“Happy Farmers” in Volta Delta, Ghana? Exploring the Relationship between Environmental Conditions and Happiness

Communities’ wellbeing in rural lower-middle-income countries is interlinked with climate and landscape characteristics. Rural inhabitants are often assumed to be “happy farmers”, content with their livelihoods and social connections, despite the financial and material insecurities associated with their fragile environments. However, is this assumption an accurate reflection of reality? This study explores relationships between environmental conditions and subjective wellbeing in Volta Delta, Ghana. Subjective wellbeing is captured through a life domains happiness measure, calculated using the “Deltas, Vulnerability and Climate Change: Migration & Adaptation” survey dataset. A binary logistic model evaluates associations between low happiness, and environmental and control characteristics constructed from survey and remote sensing datasets. The quantitative approach supports the “happy farmer” identity, with lower probabilities of low happiness amongst rural households with a strong attachment to agricultural landscapes. However, the limited availability of permanent employment could offset these subjective benefits. Nevertheless, happiness is not a substitute for objective wellbeing, often defined through monetary wealth; therefore, sustainability policy should not be discouraged from providing tangible support to vulnerable communities. Volta Delta consists of varying landscapes, with model results also illustrating lower happiness within coastal locations, potentially linked to fears of hazards, restricted natural resource governance, and threats to intergenerational land and livelihoods. This study highlights the key role of environmental conditions in potentially influencing subjective wellbeing. Exploring relationships with subjective outcomes ensures sustainability policy captures non-tangible outcomes and feedback effects, which, if incorporated alongside objective targets, can ensure all costs, benefits and challenges are accounted for.