PLANOS DE LA NARRACIÓN

Introduction

This chapter looks at the Ada Sea Defense System (AdSDS) as an adaptation to climate change through the perceptions of district government officials and community residents. The outline of the chapter is as follows. I begin with an overview of the district. Then I discuss the vulnerability context (the first stage of the LIG approach) of the Ada East district to climate and other impacts. After these, I discuss the AdSDS as a

problematization (the second stage of the LIG approach) by examining the perceptions of district government officials and community residents about the benefits or challenges associated with the AdSDS. In the discussion of the problematization (the challenge of climate change-related flooding and coastal erosion as a dominant need of the VRD and how different stakeholders of the VRD disagree on this designation), I depart slightly from the order of the step-wise methodology of the LIG approach by examining the entry points for explaining the problematization (third stage of the LIG approach) concurrently with the problematization. I do this for ease of discussion and to also demonstrate how the two entry points I explore –discourses and identity (a clear and demonstrable tool of coercion did not emerge from my analysis) potentially produce the problematization of

the AdSDS. Also such a structure enables me to assess the manner in, and extent to which, district officials and community residents are (un)aligned with the GoG

rationalities regarding SDS as a CCA. Specifically, I examine the extent to which they are aligned with 1) the framing of climate change as an economic threat, 2) the argument that flooding and coastal erosion are serious (climate change related) impacts that needs attention, and 3) the claim that sea defense systems are the means to address this impact. By focusing on major occupational concerns or challenges associated with making a living and/or living in a place, it is possible to identify the (un)alignment of different actors with the GoG rationality of climate change as an economic threat. At the same time, perceptions of the AdSDS provide an entry point into different actors’ views of the GoG rationalities regarding flooding and coastal erosion as serious concerns and SDS as the means to address these concerns. Throughout all these illustrations I pay particular attention to identity to understand the relationship between roles and responsibilities and perceptions on the AdSDS that produce (or otherwise) these district officials and

community residents as adaptation subjects. Since an objective of governmentality is security, I whenever possible demonstrate in discussion how the analysis illustrates the achievement of the GoG objective of preserving live(lihood)s and property through sea defense systems. I discuss a further entry point for understanding perceptions of sea defense systems, the effect that the AdSDS itself has on mobilizing desires and aligning interests. I then conclude by commenting on the uneven manner in which residents of the Ada East district are (un)aligned with the GoG objective of the protection of live(lihood)s and property via the AdSDS.

District Profile

The Ada East district (formerly, known as the Dangme East District) is located in the south-eastern part of Ghana along the coast, (see Figure 3.3) along the border of the Greater Accra and Volta regions. The district has a total land area of 289.78 km2_{. The}

district is generally a low plain with maximum heights above sea level of 60 m (Ghana Statistical Service, 2014). The geographical focus of my research in the Ada East district is the 19 km coastal stretch of this plain (Ada East District Assembly, 2015). The Songor Lagoon - an international RAMSAR site21 and home to endangered species of turtle and

migratory birds among other animals - is also located in the Ada East district (Ada East District Assembly, 2015).

The district records an annual rainfall of about 30 inches and in the dry season there is little to no rain in Ada East. The Ada East district is also located in the south- eastern coastal plains of Ghana - one of the hottest regions of the country. Temperatures range between 73°F and 82°F across the year but can rise to as high as 91°F. The

vegetation of the district is mainly coastal savannah, which features predominantly savannah grass, short trees, and shrubs. Closer to the coast, there are a few strands of mangrove trees that can be found mainly along the tributaries of the Volta River that flow through the district, and many stretches and groves of coconut trees along the coast (Ghana Statistical Service, 2014).

21 _{A RAMSAR site is a protected wetland designated under The Convention on Wetlands of International}

Importance, called the Ramsar Convention. The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides a framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 hence the name of the convention and its designated sites.

According to Ghana’s 2010 Population and Housing Census, Ada East’s total population was about 71,671, with 52.54% being female and 47.46% being male (Ada East District Assembly, 2015). The predominant livelihoods of the district are fishing, crop and vegetable farming, and salt mining (Ghana Statistical Service, 2014). The district offers no percentages for these major livelihoods, but the livelihoods reported by those in the research sample reflect similar livelihoods activities as seen in the district at large (see Figures 5.1 and 5.2 for the breakdowns of the interview and focus group sample respectively by livelihood activities).

Figure 5.1 Livelihood activities of Ada East district community-level interview respondents 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 N u m b e r o f re sp p n d e n ts Activity