Training handbook for climate-adaptive, resilient livelihoods

The document is a training handbook designed to empower women in Ghana's Volta delta region to adapt to climate-related economic challenges. It focuses on four key modules: value addition to agricultural products, business management using a tree metaphor, financing through loans and savings, and leadership within women's associations. The guide emphasizes an informal, non-literacy-based teaching approach using drawings, storytelling, and physical objects to accommodate participants with low literacy levels. It is aligned with the Ghana National Climate Change Policy Master Plan (GNCCP) 2015-2020 and the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2012.

• Climate change in the Volta delta region, manifested through coastal erosion and the salinisation of groundwater and lagoons, has adversely affected fishing and agricultural livelihoods, contributing to a high number of female-headed households due to the migration of men.
• Women in the Volta delta face significant economic barriers, including a patrilineal inheritance system that restricts land tenure, lack of access to regional markets, and limited knowledge of productive land use and business management.
• To support women with low literacy, the handbook employs a training methodology that avoids reading and writing, instead utilizing drawings, storytelling, metaphors, and physical objects like sticks and stones for counting.
• The handbook promotes 'value addition'—adding features to basic products to increase profit margins—and guides participants through the Progressive Licensing Scheme (PLS) of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to enter new markets.
• Business management is taught using a 'tree metaphor' where seeds represent business ideas, water represents money, branches represent activities, and fruits represent results, making complex concepts like cash flow and business planning accessible.
• The guide identifies Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) as an empowering alternative to formal banking because they provide a structured process for savings and loans without requiring landed property as collateral.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (n.d.). Training handbook for climate-adaptive, resilient livelihoods. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN-Training-Hanbook-Ghana_WEB.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Training handbook for climate-adaptive, resilient livelihoods. n.d. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN-Training-Hanbook-Ghana_WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Training handbook for climate-adaptive, resilient livelihoods |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN-Training-Hanbook-Ghana_WEB.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetworkndtraining, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Training handbook for climate-adaptive, resilient livelihoods}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN-Training-Hanbook-Ghana_WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }