Linking Individual and Collective Agency for Enhancing Community Resilience in Northern Ghana |
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Authors: | Kei Otsuki Godfred Jasaw Victor Lolig |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands;2. Kazuhiko Takeuchi Centre for Sustainability &3. Resilience (KTCSR), University for Development Studies (UDS), Wa, Ghana;4. Faculty of Agribusiness and Communication Sciences, University for Development Studies (UDS), Nyankpala, Ghana |
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Abstract: | This article aims to explore the relationship between individual adaptive actions and enhancement of community resilience to climate change as a communal objective. It proposes to pay attention to the concept of reflexivity as the primary individual capacity to link adaptive actions and community resilience. Drawing on the field research conducted in northern Ghana in 2015, this article specifically examines life histories of four small farmers and shows that they individually take adaptive actions and reflect on these actions. However, little opportunity exists for them to systematically communicate the reflections with others to learn from their experiences, nurture collective agency and enhance community resilience. The article concludes by outlining new strategies needed to facilitate the communication in particular cultural and policy contexts. |
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Keywords: | Agency climate change community Ghana reflexivity resilience |
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