Achieving Food Security Through Agricultural Water Security of Smallholder Farmers in Ghana

Water security is a crucial element in the realm of agricultural development, significantly impacting the welfare of farmers and stakeholders throughout the agricultural supply chain. However, the connection between agricultural water security and food security has been relatively understudied. This research seeks to fill this gap by examining the influence of agricultural water security on the food security of smallholder farm households in Ghana. Using principal component analysis, the study classified farmers into two groups: those considered agriculturally water-secure (48.56%) and those agriculturally water-insecure (51.44%), with a threshold set at the 40th percentile. Employing an endogenous treatment-effect ordered probit model, the research delved into the impact of water security on household food security among smallholder farmers. The analysis revealed several critical factors influencing agricultural water security, including gender, land ownership, non-farm income, access to extension services, credit availability, membership in farmer-based organizations (FBOs), adoption of irrigation, and information sources like NGOs and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA). These factors were identified as positively contributing to water security. Conversely, factors such as age, total livestock count, distance to water sources from the farm, and information obtained from fellow farmers hurt agricultural security. Concerning the effect of agricultural water security on food security, the study found that farmers achieving water security witnessed a significant 23% improvement in their food security status. This translated to reductions in mild food insecurity (by 0.8%), moderate food insecurity (by 6.1%), and severe food insecurity (by 17.8%). These findings underscore the importance of government and development partners' support for enhancing agricultural water security among smallholder farmers to improve overall food security.