Title Page

ABSTRACT

Contents

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 10

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 11

1.1. The reality of Ghanaian agriculture and lack of future orientation 11

1.2. Difficulties in establishing a climate-smart agriculture system in Ghana 13

1.3. The importance of strategies to realize a successful climate-smart agriculture system 15

1.4. The need to establish standardized indicators essential for sustainable biofuel production 17

1.5. Objective and specific aims 18

CHAPTER 2. METHODS 19

CHAPTER 3. LITERATURE REVIEW 20

3.1. Climate change, climate-smart crops, and biofuels in Ghana 20

3.1.1. Impact of climate change on crop production in Ghana 20

3.1.2. Climate-smart crop production 21

3.1.3. Benefit of farmland management and agroforestry 23

3.1.4. Challenges related to renewable energy deployment and climate change 26

3.1.5. Biofuels 29

3.1.6. Ghana's biofuel and environmental conservation policies and strategies 34

3.2. Considerations for revitalizing climate-smart crops and biofuel industries 39

3.2.1. Nitrous oxide impact on climate change 39

3.2.2. Climate change and invasive flora in Ghana 41

3.2.3. Biofuel feedstock selection criteria 44

3.2.4. Primary criteria for sustainable biofuel feedstock production in Ghana 48

3.3. Suggestions for developing climate-smart crop and biofuel industries suitable for Ghana's environment 55

3.3.1. Fuel crops suitable for Ghana 55

3.3.2. Energy perennials native to Ghana 57

3.3.3. Fuel crop species specifically considered 62

3.3.4. Exotic export crops with biofuel potential 63

3.3.5. Exotic fuel crops that can thrive on marginal land 65

3.3.6. Lessons from the Jatropha curcas failure 67

3.3.7. Possible challenges to biofuel production in Ghana 68

3.3.8. Foreign-private partnership model: the case of Ghana's cocoa industry 71

CHAPTER 4. CONCLUSIONS 76

REFERENCES 80

국문 초록 91

Table 3.1. Ghana's Biofuel and Environmental Conservation Policies and Strategies 36

Table 3.2. Social, Economic and Environmental Feedstock Criteria 45