Nexus Between Smallholder Irrigation Farming and Farmers’ Livelihood Outcomes in Ghana’s Guinea Savannah

Abstract

The aim of the study was to relate small-scale irrigation farming and farmers’ livelihood outcomes using the poorest District in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The livelihood implications of rural farmers remain inconclusive across the literature. Mixed methods and primary data consisting of key informant interviews, household questionnaires and personal observation were used for the study. Data were obtained from 120 farmers drawn from 173 farming households living in four (4) small-scale irrigation dams’ communities. The results revealed a significant source of supplementary income and household food is provided by smallholder irrigation farming. The results further revealed that farmers employ a plethora of technologies including the use of mulch to stem soil moisture loss, livestock manure and chemical fertilizers to remedy soil productivity decline as well as hand-dug wells to supplement the reduction in irrigation water. However, the results revealed that irrigable land is not accessible to non-land owning ethnic groups. Access to irrigable land should be the number one consideration in siting irrigation facilities in Ghana.

The prospects of community-based natural resource management in Ghana: A case study of Zukpiri community resource management area

“…The results showed that household headship in the CREMA communities is dominated by men ( Table 3 ) and reflects a dominant feature of household leadership in local communities in northern Ghana ( Baddianaah et al., 2020 ; Osumanu, 2020 ). With the household head being the main decision-making agent regarding the entire wellbeing of the household ( Osumanu, 2020 ), males have a greater chance of influencing decision-making regarding the CREMA management and exploitation of the resources.…”

“…Furthermore, the study employed the simple random sampling technique by using the households' lists of each community and assisted by an excel tool pack, random numbers were generated for the households. Household heads were interviewed because of their high influence on decision-making at the household level and beyond ( Baddianaah et al., 2020 ; Osumanu, 2020 ). Thus, the household heads' responses regarding the management, challenges and benefits of the Zukpiri CREMA were solicited using a semi-structured questionnaire divided into three major sections.…”

Impacts of small-scale irrigation on farmers' livelihood: Evidence from the drought prone areas of upper Awash sub-basin, Ethiopia

“…Previous studies indicated that small-scale irrigation has improved crop production and enhanced overall rural livelihoods [ 26 , [40] , [41] , [42] ]. However, in these studies, there are a lot of generalizations.…”

Livelihood implications of artisanal gold mining in farming communities: insight from the Wa East District, Ghana

“…Conversely, in recent years, the output from the agriculture sector continues to decline because of climate variability (high daily temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns), and the outbreak of pests and diseases. The communities mostly affected by the climatic change are rural communities in the northwestern part of Ghana whose dwellers are traditional food crop farmers (Mumin, 2017;Apuri et al, 2018;Baddianaah et al, 2020). It, therefore, stands to reason that local communities in this part of the country cannot solely rely on the agriculture sector for livelihood sustenance.…”

“…Household heads were chosen because they are the main decisionmakers within the household level. They stand the chance of influencing or determining the choice of livelihood strategy including financial decisions of the household (Osumanu, 2020;Baddianaah et al, 2020). Also, the snowball sampling technique was used in reaching out to three (3) leaders (bosses) of artisanal miners in each community (i.e.…”