Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
in the second half of the 20
th
century have changed radically, and today's
circumstances demand substantial shifts in irrigation strategies. The ultimate
question then is ‚should policies still consider investing in large-scale
irrigation developments or should it support other types of irrigation
development.‛
Governments will continue to be the biggest investors in irrigation
development; however they need to be advised using empirical evidence and
comparative analysis. While there are cases of failed irrigation schemes which
discourage investment, there may also be cases of successful irrigation
development from which positive lessons can be drawn to influence future
investments and policies. It is therefore important to contribute to the
ongoing debate by assessing the performance of large-scale irrigation schemes
across sub-Saharan Africa from which lessons can be drawn to help inform
decision making.
This chapter provides an overview of large-scale irrigation development and
their impact in sub-Saharan Africa. It subsequently narrows down to assess
the performance of two large-scale irrigation schemes in the White Volta sub-
basin in Ghana (Vea and Tono) managed by a public institution. The results
will contribute to the ongoing debate and may help policy makers to make
better informed decisions with respect to investments in order to promote
sustainable irrigation development.
4.1.2
Objective
There seems to be an unending debate on which direction irrigation
development in Sub-Saharan Africa should take (Wallace, 1979; Williams,
1988; Faurès et al., 2007). Many issues have been raised about the gross
inefficiencies and lack of proper management associated with large-scale
public irrigation schemes, exemplified by low productivity levels in sub-
Saharan Africa. This has led to the emergence of alternative irrigation types
such as small-scale irrigation development to improve irrigation productivity.
This chapter seeks to contribute to the debate on the types of irrigation
technologies suitable for up-scaling in sub-Saharan Africa by investigating
the performance of two large-scale irrigation schemes located in the Upper
East Region of Ghana within the White Volta sub-basin. The performance
indicators used include crop productivity, water productivity and financial
sustainability of the scheme. Also the challenges facing the schemes are
investigated with a final analysis on their overall sustainability.
Both schemes are located in a region where small-scale irrigation technologies
have rapidly spread over the past two decades. The latter will be analysed in
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