IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/rwinxx/v38y2013i6p790-808.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do policy and institutional factors explain the low levels of smallholder groundwater use in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Author

Listed:
  • Srinivas Chokkakula
  • Mark Giordano

Abstract

This article examines the policy and institutional constraints on smallholder adoption of groundwater irrigation practices in Sub-Saharan Africa. The analysis departs from the unilateral focus on the promotion of technologies and probes not only the issues of groundwater governance but also those policies related to other enabling factors such as access to credit, energy and agricultural pricing policies and land-tenure security. The paper argues that the region may be missing an opportunity by not ensuring at least neutral policy towards agricultural groundwater development and addressing other constraints which hold back not only agricultural groundwater use but smallholder agriculture development in general.

Suggested Citation

  • Srinivas Chokkakula & Mark Giordano, 2013. "Do policy and institutional factors explain the low levels of smallholder groundwater use in Sub-Saharan Africa?," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(6), pages 790-808, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rwinxx:v:38:y:2013:i:6:p:790-808
    DOI: 10.1080/02508060.2013.843842
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/02508060.2013.843842
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/02508060.2013.843842?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Adeoti, Adeoti & Barry, Boubacar & Namara, Regassa & Kamara, Abdul & Titiati, Atsu, 2007. "Treadle pump irrigation and poverty in Ghana," IWMI Research Reports H040628, International Water Management Institute.
    2. Takeshima, Hiroyuki & Adeoti, Adetola I. & Salau, Sheu, 2011. "Measuring the effect of transaction costs for investment in irrigation pumps: Application of the unobserved stochastic threshold model to the case of Nigeria," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 6(2), pages 1-26, September.
    3. Spielman, David J. & Mekonnen, Dawit Kelemework & Alemu, Dawit, 2012. "Seed, fertilizer, and agricultural extension in Ethiopia," IFPRI book chapters, in: Dorosh, Paul A. & Rashid, Shahidur (ed.), Food and agriculture in Ethiopia: Progress and policy challenges, chapter 4, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Pavelic, Paul & Giordano, Mark & Keraita, Bernard & Ramesh, Vidya & Rao, T., 2012. "Groundwater availability and use in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review of 15 countries," IWMI Books, Reports H046186, International Water Management Institute.
    5. Namara, Regassa E. & Horowitz, Leah & Nyamadi, Ben & Barry, Boubacar, 2011. "Irrigation development in Ghana: Past experiences, emerging opportunities, and future directions," GSSP working papers 27, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Diao, Xinshen & Cossar, Frances & Houssou, Nazaire & Kolavalli, Shashidhara & Jimah, Kipo & Aboagye, Patrick, 2012. "Mechanization in Ghana: Searching for sustainable service supply models:," IFPRI discussion papers 1237, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    7. Namara, Regassa E., 2011. "Irrigation development in Ghana: past experiences, emerging opportunities, and future directions," IWMI Working Papers H043830, International Water Management Institute.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Aarnoudse, E. & Closas, Alvar & Lefore, Nicole, 2018. "Water user associations: a review of approaches and alternative management options for Sub-Saharan Africa," IWMI Working Papers H048782, International Water Management Institute.
    2. Lydia Kwoyiga & Catalin Stefan, 2019. "Institutional Feasibility of Managed Aquifer Recharge in Northeast Ghana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-16, January.
    3. Lefore, Nicole & Closas, Alvar & Schmitter, Petra, 2021. "Solar for all: A framework to deliver inclusive and environmentally sustainable solar irrigation for smallholder agriculture," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    4. Cobbing, Jude & Hiller, Bradley, 2019. "Waking a sleeping giant: Realizing the potential of groundwater in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 597-613.
    5. Kiratu, Nixon Murathi & Aarnoudse, Eefje & Petrick, Martin, 2024. "Irrigation-nutrition linkages under farmer-led and public irrigation schemes in Kenya," IAAE 2024 Conference, August 2-7, 2024, New Delhi, India 344347, International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. de Fraiture, Charlotte & Giordano, Meredith, 2014. "Small private irrigation: A thriving but overlooked sector," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 167-174.
    2. Namara, Regassa E. & Hope, Lesley & Sarpong, Eric Owusu & De Fraiture, Charlotte & Owusu, Diana, 2014. "Adoption patterns and constraints pertaining to small-scale water lifting technologies in Ghana," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 194-203.
    3. Takeshima, Hiroyuki & Jimah, Kipo & Kolavalli, Shashidhara & Diao, Xinshen & Funk, Rebecca Lee, 2013. "Dynamics of transformation: Insights from an exploratory review of rice farming in the Kpong irrigation project:," IFPRI discussion papers 1272, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Grace L. Baldwin & Robert M. Stwalley, 2022. "Opportunities for the Scale-Up of Irrigation Systems in Ghana, West Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-18, July.
    5. Xie, Hua & You, Liangzhi & Takeshima, Hiroyuki, 2017. "Invest in small-scale irrigated agriculture: A national assessment on potential to expand small-scale irrigation in Nigeria," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 251-264.
    6. Duker, A.E.C. & Mawoyo, T.A. & Bolding, A. & de Fraiture, C. & van der Zaag, P., 2020. "Shifting or drifting? The crisis-driven advancement and failure of private smallholder irrigation from sand river aquifers in southern arid Zimbabwe," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    7. Giordano, Meredith & de Fraiture, Charlotte, 2014. "Small private irrigation: Enhancing benefits and managing trade-offs," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 175-182.
    8. Amjath-Babu, T.S. & Krupnik, Timothy J. & Kaechele, Harald & Aravindakshan, Sreejith & Sietz, Diana, 2016. "Transitioning to groundwater irrigated intensified agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa: An indicator based assessment," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 125-135.
    9. Akuriba, M. & Haagsma, R. & Heerink, N. & Dittoh, S., 2018. "Sustaining small scale irrigation systems: the role of users," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277280, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    10. Maria Waldinger, 2015. "The economic effects of long-term climate change: evidence from the little ice age," GRI Working Papers 214, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
    11. Dessalegn, Mengistu & Merrey, D. J., 2014. "Is ‘Social Cooperation’ for traditional irrigation, while ‘Technology’ is for motor pump irrigation?," IWMI Reports 201004, International Water Management Institute.
    12. Vikas Choudhary & Stephen D'Alessandro, 2015. "Ghana Agricultural Sector Risk Assessment," World Bank Publications - Reports 22498, The World Bank Group.
    13. Koide, Junji & Yokoyama, Shigeki & Hirouchi, Shinji & Hirose, Chikako & Oka, Naoko & Oda, Masato & Yanagihara, Seiji, 2021. "Exploring climate-resilient and risk-efficient cropping strategies using a new pond irrigation system: An experimental study in northern Ghana," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    14. Mutambara, Solomon & Darkoh, Michael B.K. & Atlhopheng, Julius R., 2016. "A comparative review of water management sustainability challenges in smallholder irrigation schemes in Africa and Asia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 63-72.
    15. Amisigo, Barnabas A. & McCluskey, Alyssa & Swanson, Richard, 2014. "Modeling impact of climate change on water resources and agriculture demand in the Volta Basin and other basin systems in Ghana," WIDER Working Paper Series 033, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    16. Akrofi, N.A. & Sarpong, D.B. & Somuah, H.A.S. & Osei-Owusu, Y., 2019. "Paying for privately installed irrigation services in Northern Ghana: The case of the smallholder Bhungroo Irrigation Technology," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 216(C), pages 284-293.
    17. Millicent deGraft-Johnson & Aya Suzuki & Takeshi Sakurai & Keijiro Otsuka, 2014. "On the transferability of the Asian rice green revolution to rainfed areas in sub-Saharan Africa: an assessment of technology intervention in Northern Ghana," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 45(5), pages 555-570, September.
    18. Barnabas A. Amisigo & Alyssa McCluskey & Richard Swanson, 2014. "Modeling Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources and Agriculture Demand in the Volta Basin and Other Basin Systems in Ghana," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2014-033, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    19. Xie, Hua & You, Liangzhi & Dile, Yihun T. & Worqlul, Abeyou W. & Bizimana, Jean-Claude & Srinivasan, Raghavan & Richardson, James W. & Gerik, Thomas & Clark, Neville, 2021. "Mapping development potential of dry-season small-scale irrigation in Sub-Saharan African countries under joint biophysical and economic constraints - An agent-based modeling approach with an applicat," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    20. Barrett,Christopher B. & Sheahan,Megan Britney & Barrett,Christopher B. & Sheahan,Megan Britney, 2014. "Understanding the agricultural input landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa : recent plot, household, and community-level evidence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7014, The World Bank.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:rwinxx:v:38:y:2013:i:6:p:790-808. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/rwin20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.