The book chiefly addresses three thematic areas, namely: Forecast and assessment of climate change impacts on agro-ecosystems; Risk assessment of extreme weather hazards and development of adaptive resource management methods; and Implementing capacity development programs for local leaders and practitioners. The collaborative nature of the project and the use of various quantitative and qualitative research technique
s and methods – such as field surveys, questionnaires, focus group discussions, land use and cover change analysis, and climate downscaled modeling – make the book truly unique.
Especially at a time when both long-term climate change and short-term extreme weather events such as droughts and floods are worsening, this book offers potential approaches to developing an integrated framework for assessing the local ability to cope with floods and droughts, and for enhancing the resilience of farming communities in developing countries, which are the most vulnerable to these changes and extreme weather events. As such, it will be of interest to a wider audience, including academics, professionals, and government officials alike.
Osamu Saito, Ph.D, Academic Director/ Academic Programme Officer, United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), Tokyo, Japan
Kazuhiko Takeuchi, Ph.D., Director and Project Professor, Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS), Tokyo, Japan; Chair of the Board of Directors, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Kanagawa, Japan
Edwin A. Gyasi, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Geography, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
Gordana Kranjac-Berisavljevic, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Agricultural Mechanisation and Irrigation Technology, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana