46 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
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Once upon a time, the people of Nante Zongo, a small farming community near Kintampo, could count on the rains. The fields were green, and the farmers smiled.<\/p>\n

But now, the rains no longer come when they should. The land is dry, the crops are dying, and the young people are leaving home in search of survival.<\/p>\n

What was once a peaceful farming community has become a place of struggle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis land used to give me plenty of maize,\u201d says Kwadwo Boadi, a farmer who once cultivated 30 acres.<\/p>\n

\"Left<\/figure>\n

Kwadwo Boadi on his farm<\/em><\/p>\n

He walks across the dry field, now cracked by heat. His voice is heavy with loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, I spend nearly GH\u20b5 60,000 every season, yet I get nothing. By now, we should be harvesting maize. But look at this land \u2014 it\u2019s all dry. This is what happens every year now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kwadwo says the last few years have been the worst he has ever seen. His crops fail again and again because the rains are delayed for months.<\/p>\n

Nearby, Aisha Alhassan also stopped farming after losing all her okra crops.<\/p>\n

\"Left<\/figure>\n

\u201cBecause of the bad weather, when we farmed our okra, it didn\u2019t yield. The sun destroyed the plant,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

For Aisha and many others in Nante Zongo, farming has become too risky. The rain is unpredictable, the soil is weaker, and farming costs are high.<\/p>\n

A global problem felt in a small village<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scientists say what is happening in Nante Zongo is part of a bigger global problem called climate change or global warming.<\/p>\n

When people burn fuel like petrol, diesel, or coal, gases are released into the air. These gases trap heat around the Earth, making the planet hotter. As a result, rains become irregular, rivers dry up, and farmers struggle to grow food.<\/p>\n

\"Left<\/figure>\n

Adisah Sumani, another farmer, says she has been farming for 17 years \u2014 but things are getting worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the beginning, I would harvest around 10 bags of maize, but now, if you get even 4 bags, you are lucky. Last year and this year, we couldn\u2019t harvest anything,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you invest your money in farming now, it\u2019s hard to get it back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The United Nations says Africa contributes less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions \u2014 yet it suffers the most from the effects: droughts, floods, and food shortages.<\/p>\n

Ghana\u2019s own climate plan under the Paris Agreement, known as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), promises to support farmers with drought-resistant seeds, better irrigation systems, and early warning information.<\/p>\n

But in places like Nante Zongo, these efforts are yet to reach the people who need them most.<\/p>\n

Kwadwo bends down to pick one of his maize cobs, breaking it open to show the few remaining grains.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust see what it has yielded. When you peel it, you won\u2019t see any grains. The government has to come to our aid so that we can continue farming,\u201d Kwadwo appealed.<\/p>\n

The rise of climate migrants<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because of the changing weather patterns, many young people have left Nante Zongo. Experts call climate migrants \u2014 people who move not because of war, but because they can no longer survive from the land.<\/p>\n

Many have settled in Kumasi, where they now work as tricycle (pragya) riders.<\/p>\n

\"Left<\/figure>\n

Nanji Ibrahim, once a proud farmer, is now one of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to farm with my brothers \u2014 13 acres of maize. We would get enough to fill 13 tractors. Now, you can farm all year and still not get one tractor full. It doesn\u2019t rain like before. We had to leave. Now nobody is in Zongo again,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Experts warn that if things do not change, more people will be forced to abandon their farms.<\/p>\n

\"Left<\/figure>\n

A report by the World Bank says that by 2050, more than 80 million people in Africa could move because of droughts and floods.<\/p>\n

A senior research scientist at the CSIR\u2013Crop Research Institute in Kumasi, Dr. Stephen Yeboah, says changing weather patterns are already causing deep losses in farming communities.<\/p>\n

\"Left<\/figure>\n

Dr Stephen Yeboah<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cFirst, we see crop failures, livestock losses, and loss of income. This leads to migration. Many young people move away to cities to find jobs, while those who stay live in poverty because there\u2019s a long period of inactivity,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

He believes local action can help.<\/p>\n

\"Left<\/figure>\n

Children pla<\/em>ying while their elderly brothers have left for the cities<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAt the district level, we have something called a Climate Smart Agriculture working group. When this is well supported, interventions become more sustainable and have an immediate impact,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Dreams of the elders<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the older generation in Nante Zongo, farming is more than a job \u2014 it\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

A 65-year-old farmer, Kadir, says he has watched all his children leave.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have about seven children who have gone to the cities for work. My friend too has six who have left. Now it\u2019s just us old men and the small children,\u201d he says sadly.<\/p>\n

\"Left<\/figure>\n

Another elder, Abubakar Iddi, believes the community only needs a little help to keep farming alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot stop farming; it\u2019s what our fathers taught us. If we get even small support, we can continue,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"Left<\/figure>\n

The once fertile land of Nante Zongo now lies silent, dry, and cracked. The people are not giving up \u2014 but they need help.<\/p>\n

They dream of the day when the rains will return, the farms will grow again, and no young person will have to leave home just to survive.<\/p>\n

For now, they wait \u2014 between hope and the dry wind.<\/p>\n

This is a JoyNews-CDKN-University of Ghana <\/strong>C3SS<\/strong> project with funding from CLARE R4I Opportunities Fund.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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