Climate change continues to threaten agricultural productivity and food security in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the need for integrated adaptation strategies. This study applied systems thinking as an overarching analytical framework to identify leverage points for improving climate resilience within Integrated Soil-Crop-Livestock Production Systems (ISCLPS) in the Manya Krobo District of Ghana. A mixed-methods approach combined stakeholder surveys (n = 110), key informant interviews (n = 30), participatory workshops (n = 2; 50 participants), microbiological water-quality assessment, field evaluation of livestock-waste compost using *Opuntia ficus-indica* as a drought-resilient indicator crop, and NASA climate data analysis (2023-2025). Systems analysis identified poor livestock waste management as a critical leverage point and revealed three dominant systems archetypes—Fixes that Fail, Shifting the Burden, and Tragedy of the Commons—that reinforce environmental degradation and agricultural vulnerability. Guided by these findings, the field experiment evaluated composting as a key intervention and demonstrated significant improvements in plant growth, biomass production, and soil functioning through enhanced nutrient cycling, microbial activity, and moisture retention. Water-quality assessment revealed severe microbial contamination associated with unmanaged livestock waste, while climate analysis indicated a 23.3% decline in rainfall, a 13.0% reduction in root-zone soil moisture, and increasing temperatures between 2023 and 2025. These findings informed the development of a Systems Framework for Climate Adaptation through Nutrient Recycling, demonstrating how transforming livestock waste into compost can improve soil health, environmental quality, and climate resilience. The study provides empirical evidence that systems thinking can effectively identify high-impact interventions for sustainable climate adaptation in smallholder farming systems.
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