Your search found 5 records
1 Namara, Regassa E. 2010. Autonomous smallholder shallow groundwater irrigation development in upper east region of Ghana. [Abstract only]. In Abstracts of the “Toward Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture - An International Conference Linking Science and Policy,” Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Burlingame, California , USA, 15-17 June 2010. Davis, CA, USA: University of California; Sacramento, CA, USA: Water Education Foundation. pp.112.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H043195)
(3.75 MB)
In sub-Saharan Africa in general, and in Ghana in particular, groundwater resource is associated with domestic use. There is paucity of information on groundwater resource potentials and the limited information that is available based on data from specific aquifers indicates a pessimistic view about the groundwater resources in Ghana. Moreover, the agricultural use of groundwater is not reflected in the country’s water and irrigation policy. Contrary to the official knowledge, farmers have started using shallow groundwater to produce horticultural crops. In Upper East region, the groundwater infrastructure is developed using extremely rudimentary digging/drilling technologies banking on the abundant human labor during the long dry season. This paper analyzes: (1) the economics of smallholder groundwater irrigation; (2) food security and poverty outreach of access to groundwater resource; and (3) constraints and opportunities of smallholder groundwater irrigation systems. The paper is based on data generated from 420 farmers in 35 communities distributed in three micro-watersheds of the White Volta basin in the Upper East region of Ghana. These communities are divided into 2,085 compounds harboring 4,576 households and 20,962 people. Of the total 4,576 households found in the area, about 61 percent are practicing irrigation of one sort or the other. Of those practicing irrigation, about 89.9 percent are using shallow groundwater. The rest are using small dams, river and drainage water. Even though the agricultural use of groundwater had significant positive livelihood impacts, further development and productivity is constrained by complex land tenure issues, lack of access to efficient drilling technology, marketing challenges, and the general lack of official support services such as extension and micro-credits.
2 Barry, Boubacar; Kortatsi, B.; Forkuor, G.; Gumma, M. K.; Namara, Regassa E.; Rebelo, Lisa-Maria; van den Berg, J.; Laube, W. 2010. Shallow groundwater in the Atankwidi Catchment of the White Volta Basin: current status and future sustainability. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 23p. (IWMI Research Report 139) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2010.234]
Groundwater irrigation ; Aquifers ; River basins ; Catchment areas ; Irrigation practices ; Remote sensing ; Mapping / Ghana / Atankwidi Catchment / White Volta River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 333.9104 G200 BAR Record No: H043521)
(1.39 MB)
The Atankwidi Catchment, which lies in the White Volta Basin in West Africa, is intensively cultivated by locals for economic gains. During dry seasons, farmers irrigate their crops, chiefly tomatoes, using shallow groundwater harvested from shallow ponds they dig using simple tools like an axe, hoe, bucket and bowls. Recent expansion in cultivated areas has brought to the fore the need to estimate the volume of shallow groundwater stored in the catchment’s underlying aquifer and to what extent it can sustain the incremental growth in irrigated areas.
3 Balana, Bedru B.; Sanfo, S.; Barbier, B.; Williams, Timothy; Kolavalli, S. 2019. Assessment of flood recession agriculture for food security in northern Ghana: an optimization modelling approach. Agricultural Systems, 173:536-543. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2019.03.021]
Agricultural practices ; Floodplains ; Water management ; Crop production ; Food security ; Models ; Supplemental irrigation ; Household income ; Food consumption ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Rainfed farming ; Soil moisture ; Dry season ; Wet season ; Land allocation ; Communities / Ghana / White Volta River Basin / Bawku West / Talensi / West Mampurusi
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049190)
(0.95 MB)
Food insecurity is a recurrent problem in northern Ghana. Food grown during the rainy season is often insufficient to meet household food needs, with some households experiencing severe food insecurity for up to five months in a year. Flood recession agriculture (FRA) – an agricultural practice that relies on residual soil moisture and nutrients left by receding flood water – is ordinarily practiced by farmers along the floodplains of the White Volta River in northern Ghana under low-input low-output conditions. Opportunities abound to promote highly productive FRA as a means of extending the growing season beyond the short rainy season (from May to September) into the dry season and thereby increase household income and food security of smallholder farmers. This study uses an optimization modelling approach to explore this potential by analyzing the crop mix and agricultural water management options that will maximize household income and enhance food security. Results indicate that growing cowpea, groundnut and melon under residual-moisture based FRA and high value crops (onion, pepper, and tomato) under supplementary irrigation FRA maximize household income and food security. The cash income from the sale of FRA crops was sufficient to purchase food items that ensure consumption smoothing during the food-insecure months. The study concludes that the full potential of FRA will be realized through a careful selection of crop mixtures and by enhancing access of farmers to improved seeds, integrated pest management and credit and mainstreaming FRA through targeted policy interventions and institutional support.
4 Larbi, I.; Hountondji, F. C. C.; Dotse, S.-Q.; Mama, D.; Nyamekye, C.; Adeyeri, O. E.; Koubodana, H. D.; Odoom, P. R. E.; Asare, Y. M. 2021. Local climate change projections and impact on the surface hydrology in the Vea Catchment, West Africa. Hydrology Research, 16p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/nh.2021.096]
Climate change ; Forecasting ; Surface runoff ; Hydrology ; Climatology ; Catchment areas ; Water balance ; Water resources ; River basins ; Land use ; Precipitation ; Rain ; Evapotranspiration ; Models ; Uncertainty / West Africa / Ghana / Burkina Faso / White Volta River Basin / Vea Catchment
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050593)
https://iwaponline.com/hr/article-pdf/doi/10.2166/nh.2021.096/931645/nh2021096.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050593.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050593.pdf
(0.91 MB) (932 KB)
Water security has been a major challenge in the semi-arid area of West Africa including Northern Ghana, where climate change is projected to increase if appropriate measures are not taken. This study assessed rainfall and temperature projections and its impact on the water resources in the Vea catchment using an ensemble mean of four bias-corrected Regional Climate Models and Statistical Downscaling Model-Decision Centric (SDSM-DC) simulations. The ensemble mean of the bias-corrected climate simulations was used as input to an already calibrated and validated Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, to assess the impact of climate change on actual evapotranspiration (ET), surface runoff and water yield, relative to the baseline (1990–2017) period. The results showed that the mean annual temperature and actual ET would increase by 1.3 °C and 8.3%, respectively, for the period 2020–2049 under the medium CO2 emission (RCP4.5) scenario, indicating a trend towards a dryer climate. The surface runoff and water yield are projected to decrease by 42.7 and 38.7%, respectively. The projected decrease in water yield requires better planning and management of the water resources in the catchment.
5 Mensah, J. K.; Ofosu, E. A.; Akpoti, Komlavi; Kabo-Bah, A. T.; Okyereh, S. A.; Yidana, S. M. 2022. Modeling current and future groundwater demands in the White Volta River Basin of Ghana under climate change and socio-economic scenarios. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 41:101117. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2022.101117]
Water demand ; Groundwater ; Modelling ; Forecasting ; River basins ; Climate change ; Socioeconomic development ; Irrigation water ; Domestic water ; Livestock ; Planning ; Catchment areas / Ghana / White Volta River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051165)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581822001306/pdfft?md5=46b90fe408011ab196a86f42465f690f&pid=1-s2.0-S2214581822001306-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051165.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051165.pdf
(13.30 MB) (13.3 MB)
Study region: White Volta River Basin, Ghana.
Study focus: Groundwater sustainability is becoming a major concern in the face of population growth, land use land cover (LULC), and climate changes. The Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model is used in this study to analyse the current and future groundwater demands for the period of 2015–2070. Two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP 8.5) scenarios from statistically downscaled fifteen CMIP5 models were combined three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs 2,3 and 5) scenarios in the nine sub-catchments of the White Volta River Basin.
New hydrological insights for the study region: The WEAP model was calibrated (2006–2012) and validated (2013–2020) using streamflow data from six gauges in five sub-catchments. The findings show that climatic change and socio-economic development will result in a disparity between groundwater supply and demand in sub-catchments with greater socioeconomic growth, especially those with higher population density and arable agricultural land. Among the basin’s nine sub-catchments, four will experience water scarcity under all future scenarios. While the groundwater flow and recharge data may be evaluated using several physical hydrological models, the calibration and validation results suggest that the current modeling approach is capable of reliably predicting future groundwater demand with associated uncertainties. The study establishes a link between climate change, socio-economic growth, and groundwater availability in the White Volta River Basin.
Study focus: Groundwater sustainability is becoming a major concern in the face of population growth, land use land cover (LULC), and climate changes. The Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model is used in this study to analyse the current and future groundwater demands for the period of 2015–2070. Two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP 8.5) scenarios from statistically downscaled fifteen CMIP5 models were combined three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs 2,3 and 5) scenarios in the nine sub-catchments of the White Volta River Basin.
New hydrological insights for the study region: The WEAP model was calibrated (2006–2012) and validated (2013–2020) using streamflow data from six gauges in five sub-catchments. The findings show that climatic change and socio-economic development will result in a disparity between groundwater supply and demand in sub-catchments with greater socioeconomic growth, especially those with higher population density and arable agricultural land. Among the basin’s nine sub-catchments, four will experience water scarcity under all future scenarios. While the groundwater flow and recharge data may be evaluated using several physical hydrological models, the calibration and validation results suggest that the current modeling approach is capable of reliably predicting future groundwater demand with associated uncertainties. The study establishes a link between climate change, socio-economic growth, and groundwater availability in the White Volta River Basin.
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