Towards Adaptive Commons: A Case Study of Agro-Pastoral Dams in Northern Ghana

Abstract

Agro-pastoral dams (APDs) are an increasingly popular method of adaptation interventions improving communal water supply in rural West Africa. However, APDs are often constructed in areas where culturally heterogeneous pastoralists and farmers compete for similar land and water resources. Lifting open access water abundance is likely to change if not intensify ongoing tensions between farmers and settling Fulani herders. The extent of collective action and inclusivity of 6 APDs in Northern Ghana are analysed, combining theory from common-pool resource management and equity and justice in climate change adaptation into a proposed Inclusive Collective Action (ICA) model. Practically, the article demonstrates that neither fully excluding Fulani pastoralists nor making dams openly accessible results in inclusive APD usage and management where collective action is successful, and more dynamic forms of regional inclusion and exclusion are needed. Theoretically, the article identifies some of the limitations of applying the enabling conditions for collective action of common-pool resource theory as it tends to overlook negative aspects of excluding certain user groups in culturally heterogeneous contexts from managing and using a commons.

Spatial distribution of water reservoirs in the Sota catchment (Benin, West Africa) and implications for local development

“…The severe droughts of the 1970s in the Sahelian countries, with severe water shortage and starvation, compelled donors and governments to promote reservoirs to water livestock and to enhance irrigated cereal production; in brief, to enhance food security [ 4 , 5 ]. In West Africa, the construction of reservoirs is found to be a sound strategy in assisting people to adapt to climate change, to increase water storage capacities, regulate water flows, contribute to food security, increase livelihood resilience, and maintain or/and improve wetland ecosystem functions and services [ 4 , [6] , [7] , [8] ]. Water storage is an important tool for resilience [ 9 ] but reservoirs as an important human activity also affect runoff [ 10 ], environment, public health [ 11 ] and lead to water loss by evaporation [ [12] , [13] , [14] ].…”