Small-Scale Irrigation, Farm Income and Access to Essential Services in the Busa Community of the Upper West Region of Ghana

Abstract

The worsening poverty situation in the Upper West Region of Ghana coupled with the risky nature of farming due to the joint impacts of rain-fed dependence and minimal use of irrigation in Ghana called for the need to examine small-scale irrigation usage and its effect on farmers' income and access to essential services. The study was carried out in Busa where 300 farmers were randomly sampled. The Conditional Recursive Mixed-Processes (CRMP) was used to estimate two Probit and a multiple linear regression models. The study revealed that market information and participation as well as input cost affected farmers' decision to use irrigation. Also, irrigation usage, market participation and price information, capital invested and institutional support had significant effects on farm income. However, occupation, farmers' educational attainment and incomes were the significant determinants of access-to-essential services in this area. Hence, irrigation is relevant to promoting farm income in the area since its use translate into increased income. Farmers in the area would minimize production costs and risks when encouraged or motivated to initiate or participate in small-scale irrigation since such schemes are not cost and technically intensive.

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

“…That is, irrigator households are provided with the opportunity of adding more income to their household income. These findings strongly concur with various scholarly findings on the contributions of irrigation agriculture across local communities (Ayele et al, 2013;Kpieta et al, 2013;Acheampong et al, 2014;Kidane et al, 2014;Peprah et al, 2015;Mengistie and Kidane, 2016;Akudugu et al, 2016;Agula et al, 2016;Mumin, 2017). Thus, to boost incomes among smallholder farmers, there is a need for them to repeat cropping during the dry season.…”

“…Previous studies on smallholder farmer households showed skewed male respondents (Apam, 2012;Peprah et al, 2015). However, elsewhere in northern Ghana, in Busa for example, female respondents dominated in an irrigation study (Mumin, 2017). Some studies such as Appiah-Nkansah ( 2009) and Kpieta et al (2013) pointed out the availability of cheap labour for agriculture in northern Ghana but cited unpredictable rainfall patterns and lack of financial and technical support as drawbacks that prevent the youth (active labour force) from fully participating in farming.…”

“…Participation in irrigation agriculture appears to be beneficial (Table 3). Increased participation in irrigation farming holds several prospects as it provides additional household income, food supply, female economic empowerment and poverty reduction strategy (Peprah et al, 2015;Mengistie and Kidane, 2016;Akudugu et al, 2016;Agula et al, 2016;Mumin, 2017). On the contribution of subsistence farming to household income (Table 3), the mean annual income of respondents stood at GH₵ 2323.3333, (approximately $464.66666) while a farmer could make a maximum of GH₵ 4000.00 ($800.00) or a minimum of 500.00 ($100.00) annually (at $ 1= GH₵ 5 as at January 2019).…”

“…The major cultivated crops are okro/okra and pepper which are similar to the major crops grown by irrigation farmers at the Sankana irrigation area in the Nadowli District (Peprah et al, 2015, Naaderi andDinye, 2017). The decision to grow exotic vegetables is influenced by demand in the local market place (Mumin, 2017). A key informant intimated: "My good friend, it is not easy cultivating these exotic crops, our concentration is on traditional crops.…”

“…On Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG 1), the United Nations (UN) Secretary General has called for greater efforts to boost incomes, alleviate poverty and build resilience for those living in poverty, especially in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa where many people are faced with a plethora of challenges including hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition (Agula et al, 2016). The situation is aggravated by lack of access to credit, extension services and the inability of smallholder farmers to afford these services (Appiah-Nkansah, 2009;Benin et al, 2012;Dittoh et al, 2013;Akudugu et al, 2016;Agula et al, 2016;Mumin, 2017;Peprah and N-yelkabong, 2017;Apuri et al, 2018;World Bank, 2018). There are direct and indirect relationships between irrigation agriculture and rural livelihoods.…”