1. Identifying potential areas for upscaling successful agricultural water management interventions: A case study of the White Volta Basin in Ghana using a decision support tool.
Amoakwah, E.1,2,3, Kemp-Benedict, E.4, Baron, J4, Morris, J.4, Fosu, M.1 and Islam, K, R3
1Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Ghana.
2University of Cape Coast, Department of Soil Science, Ghana.
3The Ohio State University, Department of Soil, Water and Bioenergy Resources, Piketon.
4Stockholm Environment Institute, UK
Abstract
Methods
Results and Discussion- continued
TAGMI Interface in the Volta basin
Criteria for the selection of the targeted Ag water management intervention:
Areas with high poverty levels
Areas where farmers solely relied on rainfall
High geographical spread of the intervention(s)
Spontaneous uptake of the intervention(s)
Three (3) AWM technologies have been successfully integrated into TAGMI. These interventions are:
soil water conservation
small-scale irrigation
small reservoirs
Potentially, these AWM interventions have the propensity to significantly improve food production especially during the dry season in the White Volta basin where farmers solely rely on rain for agricultural activities.
Biophysical and socio-economic factors of success:
Availability of labor
Both skilled and unskilled personnel are needed in ensuring sound agricultural water management or irrigation activities.
Secure access to land and water
Access to land and water is critical for effective implementation and adoption of AWM technologies. The problem with regards to accessibility to land is invariably land tenure systems in northern Ghana, which to a large extent determine how land is accessed by individual farmers or farmer-group organizations for irrigation. This challenge undoubtedly affects the zeal and the will power of individuals who are willing to invest in AMW in northern Ghana.
Reliable and Stable Input/Output Markets
Readily available markets are considered to be key in adoption, implementation and upscaling of AWM interventions. Markets that are stable and reliable to the extent that prices paid on agricultural commodities make AWM interventions economically viable devoid of any fluctuations are a pre-requisite for successful development of AWM technologies in the basin
Capacity building/ technical know-how
Rural farmers in the White Volta basin have sometimes been introduced to AWM technologies without any technical support for maintaining them. This undoubtedly results in unsustainable AWM interventions. The availability of reliable technical advisory services such as agricultural extension services or farmer advisory center is crucially needed for a successful adoption and implementation of AWM interventions.
Availability of funds
Food production is a thirsty venture; an accessible and reliable farmer support environment can sustain and enhance irrigation productivity. The reliability of these support services can boost farmer confidence and may lead them in investing further in irrigated agriculture. Farmers also depend on information on markets, seeds, soil requirements and fertilizer. The availability of affordable credit facilities gives farmers the opportunity to improve and expand production. For example, with credit farmers can afford to buy fertilizer or invest in more efficient irrigation technologies.
This work was done to target and scale out successful agricultural water management (AWM) interventions in the White Volta Basin.
Primary data, together with stake holder consultation meetings at the regional, district and community levels were used for data collection.
In addition, a multi-scale participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) assessment was done to identify some AWM interventions successfully implemented by some farmers in selected communities.
The factors and indicators of success, in addition to biophysical and socio-economic data obtained from the PGIS exercise were integrated into a Bayesian model.
That model was then used within a decision-support web tool (Targeting Agricultural water Management Intervention (TAGMI)) that facilitates targeting and scaling-out of AWM technologies in the basin.
This online tool shows the output of the Bayesian network model that connects socio economic and bio-physical factors to the likelihood of successfully implementing different AWM technologies in other geographic locations in the basin.
Measure of success of AWM intervention:
Widespread adoption of the technology
Enhanced economic output
Increased food production
Improved women’s livelihood
Conclusions
Development of TAGMI
Introduction
TAGMI displays spatially explicit model results based on biophysical and socio-economic data, to determine which locations may be better suited than others for a particular AWM intervention in the Volta Basin.
TAGMI helps to answer the question: will an AWM intervention successfully implemented in one location have a reasonable chance of success at different geographical locations?
The answer, provided with a measurable degree of probability, suggests a way forward for upscaling AWM interventions.
With sound agricultural water management strategies, coupled with application of amendments to enhance and maintain the soil ecosystem, there will be an increase in food production, reduction in poverty levels and improvement in the livelihood resilience of rural farmers in the basin and beyond.
The White Volta Basin has some of the poorest and most food insecure communities in Ghana.
This is partly due to water scarcity, which is characterized by long dry spell in this area.
This affects food security with its resultant effect on high poverty levels.
Few farmers successfully practice Agricultural water management interventions.
There is therefore the need to target some of these successful AWM interventions and upscale them to other areas in the basin.
Objectives
Results and Discussion
Acknowledgement
AWM interventions identified:
Earth dams/Dug-outs
Shallow wells
Tied ridges
Water pumps
Bunding
NB: Factors and indicators of success of each Ag water management intervention available in full manuscript.
To target AWM interventions successfully implemented in some communities in the White Volta basin.
Identify the factors and indicators of success for the implementation of these AWM interventions
Develop a decision support system to facilitate the scaling out of these AWM interventions to other areas.
This work was supported by The Challenge Program on Water and Food of the Basin Development Challenge, Ghana, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Ghana, and Stockholm Environment Institute, UK.
My PhD in The Ohio State University , Department of Soil Water and Bioenergy Resources, is funded by Borlaug Leadership Enhancement in Agriculture program and Danish International Development Agency.
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