Your search found 7 records
1 Forkuor, Gerald; Cofie, Olufunke. 2011. Dynamics of land-use and land-cover change in Freetown, Sierra Leone and its effects on urban and peri-urban agriculture: a remote sensing approach. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 32(4):1017-1037. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/01431160903505302]
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H043650)
(2.02 MB)
This paper presents findings of a land-use and land-cover (LULC) change mapping exercise conducted in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Nine LULC classes were mapped from multi-temporal Landsat data of 1974, 1986 and 2000. Special attention was given to the growth or otherwise of agricultural land in relation to other LULC classes. Conversion of one land-use/-cover type to the other was identified, and its effects discussed. Major conversions occurred between agricultural lands, grasslands, evergreen forest, built-up areas and barren land. Built-up areas increased by at least 140% between 1974 and 2000, suggesting a high urbanization rate. About 882 ha (27%) of agricultural lands in 1986 were converted to residential purposes in 2000, especially at the urban fringes, in response to an increase in population. Some 14% of evergreen forest was found to have been converted to agricultural land. These major conversions suggest a strong linkage between urbanization, agriculture and deforestation.
2 Forkuor, Gerald; Drechsel, Pay; Cofie, Olufunke. 2011. A GIS-based approach for integrating agriculture into urban and peri-urban planning. West Africa Review, 19:136-154.
GIS ; Urban agriculture ; Suburban agriculture ; Urban planning ; Transport ; Markets ; Water resources ; Topography ; Land tenure ; Analytical methods / Ghana / Accra
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H044645)
(0.52 MB)
In most developing countries, zoning land for urban farming remains a major obstacle to urban and peri-urban agriculture. In this study, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Analysis are used to demonstrate how city authorities can integrate farming into their planning. The study was conducted in five districts in and around Ghana’s capital city. Spatial layers representing six influencing factors were created. Results indicate that, out of the five districts, Tema municipality has the highest percentage of suitable lands for agriculture while Akuapim South has the lowest. City authorities are encouraged to adopt the approach, as it would enable them to build and monitor different scenarios (with different factors and weights) in a participatory manner before and after planning decisions are made.
3 Namara, Regassa E.; Awuni, J. A.; Barry, Boubacar; Giordano, Mark; Hope, Lesley; Owusu, Eric S.; Forkuor, Gerald. 2011. Smallholder shallow groundwater irrigation development in the upper east region of Ghana. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 35p. (IWMI Research Report 143) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2011.214]
Groundwater irrigation ; Wells ; Agronomic practices ; Smallholders ; Economic aspects ; Social aspects ; Irrigated land ; Investment ; Water management ; Crop management ; Food security ; Poverty ; Households / Ghana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H044687)
(894.11KB)
In sub-Saharan Africa, there is paucity of information on the potential of groundwater resources. The limited available information paints a pessimistic view about groundwater resources. Due to its perceived inadequate availability, groundwater associated with domestic use and the potential for using it for agriculture are not well reflected in the national irrigation polices. Contrary to official pessimism, farmers do use groundwater for agriculture in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa including Ghana. This paper analyzes the current extent of use, economics, socioeconomic impacts, and constraints and opportunities of shallow groundwater irrigation based on the experiences of smallholders in the three micro-watersheds of the White Volta Basin in the Upper East Region of Ghana.
4 Lacombe, Guillaume; McCartney, Matthew; Forkuor, Gerald. 2012. Drying climate in Ghana over the period 1960–2005: evidence from the resampling-based Mann-Kendall test at local and regional levels. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57(8):1594-1609. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2012.728291]
Climate change ; Drying ; Rainfall patterns ; Water management ; Water storage ; Agriculture / Ghana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H045155)
(1.58 MB)
Trends in rainfall series were investigated at 16 stations in Ghana over the period 1960–2005. Time series were first de-correlated using an effective pre-whitening methodology and then submitted to the resamplingbased Mann-Kendall test. Field significances were assessed using the regional average Kendall statistic. Although no significant changes were observed in annual rainfall, the analysis reveals: (a) a reduction in the number of wet season days totalling less than 20 mm of rainfall, between latitudes 6 and 9.5 N; (b) a delay (about 0.5 d year-1) in the wet season onset at several locations throughout the country; and (c) a lengthening (about 0.1 d year-1) of rainless periods during the wet season in the south and centre of Ghana. All these changes, which remained insignificant at more than half of the individual stations, were found to be regionally significant at the 95% confidence level. The results highlight the importance of evaluating regional significance when investigating climate trends.
5 McCartney, Matthew; Forkuor, Gerald; Sood, Aditya; Amisigo, B.; Hattermann, F.; Muthuwatta, Lal. 2012. The water resource implications of changing climate in the Volta River Basin [Africa]. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 33p. (IWMI Research Report 146) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2012.219]
River basins ; Climate change ; Water resources development ; Reservoirs ; Water demand ; Temperature ; Rain ; Evapotranspiration ; Hydrology ; Flow discharge ; Groundwater recharge ; Surface water ; Water storage ; Simulation models ; Water power ; Irrigation schemes ; Irrigation water ; Water demand ; Livestock / Africa. / Volta River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H045520)
(1.99MB)
The Volta River is one of the major rivers in Africa. In this study, a dynamic regional climate model (CCLM), a hydrological model (SWAT) and a water resource model (WEAP) were used to provide an assessment of one downscaled ‘middle impact’ climate change scenario on the performance of existing and planned irrigation and hydropower schemes. The results indicate that, by the middle of the twenty-first century, altered climate is likely to undermine the technical performance of existing and planned reservoirs, which will, in turn, affect development outcomes. Future water resources development in the basin requires interventions that bolster resilience and water security. Much more systematic planning of water storage, greater cooperation between the riparian states and consideration of innovative approaches to water storage are needed.
6 Masoud, J.; Agyare, W. A.; Forkuor, Gerald; Namara, Regassa; Ofori, E. 2013. Modeling inland valley suitability for rice cultivation. ARPN Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 8(1):9-19.
Valleys ; Rice ; Sensitivity analysis ; Models ; Rain ; Soil fertility ; Land tenure / Ghana / Brong Ahafo Region / Western Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H045625)
http://www.arpnjournals.com/jeas/research_papers/rp_2013/jeas_0113_843.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H045625.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H045625.pdf
(2.39 MB) (2.38MB)
The demand for rice (Oryza sativa) in Ghana is increasing at a rate of 11.8% from 939, 920 t in 2010. Though there has been some increase in production it does not match the increase in consumption. This study seeks to determine the most suitable areas for inland valley rice cultivation using computer based models for selected sites (15km by 15km) in the Brong Ahafo Region (BAR) and Western Region (WR) of Ghana. A sensitivity analysis was carried out by excluding the least contributing parameters and varying their weights to determine highly suitable areas. Finally, 12 most sensitive input parameters were identified from the original 22. These were used to model for five suitability classes (highly suitable, suitable, moderately suitable, marginally suitable and not suitable). The model results based on parameters having equal weights showed that 0.5% and 11.8% (BAR); and 1.4% and 21.4% (WR) of the area were highly suitable and suitable respectively. Using unequal weights, 0.8% and 7.6% (BAR); and 0.9% and 13.6% (WR) of the area were highly suitable and suitable, respectively. The study successfully mapped out suitable areas for rice cultivation using spatial models based on limited data set, which can be adopted for use elsewhere.
7 Forkuor, Gerald; Pavelic, Paul; Asare, E.; Obuobie, E. 2013. Modelling potential areas of groundwater development for agriculture in northern Ghana using GIS/RS. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58(2):437-451. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2012.754101]
Groundwater development ; Water availability ; Water levels ; Agriculture ; GIS ; Remote sensing ; Models ; Sedimentary materials ; Recharge ; Aquifers ; Hydrogeology ; Maps / Ghana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H045707)
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02626667.2012.754101
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H045707.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H045707.pdf
(2.32 MB) (2.31MB)
Groundwater development potential in northern Ghana (108 671 km2) has been assessed by combining spatial layers for five critical factors—recharge rate, regolith thickness, transmissivity, borehole success rate and static water level—through a multi-criteria analysis approach to rank development potential from the viewpoint of groundwater availability and accessibility at a resolution of 1 km2. The results indicate a high potential for development in the study area, as about 70% of the area was found to have high to moderate groundwater availability, while 83% has high to medium groundwater accessibility. Comparing the two main hydrogeological environments, the Precambrian Basement rocks (PCB) area was found to generally have a higher groundwater development potential than the Voltaian Sedimentary rocks (VSB). More detailed investigation revealed that the VSB can produce a small proportion of exceptionally high-yielding boreholes that can support large-scale irrigation. A test of the reliability of results showed that generally, the majority of high- and low-yielding boreholes fall in areas predicted by the model as having high and low groundwater availability, respectively.
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