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The Experience of Irrigation Management Transfer in Ghana: A Case Study of Dawhenya Irrigation Scheme
Abstract
Government disengagement from day-to-daymanagement of irrigation infrastructure hasbecome a widespread strategy in Asia,Africa and Latin America. This paperexamines a case study of managementtransfer of a rice irrigation scheme inGhana. The criteria used relate toagricultural, financial and economicperformance and environmental sustainability.The study showed that whilstboth cropping intensity and cultivated areadecreased after transfer, the relativelyhigh yields were sustained. The averageproduction cost before transfer decreasedby about 7% from 827/ha to827/ha to 774/haafter transfer. Most importantly, averagenet income increased by more than 100%from 260/ha to260/ha to 549/ha after transfer.Very high financial self-sufficiency ratioscoupled with low running cost achieved bythe farmers'' co-operative led to theconclusion that transfer has resulted inbetter performance so far.
... Therefore, several studies have been conducted on IMT schemes (Ghamire and Griffin, 2014;Olen et al., 2016;Senanayake et al., 2015;Wang et al., 2006;Wokker et al., 2014). Some studies have examined the mode of operation of the IMT scheme, i.e. whether the irrigation scheme is managed by individual farmers (Coward, 1980;Uphoff, 1986) or farmer-state partnership managed irrigation schemes (Sam-Amoah and Gowing, 2001). ...
... Secondly, little attention has been paid to identifying the magnitude and precise impact of contemporary IMT on welfare, food security, and nutrition of the rural poor. Furthermore, most of the existing studies focused on the management and governance of the IMT scheme, the financial and economic viability of government managed irrigation systems (Mukherji et al., 2009;Owusu, 2016;Sam-Amoah and Gowing, 2001;Shah et al., 2002), with little focus on the impact of the IMT policy on participating farmers, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies that have attempted to examine IMT scheme participation and its impact on participants is limited to economic efficiency under the IMT scheme (Puozaa, 2015;Sam-Amoah and Gowing, 2001;van Koppen et al., 2003;Zhang et al., 2013). ...
... Furthermore, most of the existing studies focused on the management and governance of the IMT scheme, the financial and economic viability of government managed irrigation systems (Mukherji et al., 2009;Owusu, 2016;Sam-Amoah and Gowing, 2001;Shah et al., 2002), with little focus on the impact of the IMT policy on participating farmers, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies that have attempted to examine IMT scheme participation and its impact on participants is limited to economic efficiency under the IMT scheme (Puozaa, 2015;Sam-Amoah and Gowing, 2001;van Koppen et al., 2003;Zhang et al., 2013). Sakthivadivel et al. (2001) assessed how differences in farm sizes may affect water distribution, yield and net returns of smallholder farmers participating in the IMT scheme in Taiwan. ...
... Therefore, several studies have been conducted on IMT schemes (Ghamire and Griffin, 2014;Olen et al., 2016;Senanayake et al., 2015;Wang et al., 2006;Wokker et al., 2014). Some studies have examined the mode of operation of the IMT scheme, i.e. whether the irrigation scheme is managed by individual farmers (Coward, 1980;Uphoff, 1986) or farmer-state partnership managed irrigation schemes (Sam-Amoah and Gowing, 2001). ...
... Secondly, little attention has been paid to identifying the magnitude and precise impact of contemporary IMT on welfare, food security, and nutrition of the rural poor. Furthermore, most of the existing studies focused on the management and governance of the IMT scheme, the financial and economic viability of government managed irrigation systems (Mukherji et al., 2009;Owusu, 2016;Sam-Amoah and Gowing, 2001;Shah et al., 2002), with little focus on the impact of the IMT policy on participating farmers, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies that have attempted to examine IMT scheme participation and its impact on participants is limited to economic efficiency under the IMT scheme (Puozaa, 2015;Sam-Amoah and Gowing, 2001;van Koppen et al., 2003;Zhang et al., 2013). ...
... Furthermore, most of the existing studies focused on the management and governance of the IMT scheme, the financial and economic viability of government managed irrigation systems (Mukherji et al., 2009;Owusu, 2016;Sam-Amoah and Gowing, 2001;Shah et al., 2002), with little focus on the impact of the IMT policy on participating farmers, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies that have attempted to examine IMT scheme participation and its impact on participants is limited to economic efficiency under the IMT scheme (Puozaa, 2015;Sam-Amoah and Gowing, 2001;van Koppen et al., 2003;Zhang et al., 2013). Sakthivadivel et al. (2001) assessed how differences in farm sizes may affect water distribution, yield and net returns of smallholder farmers participating in the IMT scheme in Taiwan. ...
This article analyses smallholder irrigation management transfer (IMT) scheme participation and its impacts on yield and net farm returns of rice farmers in northern Ghana. We apply the endogenous switching regression and control function approaches to account for both observed and unobserved policy-relevant drivers of farmers' decision to participate in IMT and potential endogeneity. Our results show that farmers' participation in the IMT scheme can enhance their rice yields by 39.56 % and net farm returns by 24.52 % in Ghana. The increase in yield and net returns are linked to the perceived improvement in water supply and availability of water at critical stages of production as well as personal, farm, institutional and location characteristics. Farmers' decision to operate under IMT schemes are influenced by both observed and unobserved drivers. Large scale rice production tends to be viable under IMT schemes. We discuss the policy implications of IMT scheme participation and recommend succinct policies based on its impact on the welfare of smallholder farmers in developing countries.
... Increased cost recovery, higher crop yields and cropping intensity, and increased income from agriculture had also been achieved. Whereas, operation and maintenance costs, destruction of facilities and government costs had decreased (Meinzen-Dick, 1997;Murray-Rust & Svendsen, 2001;Sam-Amoah & Gowing, 2001). Often management transfer has changed the face of the region from food deficient area to grain exporting area . ...
... Thus, most of the research ended up concluding that the worldwide management policy initiated in the 1980s was the best process of reengineering the irrigation sector. These types of management reforms, that is, transfer of management from government to users, lead to success of these systems and were usually recommended for improving the performance of irrigation systems having low performance (Meinzen-Dick, 1997;Murray-Rust & Svendsen, 2001;Renault, 2001;Sam-Amoah & Gowing, 2001;Yercan, 2003). It has been found that due to better rules and fairness, leading to equity and transparency that has been implemented by users themselves, FMIS ought to succeed compared to AMIS (Trawick, 2001;Tanaka & Sato, 2003). ...
Management reforms are considered one of the best alternatives in increasing efficiency of the irrigation systems. Transfer
of day-to-day operation and maintenance to farmers is not a new concept. However due to lags, even now it is a hot issue in
developing countries and Nepal is not an exception. In this context of growing argument about the transfer of management of
public irrigation systems to the Water Users' Group, this paper examines the comparative performance of farmer-managed and
agency-managed irrigation systems. Khageri Irrigation System in the Chitwan district of Nepal was taken as the study site
where complete management transfer has been done in 1996. The situations before and after complete transfer were compared.
Intensive case studies of the selected farmers showed that equity in distribution of water and leakage had significantly improved
after management transfer. Logit analysis revealed that age and education level of the household head, distance from main
canal, leakage of the canal and equity in distribution are significantly related to the satisfaction level of the beneficiary
farmers from FMIS compared to AMIS. However, landholding size of the respondent farmer has no significant effect. Similarly
results from t-test revealed that rice productivity and overall profits from agriculture has also increased significantly due to irrigation
management transfer.
... irrigation project in Kerala, listed out the externalities influencing the performance of the project and suggested management plans. Amoah and Gowing (2001) studied Dawhenya irrigation scheme in Ghana and reported doubling of the net income with irrigation. While analyzing the relationship of irrigation, productivity and poverty in Java, Hussain et al. (2006) highlighted the link between lack of irrigation facilities and poverty. ...
During the late 1950s in India several river valley projects were started for irrigation and power generation. One such project is the Malampuzha project, the largest irrigation project in Kerala state. The project started functioning in 1956. It was expected to cater the irrigation need of 22554 Ha of rice paddy in Palakkad district. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the project by focussing on its original irrigation objectives. Data from the detailed project report (DPR) and those generated from field surveys using a custom made questionnaire was used for the study. The cost – benefit analysis conducted on Malampuzha irrigation project, with reference to its declared irrigation objectives, shows that the performance of the project is not satisfactory.
... Although vast number of studies on management transfer around the world is available in the literature, most of these studies have focused on the impact of management transfer on the performance of the system (Lam, 1996;Brewer & Sakthivadivel, 1999;Kolavalli & Brewer, 1999;Sam-Amoah & Gowing, 2001). But Shah (2005) argues that, "analysis cannot be complete without understanding the institutional arrangements, which represent the working rules/the rules-in-use". ...
During the past two decades with farmer participation in irrigation management moving to center stage, the traditional view
of having a centralized control over the water resources for better management has changed. Nevertheless, success of irrigation
management transfer depend on a whole set of institutional arrangements or the rules-in-use and the willingness of the users
to comply and enforce and/or change the rules in the light of changing circumstances. There are many institutional analyses
of water sector, much of them touch on law, policy and administration, and characteristics of the users. The present paper
is based on the study carried out to examine the institutional arrangements in one of the water users association that was
first in the Maharashtra state. It focuses on the institutional arrangements governing water use and distribution and attempts
to elicit the perceptions of the members regarding the rules-in-use. The findings reveal that the WUA has been successful
in devising and enforcing the rules for water distribution, fee collection and conflict resolution for over a decade. However,
current socio-economic developments such as political heterogeneity have required explicit conflict resolution mechanisms.
These issues have now become issues demanding immediate attention and may be use of existing courts or legal institutions
to help the WUA sustain in future.
... The White Volta, Black Volta, Oti, Main/Lower Volta, Daka, Coastal, and Todzie/Aka drainage basins have irrigation potential for the over one million hectares identified in Ghana. The potential of irrigation and the stages of development in Ghana are summarized by Sam-Amoah and Gowing (2001). Expanding irrigated agriculture will therefore be necessary to boost agricultural yields and outputs in order to feed the growing Ghanaian population; this will help maintain food production levels and contribute to price stability through greater control over production. ...
Desertification, climate variability and food security are closely linked through drought, land cover changes, and climate
and biological feedbacks. In Ghana, only few studies have documented these linkages. To establish this link the study provides
historical and predicted climatic changes for two drought sensitive agro-ecological zones in Ghana and further determines
how these changes have influenced crop production within the two zones. This objective was attained via Markov chain and Fuzzy
modelling. Results from the Markov chain model point to the fact that the Guinea savanna agro-ecological zone has experienced
delayed rains from 1960 to 2008 while the Sudan savanna agro-ecological zone had slightly earlier rains for the same period.
Results of Fuzzy Modelling indicate that very suitable and moderately suitable croplands for millet and sorghum production
are evenly distributed within the two agro-ecological zones. For Ghana to adapt to climate change and thereby achieve food
security, it is important to pursue strategies such as expansion of irrigated agricultural areas, improvement of crop water
productivity in rain-fed agriculture, crop improvement and specialisation, and improvement in indigenous technology. It is
also important to encourage farmers in the Sudan and Guinea Savanna zones to focus on the production of cereals and legumes
(e.g. sorghum, millet and soybeans) as the edaphic and climatic factors favour these crops and will give the farmers a competitive
advantage. It may be necessary to consider the development of the study area as the main production and supply source of selected
cereals and legumes for the entire country in order to free lands in other regions for the production of crops highly suitable
for those regions on the basis of their edaphic and climatic conditions.
KeywordsClimate change–Agro-ecological zones–Savanna–Modelling–Desertification–Agriculture–Food security
... In canal systems this is difficult to achieve and attempts to improve efficiency in this way can lead to equity problems. It is a mistake to assume that the policy of 'management transfer' (Sam-Amoah and Gowing, 2001) will help in this respect. Game theory (prisoner's dilemma) tells us that when faced with water scarcity, top-end farmers are more likely to 'steal' water than to restrict their use. ...
Future food security can be achieved only by delivering substantial increases in agricultural production, but this has important implications for water availability. Water scarcity is not currently a major issue in sub-Saharan Africa, but it would be a mistake to neglect this issue. It would be a mistake also to assume that only plans for irrigated agriculture are affected. It should be recognised that a land-use decision is also a water-use decision. A plan based on improving rain-fed agriculture through adoption of measures to make better use of rainfall brings trade-offs in that there may be less runoff to satisfy the water needs of downstream users and environmental functions. Planning for future food security requires integrated analysis of land-use and water resources issues.
Man-made reservoirs are important inland ecosystems that provide food and livelihoods in many countries. Due to the dispersed nature of inland fisheries, most individual systems are rarely adequately assessed or monitored, therefore reliable data on the target stocks are largely unavailable to implement management strategies. This thesis focuses on Tono, Bontanga and Golinga reservoirs in northern Ghana which contribute significantly to food nutrition and community livelihoods. The thesis presents studies that demonstrate how differences in reservoir use patterns, reservoir morphometry and physicochemical characteristics influence ecosystem structures and fisheries resource productivity. The thesis includes (i) an assessment of empirical models for reservoir harvest estimations, (ii) a study relating morphometric characteristics of the reservoirs to fish production, (iii) assessments of the exploitation levels and stock status of the reservoirs’ target species and (iv) a holistic description of the reservoirs’ biological interactions through a food web modelling approach (Ecopath with Ecosim). To improve the estimation of current harvest potential of West African reservoirs, the relationship between total annual fish catch and reservoir surface area was modelled, which compared to a previous model, indicated that catches from reservoirs in the region have more than doubled over the last two decades. While the analysis indicated that fisheries productivity is inversely correlated with both mean depth and surface area, no significant correlation was found with reservoir age. The exploited resources in the small-scale fisheries of the Tono, Bontanga, and Golinga reservoirs were assessed based on length frequency samples. Growth, mortality, exploitation status, stock size, and relative yield per recruit reference points were determined using bootstrapping fish stock assessment (BFSA), a novel framework that allows for the estimation of uncertainties around the life-history parameters and reference levels (e.g., L∞, K, and F0.1). A complementary assessment approach based on length-based indicators was used to calculate the species’ spawning potential ratios under the current exploitation regime. Tono, Bontanga and Golinga reservoirs provide a total fish catch of 10.1, 15.5 and 17.1 t km−2 yr−1, respectively. The reservoir fisheries are dominated by two cichlid species (Sarotherodon galilaeus and Oreochromis niloticus). The cichlid species Oreochromis niloticus, Sarotherondon galilaeus, and Coptodon zillii were found to be heavily exploited in all three reservoirs. The giraffe catfish, Auchenoglanis occidentalis was found only in Tono and Bontanga reservoirs. In Bontanga, the catfish stock is fully exploited. While in Tono, the giraffe catfish is underexploited, the current fishing mortality could be doubled to increase yield. The length-based indicators suggested all the species at Bontanga and O. niloticus and S. galilaeus populations at Golinga have spawning stock biomasses below 40% of the unfished biomass. This points to a situation of a possible ongoing recruitment overfishing of those species in the two reservoirs and suggests that a further increase in fishing effort is not advisable. To support the construction of reservoirs’ food web models, a study was conducted on the feeding characteristics of the giraffe catfish with the expectation that the population in Reservoir Tono, which has an extensive macrophyte coverage, feeds more on plant material and associated insects than their counterparts in the Reservoir Bontanga. The study showed that fish food items did not differ significantly between the two reservoirs. Insect larvae and algae dominated the stomach contents. Comparative analysis of the reservoirs showed interesting differences: the mean trophic level of the catch was lowest in the largest and deepest reservoir (Tono), likely due to higher trophic level species occupying less accessible deep ‘refuge’ habitats. In the medium-sized (Bontanga) and small shallow (Golinga) reservoirs, in contrast, a larger catch portion resembles high trophic level species. Lake Bontanga differs from the other reservoirs by having a lower human population impact, a significantly lower Total Primary Production to Total Respiration ratio, a higher Total Biomass to Total System Throughput ratio, a higher Finn Cycling Index, a higher Detritivory to Herbivory ratio as well as the highest gross efficiency of the catch, all indicative for a more developed ecosystem. The smallest shallow (Golinga) reservoir is more impacted by anthropogenic activities than the other two reservoirs as indicated by the high levels of dissolved organic carbon, total dissolved nitrogen bonded, nitrite-nitrogen and turbidity in the reservoir. While the smallest lake had the highest fish production (per unit area) under optimal conditions of water supply, it is most vulnerable when used for both irrigated agriculture and fisheries production. The findings of this thesis suggest that the use of man-made lakes and respective catchment areas should be assessed and managed carefully to prevent the loss of nutrition and livelihoods contributions. Finally, this thesis serves as a broad template for the development of sustainable ecosystem-based management measures not only for the three studied ecosystems but for other reservoirs exposed to human activities around the world.
A major constraint to science-based fish stock management in West Africa is the lack of reliable data on target stocks. This especially holds true for inland fisheries, such as those that operate in reservoirs. Due to the low availability of resources and population data, and the limited number of fisheries experts in the region, state institutions and investigators rely heavily on simple catch statistics and empirical models for their estimations of fish production and potential yields. This paper reviews data from the FAO, and published articles and reports on West African reservoirs, with special reference to their morphometric and environmental features in relation to fish catch. In addition, we analyse primary data on three focus reservoirs. First, to improve and update available models of potential harvests from reservoirs, we regress fish catch data against reservoir surface area data for 30 reservoirs in West Africa, yielding the following equation: Catch (tonnes/year) = 17.3 × Area (km2)0.8626. The equation accounts for 95.7% of the variation observed in the fish catches. Analysis of covariance of small (<2 km2) and large (>2 km2) reservoirs shows no significant difference (F = 0.5895, p = 0.45) in the slopes of the two groups. Second, we apply multiple regressions to a sub dataset of 15 reservoirs with surface area and mean depth as predictors; and we also explore reservoir age as a further variable. We find that fisheries productivity is inversely correlated with both mean depth (r = -0.49) and surface area (r = -0.32), but there is no significant correlation found with reservoir age (r = 0.03).
The effect of participatory irrigation management on agricultural performance reveals an increase in irrigation intensity, cropping intensity and yield with spatial and temporal variations. However, it is debated that the shift from government-managed to farmers-managed irrigation system may be one of the contributing, but not the only factor responsible for better agriculture performance. Non-rice producing irrigation systems can be more productive than the rice producing irrigation systems. The effect is found to be varied between sources of irrigation as well as across the command areas of different irrigation systems in the world.
This paper presents a case study on the impact of rehabilitation and irrigation management transfer (IMT) on irrigation, agriculture and functioning of a water user association (WUA) from farmers' perspectives. The study was carried out in three selected minor irrigation projects (MIPs) in Orissa, India, which were rehabilitated by the state government obtaining financial assistance from European Commission during 1995–2005. A total number of 207 farmers were selected as respondents for this study following the probability proportionate random sampling method. The impact on irrigation was assessed with a set of 11 indicators on a 5-point continuum scale and it is revealed that the overall irrigation impact value lies between 3 and 4. A paradigm shift in water delivery from supply driven to demand driven was observed. Impact on agriculture is reflected through an increase in cultivated area by 9.6–22%, cropping intensity by 10–26%, irrigated area by 18–107%, irrigation intensity by 15–57% and a diversified cropping pattern with higher productivity. Functioning of the WUA was studied with a group dynamic effectiveness index (GDEI) having 10 parameters. GDEI value ranged from 6.28 to 6.82 on a scale of 0 to 10. The lessons learnt from the study and measures for further improvement in the system's performance are presented. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
"A set of comparative performance indicators is defined, which relates outputs from irrigated agriculture to the major inputs of water, land, and finance. Nine indicators are presented with the objective of providing a means of comparing performance across irrigation systems. These indicators require a limited amount of data that are generally available and readily analyzed. Results of application of the indicators at 18 irrigation systems are presented and large differences in performance among systems are shown. In spite of uncertainties in estimation of indicators, the large differences discerned by the indicators justify the approach taken."
The trend for countries to turnover responsibility for the management of irrigation to local institutions is growing, but is it happening too fast, and with too little preparation? There are pressures to treat turnover more as rapid adjustment than progressive institutional evolution. But if it is to lead to sustainable and positive results, turnover will require more than policy enactments or "adjustments'. It is a change that in most settings requires an evolution towards liberalization in the fundamental institutional environment of irrigated agriculture. Where this has not yet transpired, perhaps turnover policies should be more gradual and more focused on developing viable local institutions. -from Author
This paper highlights an approach to assessing the performance of the water delivery system from the perspective of farmers. The methodology uses the concept of fuzzy set theory to analyse the responses from farmers concerning their perception of the irrigation service provided. The paper takes the view that as part of performance assessment of schemes where data on water delivery are not available or their integrity cannot be guaranteed, it is possible to use farmers' assessment to determine how effective the water delivery system is. The methodology was applied in a case study of Dawhenya irrigation scheme in Ghana. By decomposing the utility into reliability, timing and tractability and subsequently applying fuzzy set theory to the analysis of the linguistic responses of farmers, this study has enabled us to assess how well the water delivery system is performing from the point of view of the most important stakeholders – the farmers. The analysis indicated that the most important factor was reliability followed by tractability and timing in that order, while the farmers' level of satisfaction with the factors in order of increasing satisfaction was: timing, reliability and tractability. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
This paper summarises the performance indicators currently used in the Research Program on Irrigation Performance (RPIP).Within this Program field data are measured and collected to quantify andtest about 40 multidisciplinary performance indicators. These indicatorscover water delivery, water use efficiency, maintenance, sustainability ofirrigation, environmental aspects, socio-economics and management. Theindicators now are sufficiently mature to be recommended for use inirrigation and drainage performance assessment.
The quality of service provided by the provincial Irrigation Department (DGI) to the Water Users Associations (UA), and subsequently by the UA's to the related water users, is based on the provincial water law. The intended volume of water being delivered per considered period further depends on the water availability and on the (crop irrigation) water requirements. The Service Level (SL) compares the intended water supply with the water supply that would be required to supply the entire irrigable area with sufficient water. As soon as the intended water delivery pattern is set, the measured actual delivery can be assessed against the intention. Several performance indicators are used in this context. Based on the assessment of the Water Delivery Performance Ratio and the Overall Consumed Ratio recommendations are made on changes which can be made to improve water use and reduce problems of waterlogging.
A sustainable rice production strategy for Ghana: a comparison of formal irrigation schemes and valley bottom systems
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