An organised irrigation scheme could significantly improve livelihoods, enhance food production and create employment opportunities for the youth in Yapei and surrounding communities along the White Volta River, Mr. Iddi Kamel, Assembly Member for the Yapei Electoral Area, has said.
According to him, although residents of the community have demonstrated a strong interest in dry-season farming, the absence of a modern irrigation system limits agricultural productivity and income generation.
Mr. Kamel made the observation during an interaction with officials of the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation Research (CBCR) who visited the community as part of the implementation of the Adaptation and Vulnerability–Strengthening Transdisciplinary Engagement for Climate Resilience (AV-STEC) project.
Yapei, located along the White Volta in the Central Gonja District of the Savannah Region, depends heavily on the river for domestic and economic activities.
Mr. Kamel noted that access to water becomes difficult during the dry season when water levels in the river drop considerably, affecting both domestic use and farming activities.
During the rainy season, however, the community faces a different challenge as the river frequently overflows its banks, inundating farms and destroying crops cultivated along the riverbanks.
He explained that many farmers invest substantial resources into crop production only to lose their harvests to flooding, particularly following annual spillages from the Bagre Dam in neighbouring Burkina Faso.
“Some farmers plant early in anticipation of harvesting before the floods arrive, but in many cases crops are destroyed when the river overflows,” he said.
The Assembly Member observed that despite these challenges, some residents had taken the initiative to undertake small-scale irrigation farming using generators and pipes to draw water from the river for the cultivation of vegetables such as okra, pepper and other crops.
He said the practice had proven profitable and provided a source of livelihood for many households.
“They are already doing it on their own. If a well-organised and modern irrigation scheme is introduced, it will encourage more young people to venture into agriculture and improve incomes in the community,” he stated.
Mr. Kamel said an irrigation facility would help farmers maintain production throughout the year, reduce dependence on erratic rainfall patterns and strengthen the community’s resilience to climate-related shocks.
Beyond crop destruction, he said flooding also disrupted fishing activities, cut off smaller settlements from the main community and increased the incidence of snake bites and other hazards as reptiles sought refuge in homes during periods of inundation.
The AV-STEC project seeks to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable wetland and riparian communities along the Volta Basin in Ghana and Burkina Faso through nature-based solutions and inclusive stakeholder engagement.
The initiative focuses on understanding climate-related vulnerabilities, identifying barriers and opportunities for adaptation, co-developing locally appropriate adaptation measures, piloting livelihood interventions, strengthening local capacities and promoting knowledge sharing for policy influence and scaling-up of successful practices.
The project is being implemented by the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation Research (CBCR) of the University of Ghana in partnership with York University in Canada, and Naturama in Burkina Faso.
It is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) initiative.
Stakeholders believe that investments in irrigation and other climate-resilient livelihood interventions under the project could help communities such as Yapei better adapt to the recurring impacts of flooding and drought while improving food security and household incomes.
