Drought Damages Yam Crop in Atebubu, Ghana

Yam cultivation in Ghana

Atebubu is a remote town in Ghana’s Bono East Region, about 150 km from Techiman, the nearest city. Yam farming is an important part of Atebubu’s agricultural economy. Farmers in the region are known for cultivating high-quality yams, which are a major source of income for the community.

Yam Production in Ghana

Yams are root tubers, rich in carbohydrates, fiber, and nutrients.  Grown throughout Ghana as a staple of the local diet, they are a base ingredient for many soups, stews, side dishes, and snacks.  Yams also are a cash crop. Ghana is the world’s #2 producer after Nigeria, and the #1 exporter.

Yams grow best in areas that see 1000 to 1500 mm in annual precipitation, and they need well-distributed rain over at least five months of the growing season.   Production has stalled in recent years due in part to climate change.  This has reduced income for farmers and yam stocks in cities and towns where Ghanaians depend on them daily.

Climate Change in Atebubu

Nowhere in Ghana has the damage of 2024 weather on yam production been more visible than in Atebubu.  During June to August, instead of consistent rain in the heart of the yam growing season, there was drought.  Yams grow beneath the soil: scorching sun and lack of rain hardened the ground.  The heat stress reduced the crop's quality and the hard ground made it difficult for farmers to extract their yams.  Yams that were mature and ready could not be harvested in time and rotted in the field.

When sporadic rains finally arrived in September 2024, the damage had been done. The many spoiled yams reduced farmers' income and disrupted the local economy. Yam sales support other businesses and services within the community.

The drought in Atebubu is an example of the vulnerability of Ghana's agriculture to weather. Farmers across the Bono East Region face the worsening challenge of unpredictable weather patterns, crop failure and hunger.

The farmers of Atebubu hope that consistent rain will return. Weather poses every year a threat to their livelihoods and to the food of many people. Irrigation, weather forecasts, and education are needed to mitigate the effects of extreme weather.

A Veriground station is at Nkenkaasu, about 125 km distant from Atebubu

The Veriground station nearest to Atebubu is at Nkenkaasu, about 100 km in a straight line southwest from

Atebubu. A station of the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMA) is in Kete-Krachi, about 100 km in a straight-line east from Atebubu. The Kete-Krachi office reported 545 mm of rain during June-September against an average of 856 mm or 64% of normal. Kete-Krachi lies on a peninsula in Lake Volta, surrounded on three sides by the lake. The Veriground station at Nkenkaasu, about 200 km west of the main body of Lake Volta reported only 253 mm during June-September. (See where Kete-Krachi, Atebubu, and Nkenkassu are).