1. Davie Kadyampakeni and Petra Schmitter
Experiences and opportunities for small-scale irrigation and agricultural water management interventions: Innovation Lab for SSI in Ghana and Ethiopia
Davie Kadyampakeni and Petra Schmitter
International Water Management Institute

2. Ilssi overview
Focal Feed-the-future countries: Tanzania , Ghana and Ethiopia
ILSSI goals:
Identify promising SSI technologies and practices that have the potential to improve agricultural productivity, reduce farmer risks, improve nutritional quality and diversity, reduce poverty, and empower women farmers;
Develop farm-level recommendations, technologies, and strategies for improving access to irrigation technologies and related knowledge throughout SSA;
Train agricultural and development students, educators, and professionals to analyze the farm- and watershed-level biophysical, economic, nutritional and labor implications of these technologies and strategies.

3. introduction Ghana irrigation potential up to 2.9 million ha
Only about 0.26% irrigated
Suitable irrigation technologies packaged according to source, storage, lifting, conveyance and application include:
Source/storage: river, spring, stream, shallow well, permanent well, dugout, lake, water reservoir
Lifting: motor pump, solar pump, treadle pump, electric pump, rope and washer pump, bucket
Irrigation method: surface irrigation (furrow, flood, border), seepage irrigation, drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, bucket irrigation

4. objectives
Identify optimal irrigation technologies for shallow groundwater wells and rainwater harvesting with regards to lifting, conveyance and application;
Assess the potential and sustainability of shallow groundwater well extraction and roof water harvesting at watershed scale for various water saving scenarios;
Investigate shallow groundwater well capacity/recharge for vegetable and irrigated fodder production;
Reduce on-field water losses during irrigation through introducing water saving irrigation techniques and simple soil moisture monitoring techniques to farmers to reduce excess irrigation;

5. Objectives Cont.
Investigate the feasibility of technologies in relation to land use rights, labor, investment costs and maintenance at homestead level;
Identify farmer preferences (and cultural beliefs/customary rules) and incentive systems for use of various irrigation technologies and practices, including both men and women;
Develop suitable business models, including land lease arrangements and credit/insurance packages, to increase economic value of shallow wells, roof water harvesting and irrigation technologies;
Investigate impact of various technologies and practices on nutrition at household level.

6. Ilssi Intervention sites in ghana

7. Specific Research questions

8. 1. SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF AWM TECHNOLOGIES – ALL SITES
Identify gender disaggregated farmer perception, preference and knowledge on dugouts, shallow in-field groundwater wells, roof water harvesting, water lifting and in field saving techniques, land use rights, land rental agreements, and other institutional arrangements;
Assess willingness to invest in potential technologies and practices (including shallow groundwater wells, roof water harvesting, water lifting and saving techniques);
Assess feasibility of establishing small (2-5 homestead) groups to invest in the defined technologies;
Assess farmers preference for specific irrigated vegetable and/or fodder production;
Assess feasibility of organizing farmers using shallow groundwater irrigation and other practices into commodity value chains to improve output marketing system.

9. 2. Shallow groundwater well potential for irrigation practices Zanlerigu & Duko
Assess cultural-social and economic context of in-field shallow groundwater wells including the value chains of inputs and produce;
Assess land user rights framework supporting a more sustainable management of these shallow wells.
Assess spatial distribution of shallow in-field groundwater wells at the project sites using remote sensing to provide easy to comprehend groundwater maps for assessing the precise sitting of wells;
Assess suitable and flexible manual and motorized water lifting technologies;

10. 2. Shallow groundwater well potential for irrigation practices Zanlerigu & Duko (2)
Assess well recharge for irrigation potential and understand connectivity with existing reservoir/dugouts;
Assess sustainability throughout the dry season for irrigated vegetable production by assessing their water productivity, micro-nutrient uptake & the associated cost-benefit analysis;
Assess the potential for transition to a more permanent system for wells to decrease costs of investing in seasonal digging of wells, and more suitable water lifting devices, conveyance and application technologies;
Assess potential climate resilience for rainfed crops from permanent wells.

11. 3. ROOF RAIN WATER HARVESTING Zanlerigu
Assess potential for homestead gardening using rainwater harvesting and water saving techniques;
Assess strengths and weaknesses of different water application and saving technologies and practices;
Assess costs of homestead gardening using various water harvesting, storage and application options;
Assess ‘Best practices’ for training on and sustaining optimal water management and agronomic practices on homestead gardens;
Evaluate potential for upscaling homestead gardening based on the pilot results;
Evaluate potential for improving household nutrition status.

12. 4. TESTING WATER SAVING TECHNIQUES DIMBASINIA
Assess the potential for a low cost filter/filter materials with the water lifting device before the water is lifted into the tank used for drip irrigation to reduce biofilm development in the tank and reduce maintenance costs as a function of sediment texture.
Evaluate market chains related to local materials to produce cheap drip irrigation kits.
Asses a combination of drip with other lower cost water saving technologies.
Assess trade-offs for farmers for using mulch for feed.
Evaluate irrigation scheduling options for optimizing water usage using wetting front detectors. (will also be done at Duko and Zanlerigu)
Assess costs related to labor, investment and maintenance in relation to income from irrigated crops. (will also be done at Duko and Zanlerigu)

13. 5. ASSESSING THE TECHNOLOGIES AT WATERSHED SCALE-All Sites
Assess spatio-temporal variation of hydro-meteorological data in each of the project sites
Assess seasonal variation of the water balance as affected by prevailing climatic conditions, crops irrigated and technology used
Assess spatio-temporal recharge rates and overall groundwater potential within each of the sites with respect to the total irrigable land
Assessment on water quality, micro-nutrients and health as many water sources are multi-purpose and contamination of groundwater or vector borne diseases (e.g. malaria) due to increased irrigation activities should be mitigated
Assess agronomic crop performance indicators, crop micro and macro nutrient uptake, and water productivity for the various irrigated crops selected as affected by the source, storage, conveyance and usage aspects
Assess water use and labour efficiency of the various irrigation and water saving technologies
Assess water productivity for the water saving techniques monitored = water footprint of vegetable production in Ghana and its implication for irrigation expansion

14. 6. IRRIGATION AND FODDER PRODUCTION Duko and Zanlerigu
Investigate supplementary irrigation to grow dual purpose fodder crops in Ghana;
Evaluate the potential for adoption of forage irrigation by male and female farmers;
Identify market opportunities for forage and the added value of forage irrigation to the livestock value chain during the dry season.

15. Irrigation Technologies GHana

16. Bucket-Drip Irrigation (BDI) System with pumping or roof top water harvesting or manual water lifting

17. IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR GHANA
BDI System for a double bed with pumping or roof top water harvesting or manual water lifting

18. IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR GHANA
Sprinkler irrigation with pumping

19. IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR GHANA
Technology
Tank overhead irrigation
Bucket
Water lifting technology
Manual/Bucket
Storage volume L
50-70 L
Conveyance
Hose
Water source/storage
Shallow wells/tank
Shallow wells
Water application
Crops
Vegetables

20. Irrigation scheduling : Wetting front detectors

21. Site-specific interventions

22. Specific site interventions
NORTHERN REGION-SAVELEGU DISTRICT: DUKO COMMUNITY (24 farmers)
Dry season vegetable irrigation
Bucket + irrigation scheduling tool
Bucket without irrigation scheduling tool
Overhead irrigation with tank and hose + irrigation scheduling tool
Overhead irrigation with tank and hose without irrigation scheduling tool
Target group: 2 clusters of 12 members with access to shallow wells and having buckets
Ensure equal participation of men and women.
Irrigated fodder production
Supplementary irrigation of fodder
Target group: 10 to 20 farmers per site with access to shallow wells
Ensure equal participation of men and women

23. UPPER EAST REGION – NABDAM DISTRICT: ZANLERIGU
Dry-season vegetable irrigation
Bucket + irrigation scheduling tool
Bucket without irrigation scheduling tool
Overhead irrigation with tank and hose + irrigation scheduling tool
Overhead irrigation with tank and hose without irrigation scheduling tool
Target group: 2 clusters of 12 members with access to shallow wells and having buckets
Ensure equal participation of men and women
Dry-season vegetable irrigation at homesteads using roof top water harvesting (RWH)
Control group without drip
UDS irrigation system
Bucket-drip irrigation
Target group: 5 farmers practicing roof top water harvesting

24. UPPER EAST REGION – NABDAM DISTRICT: ZANLERIGU (continued)
Irrigated fodder production
Supplementary irrigation of fodder
Target group: 10 to 20 farmers per site with access to shallow wells
Ensure equal participation of men and women

25. UPPER EAST REGION-KASSENA NANKANA EAST DISTRICT: DIMBASINIA
Control group with no drip/sprinkler
Control group with irrigation scheduling tool
Drip + irrigation scheduling tool
Drip without irrigation scheduling tool
Modified sprinkler irrigation + irrigation scheduling tool
Modified sprinkler irrigation without irrigation scheduling tool
Target group: 3 clusters of 12 farmers who own motorized pumps with access to permanent wells or reservoirs.
Ensure equal participation of men and women

26. Technologies and intervention sites-ILSSI in Ghana (
Technologies and intervention sites-ILSSI in Ghana (*Implemented with Africa Rising project)
Region
Northern*
Upper East
District
Savelugu
Nabdam
Kassena Nankana East
Intervention site (community)
Duko
Zanlerigu
Dimbasinia
Water source/storage
Shallow wells/tank
RWH/tank
Permanent wells/reservoirs
Crops
Vegetables
Number of target farmers
Irrigated vegetable 24 5
36 
Irrigated fodder
10-20
 10-20  - -
Water lifting
 Bucket
 Bucket 
  Bucket
Motorized pump
Water application
Bucket
UDS, Drip, farmer practice
Drip, sprinkler, farmer practice

27. Understanding the bigger picture: modeling field interventions from farm to watershed scale

28. IDDS (Integrated Decision Support System)
FARMSIM
(socio-economic evaluation of interventions)
APEX
(field based evaluation of interventions)
SWAT (sustainability of interventions at watershed scale)

29. Decision Support System models- APEX AND SWAT data requirements
1. Cropping systems 2. Weather data: kinds and duration 3. Historical land use data (or change in cropping systems with time), if available 4. Soil properties 5. Stream flows, sediment loads, and other water quality parameters at or near the site, if available 6. Topographic maps other than SRTM 90 m resolution, if they exist 7. Reservoirs used for irrigation, if they exist 8. Wells used for irrigation, if they exist 9. Location and storage capacity of small ponds and wetlands used for irrigation or livestock water 10. Grazing practices

30. Decision Support System models-farmsim Data requirements
1. Crop information 2. Livestock information 3. Purchased food by the family and quantity of food relief 4. Fixed costs for extended family 5. Assets 6. Liabilities

31. Experiences and lessons from Ethiopia

32. ILSSI - EThiopia
Project runs in 4 sites (with 1 site overlapping with Africa Rising)
Suite of household irrigation technologies that are tested:
Motorized or non-motorized pump:
Improved pulley
Rope and washer
Diesel/petrol pumps
Solar pumps
Irrigation scheduling:
Based on soil moisture readings (TDR)
Based on the wettting front detector
Crops irrigated based on farmer selection:
Onion
Tomato
Oats and Vetch (fodder)
Napier grass (fodder)
Desho grass (fodder)

33. Improved pulley and tank
Pulley which costs only 350 ETB ETB for the tank and the rope costs 10 ETB for 1 meter. This technology has a capability of lifting from any well depth.

34. Rope and washer
Normal rope and washer:
Height of rope and washer:
normal height ~ 120cm
Cement base plate to be installed
Capable of lifting up to 10m depth.
With connection piece to connect to a hose
Elevated rope and washer:
Height of the rope and washer ~ 60 cm
Elevated slab to prevent runoff from flowing into the well
Total cost price (including VAT, excluding transportation US$185)
Total cost price (including VAT, excluding transportation US$207)

35. Solar pumps

36. Irrigation scheduling : Wetting front detectors

37. PROCESS FOLLOWED = Stakeholder engagement
Literature review and field assessment
Prepare discussion paper
Organize stakeholder consultation workshop to discuss proposed technologies
Consult woreda/district agricultural offices on proposed technologies and target kebele/communities (implementation sites)
Consult community leaders, extension staff and prominent personalities in respective kebele/communities (implementation sites)

38. PARTNERSHIPS
Two universities (Bahir-Dar and Arba-Minch University) 9 MSc and 3 PhD students
Two Agricultural Research Institutes (for fodder)
One NGO
Two multipurpose farmers cooperatives-for technology procurement, credit administration and managing revolving fund

39. LESSONS AND CHALLENGES
Livelihood systems of the site affect implementation of the intervention (e.g. chat in Robit)
Some technologies/interventions are less popular depending on site and past experiences or failures with irrigation technologies
Some technologies are found challenging by farmers for women/kids (e.g. rope and washer pumps)
Data recording using the field books as it is very intensive and farmers are facing challenges, need for data collectors but also here they need to be well trained and visit the farmers frequently
Lack cooperation from some national partners
Inability to get gender balanced groups of farmers as planned
No female student
Long time taken for agreements to be finalized

40. Moving ILSSI forward in Ghana

41. Next steps Household selection Finalize agreement with partner (UDS)
Identify data availability and gaps
Identify potential graduate students and research areas
Gather existing data for ex-ante modelling
Procurement of instrumentation for data collection
Installation of equipment for data collection

42. TARGET HOUSEHOLD SELECTION CRITERIA
Willingness to participate
Availability of land for demonstration
Access to water source
Must be willing and agree to grow the same crop (vegetable or fodder) and variety
Use the same type and amount of input (e.g. fertilizer, crop variety, etc.)
Willing to record and keep data related to irrigation and agronomic activity
Agree to sign credit agreement and repay loan
Equal number of women and men farmers

43. Acknowledgements Dr. Nicole Lefore (Project Leader, IWMI-South Africa)
Dr. Pamela Katic (IWMI-Ghana)
Dr. Gebrehaweria Gebregziabher (IWMI-Ethiopia)
Dr. Prossie Nakawuka (IWMI-Ethiopia)
USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation Project

44. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!