ASSESSING THE IMPLICATION OF AGRICULTURE WATER SECURITY FOR SOME ECONOMIC OUTCOMES OF SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN THE UPPER EAST REGION OF GHANA

Abstract

Climate change poses serious threats to water availability and therefore affects agriculture water. This has become a serious concern for Ghana, especially Northern Ghana where farming is solely rain-fed. This study was carried out to assess the implication of climate change-induced agriculture water security for smallholder farmers in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Both qualitative and quantitative research design were used for the study. The qualitative and quantitative data were obtained from 350 smallholder farmers from the Upper East Region. The Water Poverty Index (WPI) model was used to estimate the water poverty level of farmers in the study area. The findings from this model showed that only farmers in the Bawku West District (BWD) are water insecure while those in the Nabdam and Binduri districts are water secure. The Kendall’s Coefficient of concordance was used to rank the identified constraints affecting smallholder farmers’ water management practices. The findings revealed that drought, distance to water source and inadequate water resources were the major constraints farmers faced in managing agriculture water. The Multivariate Probit model was used to examine factors that influence smallholder farmers’ adoption of water management strategies in the study area. The results revealed that sex, age, runoff/erosion, FBO membership, household size, extension services, credit and drought were the factors that influence the adoption of water management strategies. Finally, the Trade-off Analysis Minimum Data (TOA-MD) model was used to determine the economic impacts of efficient water management strategies on selected economic outcomes of smallholder farmers. The findings revealed different level of negative impacts of climate change on the net revenue per farm, poverty rates and per capita incomes under climate change without adaptation. When adaptation was considered, the magnitude of negative impacts was minimal, and the gains to most farmers increased significantly. This means that, if adaptation is accounted for, there are possibilities for farmers to benefit, given the right measures and availability of climate smart technologies.