DESCRIPTION OF IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE WHITE VOLTA SUB-BASIN - Sustainable Irrigation Development in the White Volta Sub-Basin - page 109

Chapter 5
D ESCRIPTION OF I RRIGATION T ECHNOLOGIES
IN THE W HITE V OLTA SUB - BASIN
5.1 I NTRODUCTION
The conditions that led to large public investment in irrigation in the second
half of the 20 th century have changed radically, and today's circumstances
demand substantial shifts in irrigation strategies (Faurès et al., 2007). The
advent of affordable drilling and pumping technologies in India and Pakistan
in the mid-1980s led to rapid development of shallow tubewells and
conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater (Shah, 1993; Palmer and
Mandall, 1987). Similarly the 1990s saw a substantial rise in private irrigated
peri-urban agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa in response to higher demand
from growing cities for fresh fruits and vegetables (FAO, 2005).
In recent times the prospects of vegetable production has triggered the
initiation and upscaling of several irrigation technologies in the White Volta
sub-basin. Meanwhile, available literature on irrigation activities in the
White Volta sub-basin and the Volta in general fails to provide a detailed
description of these various irrigation technologies that can form a basis for a
comparative analysis (see also Namara et al., 2010). Such analysis would be
useful to inform agricultural and water policies. This chapter seeks to
address the following questions which put together give a comprehensive
description and history on each irrigation technology: Which irrigation
technologies are practised in the White Volta sub-basin? What is the history
of these irrigation technologies or how did they emerge? How have these
irrigation technologies expanded over time through policies, technology and
socio-economic development? Furthermore, it is important to know what
makes up these irrigation technologies in terms of water abstraction,
transportation and application; the management system employed and the
biophysical features associated with these irrigation technologies and how
they are affected by land ownership. Also the participantion of female
farmers will be highlighted.
Information used to describe these irrigation technologies have been gathered
from extensive field survey conducted in the sub-basin with about 200
irrigation farmers selected across the study area and from different irrigation
technologies for two consecutive irrigation seasons (2006/2007 and 2007/2008
irrigation seasons) and also from field observations, interviews and