Agricultural water management and livelihoods in the crop–livestock systems of the Volta Basin

Big Data and Multiple Methods for Mapping Small Reservoirs: Comparing Accuracies for Applications in Agricultural Landscapes

“…[36]. A lack of accessible data make it impossible to robustly monitor the basin's water resources, a problem that is emblematic of Africa's water resources [3].…”

“…The Volta basin is a pertinent region to use as a case study given the absence of consistent information on reservoir locations and functionality between and within the basin's six countries [35], and the livelihood dependencies on the water stored in the basin's small reservoirs which open up opportunities for dry season food production and supplemental irrigation to avert losses during dry spells. [36]. A lack of accessible data make it impossible to robustly monitor the basin's water resources, a problem that is emblematic of Africa's water resources [3].…”

Systems thinking and modelling for sustainable water resources management and agricultural development in the Volta River Basin, West Africa

“…As one of the 60 river basins in Africa, it supports the production of food, fibre, hydropower, and other products that are vital to West Africa's economy and the livelihoods of 25 million people who depend on the availability of the water that flows through the river basin system. During the last four to five decades, demographic pressures, land use change, high rainfall variability, climate change, and the increased competition for land and water have combined temporally and spatially to affect sustainable water resource management and agricultural development within the river basin (Gordon and Amatekpor, 1999;Douxchamps et al, 2012). There is tension between the aspirations of socio-economic development and environmental sustainability.…”

“…Water resources play a pivotal role in the promotion of environmental enhancement, economic growth, and poverty reduction in all the riparian countries of the basin (Lemoalle, 2009;Sood et al, 2013;UNEP-GEF Volta Project, 2013;Mul et al, 2015). However, since the 1980s, the sustainability and water resources management in the basin has been hampered by a plethora of challenges and rapid changes, including rapid population and urbanisation, land use change, growing demand for food; increasing demand for water for agriculture, domestic, and industries; high reliance on biofuels for energy; and rapid growth in livestock numbers (Barry et al, 2005;Lemoalle, 2009;Douxchamps et al, 2012;Gorden et al, 2013;UNEP-GEF Volta Project, 2013;Kolavalli and Williams, 2016).…”

“…To solve the numerous problems, various traditional management approaches have been pursued since the 1960s, including soil and water conservation techniques through large scale projects, river diversion storages, small-scale irrigation, and small reservoirs, with the view to mitigating the water problem and enhancing food security and economic growth (CGIAR, 2013;Douxchamps et al, 2012;Williams et al, 2016). Also, although most of the basin's inhabitants actually depend on agriculture and traditional livelihoods, most of the current and planned water-development projects for the Volta basin countries focus on the construction of large scale hydropower schemes such as the Akosombo in Ghana or the Bagré dam in Burkina Faso, essentially to mobilise water primarily for hydropower generation.…”