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Irrigated agriculture can support food and nutrition security, increase rural employment and incomes and can act as a buffer against growing climate variability and change. However, irrigation development has been slow in Africa south of the Sahara and Ghana is no exception. Out of a total potential irrigated area of close to 2 million ha, less than 20,000 ha large-scale irrigation and less than 200,000 ha of small-scale irrigation have been developed; but the latter is only an estimate. To identify entry points for accelerating small-scale irrigation development in Ghana, a national and a regional stakeholder Net-Map workshop were held in Accra and Tamale, respectively. The workshops suggest that a wide variety of actors from government, the private sector, international organizations and funders, research organizations and NGOs are involved in the diffusion of small-scale irrigation technologies. However, there are important differences between actors perceived to be key at the national and at the regional levels in northern Ghana. At the national level, diffusion of small-scale irrigation technologies is considered to be largely influenced by the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority together with a series of private sector actors focused on importation, distribution and financing of technologies. Farmers are considered to have no influence over the diffusion of small-scale irrigation, suggesting that small-scale irrigation is largely considered a supply-driven process. In northern Ghana, on the other hand, farmers are considered to be key influencers, although participants noted that much of this was potential influence, together with a larger and more diversified set of government stakeholders that are seen as regulators and possibly gatekeepers. For irrigation diffusion to successfully move from importation to distribution to benefiting smallholder farmers, all of these actors have to come together to better understand farmers’ needs and challenges. A multi-stakeholder platform could help to increase communication between farmers as the ultimate beneficiaries of small-scale irrigation technologies and the many other actors interested in supporting this process.
This report is a view of irrigation technologies for smallholders in the context of improving rural livelihoods, especially in regard to the prospects for sub-Saharan Africa. The role of traditional technologies is evaluated and modern water distribution technologies, such as sprinkler and trickle irrigation, are reviewed. A broad classification has been made based on climate and the traditional agricultural background of the local people, which links technology options to specific places--to agricultural regions and to countries.
Small-scale irrigation has significant potential to increase crop productivity in Mali, in particular given growing climate change impacts on the country and region. While large-scale development is substantial, small, private irrigation remains limited, affecting food and particularly nutrition security as small-scale technologies are more likely to be used for high-value vegetable crops. To better understand the challenges and opportunities in the diffusion of small-scale irrigation technologies, two workshops were organized in 2021 at the national and regional levels, respectively, to consider national and local factors supporting the diffusion of small-scale irrigation technologies. Key constraints identified were a lack of linkages between intermediary organizations in the small-scale irrigation diffusion process, such as commodity associations, financial institutions and technology vendors with government agencies in charge of irrigation, limiting the sharing of consistent and effective information across entities; the lack of a clear policy framework and long-term guidance for private individual irrigation; an associated lack of targeted technology development including limited adaptation to different local contexts, missing financial products linked to irrigation technology, and inadequate capacity building of farmers through extension services and demonstration sites. Workshop participants suggested a dedicated platform for more effective information exchange across the key actors identified in the events, improved capacity building on private irrigation, and a supportive policy and financial environment to ensure growth and sustainability of small-scale irrigation development in the country.
This Working Paper presents methodological and substantive findings of gender-differentiated quantitative farm household surveys about smallholder’s private irrigation technology adoption in Ghana and Zambia. Focusing on three gender variables, household headship, labor provision and plot management, the paper examines adoption rates, types of technologies and gendered labor provision in female- and male-headed households; compares adoption rates on women’s own plots with overall rates; compares women’s decision-making on irrigated plots and rainfed plots; and examines impacts of targeting strategies. Findings suggest that women are proactive irrigation adopters in spite of the many obstacles they face. Removing those obstacles serves both gender equality and irrigation policies.
Interest in African irrigation investment is growing. However, irrigation is not a monolithic concept, and the opportunities and risks can vary substantially by approach. To help provide an understanding of the variation, this paper builds on previous work to provide a detailed typology of irrigation systems as currently used in Ghana.
Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) business strategies have been praised to tackle the problem of poverty by marketing to the BoP while generating new income opportunities for the private sector. Nevertheless, BoP business strategies have faced many obstacles to their successful implementation to date. This thesis examines factors critical to the implementation of a market-based approach at the BoP by the example of International Development Enterprises (IDE) Ghana. In particular, new models are presented of how to combine innovative financing models with new product and service developments to the end of making irrigation technologies affordable to smallholder farmers in northern Ghana while generating income opportunities for the private sector.