Seeking relief from climate-driven hunger, many women in Ghana internally migrate to fertile agricultural regions to farm and improve their food security. Yet, even moving to Ghana’s “breadbasket” does not always guarantee a full plate when hidden social and cultural barriers continue to limit access to food security.
Dr. Baada and her colleagues examine how climate change pushes Ghanaian women to internally migrate. While many find independence and improved nutrition through farming, others remain food insecure. The authors find that strong social networks after migration can actually worsen food insecurity, as stigma and shame pushes women to hide their struggles rather than seek help.
“Migration can help people adapt to the effects of climate change, but it can also sometimes make existing inequalities worse. We must pay attention to the most marginalised people so they are not forced to carry the brunt of climate change’s burdens.”
Key Findings
- Internal migration to the Middle Belt of Ghana is a common practice among northern small farming households experiencing climate-driven food insecurity.
- For women who migrate on their own terms, this provides opportunities for independent work. Many migrant women reported improved personal food security and control over household resources after internally migrating.
- However, women who migrate internally do not always have better food security outcomes. In fact, the heavy stigma associated with hunger can push migrant women to hide their situations from their new social connections, preventing them from seeking help and worsening their food insecurity.
Recommendations
- Migrant-serving organisations in destination communities should develop social support programs specifically targeting migrant women to reduce stigma, build community ties, and improve food access.
- Agricultural policies in host communities should actively support and protect migrant women’s independent farming initiatives. This includes providing women farmers with climate-resilient farming methods and tools for farming adaptation.
Implications for Current Events
A 2026 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns that rising temperatures are making it harder to maintain global food production. In some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, extreme heat could make it unsafe to work outdoors up to 250 days each year. As farming becomes more difficult, many rural workers are being forced to leave their homes to seek new livelihoods elsewhere.
Dr. Jemima Baada’s research shows how this is already happening in Ghana. Poor harvests in the country’s north are pushing many women to move to the fertile Middle Belt to farm. This migration improves some women’s access to food security and economic independence. However, Baada also found that even after migrating, many women still avoided asking for help because of the shame associated with hunger. Her research shows that migration can help people adapt to climate change, but that people also need to feel safe and supported in seeking help when they need it.
About the Authors
Jemima Nomunume Baada is an Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of British Columbia. She is an interdisciplinary climate-migration scholar, and her research and teaching are at the intersections of gender, climate change, migration, health and development equity. Her work employs a gendered lens to examine how diversely situated individuals and groups are affected by climate change, development processes, health inequalities and migration in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and other parts of the world.
This research is co-authored with Moses Kansanga, Joseph Kangmennaang, and Isaac Luginaah.
Capri Kong is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at the University of British Columbia. She holds a BA degree and a Master’s degree from the University of British Columbia. Her current research studies the characteristics and dynamics of friendship networks among first- and second-generation immigrants and their influence on immigrants’ sense of belonging and integration into Canadian society.
Original Research
Baada, Jemima Nomunume, Moses Kansanga, Joseph Kangmennaang, and Isaac Luginaah. “Migrant Women’s Food Insecurity Experiences in the Breadbasket of Ghana.” In New Directions in South-South Migration, pp. 175-187. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore, 2025.
Suggested Citation
Kong, Capri. 2026. “The Breadbasket Paradox: Why Women Who Migrate in Ghana Still Face Food Insecurity”. CMS Migration Insights Series. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Centre for Migration Studies.
Copyright: UBC Centre for Migration Studies
Availability: Web & Print
Publication date: October 22, 2026
Pages: 3
This publication is part of the CMS Migration Insights Series. The research briefs synthesize peer-reviewed, published academic research by CMS affiliates.