Agriculture in Northern Ghana is heavily dependent on rainwater, but the region is prone to seasonal water variability and is at an increased risk of flood, sustained drought and waterlogging due to climate change. As such, it is estimated that only one third of the agricultural production potential has been reached in this important breadbasket region.

With limited access to irrigation facilities, communities in the area are prone to reoccurring food insecurity, malnutrition among children, and low household incomes. In order to ensure better sustainability and productivity in the area, it is important to secure a more reliable source of water for irrigation in the dry season, while also reducing the risk of flooding and water logging in the wet season.

Researchers from the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) are piloting Bhungroo Irrigation Technology (BIT) in the region to try to improve water security, and by extension, food production and nutrition. Developed in India, BIT captures and store excess water on small-scale farms during the wet season by injecting it into unsaturated layers of soil. This water is then used for dry season vegetable irrigation, the excess of which can be sold for additional household income.

Demonstrating Bhungroo technology.

WLE.

According to the experiences using the technology in India, the Bhungroo has the potential to capture and store at least 4000m3 of water per unit. The WLE project will work on validating these claims through its cropping and monitoring work during 2016’s dry season. Trainings in target communities are ongoing to ensure that farmers, especially women and youth who have poor access to irrigation technologies, can operate and manage the Bhungroos themselves and reap the benefits of BIT.

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This project is part of WLE's work in its Volta-Niger focal region. Established in 2015, the research for development projects in the focal regions are designed to address local challenges to sustainable intensification of agriculture. The projects are led and carried out by local partners.