Bridging the Gap between Rural Water Supply and Demand using Harvestable Rainwater: A Case Study of Adansi-Fumso

Rainwater harvesting has several benefits including providing a valuable alternative source of water for households, reduction in flood flow to storm drains and settlement erosion as well as health benefits. The research aimed at assessing and confirming the available renewal water sources, determining the cost of developing a rainwater harvesting system and assessing the potential of rainwater as a supplement to water supply at Fumso. Using a systematic random sampling technique and a sample size of 100 respondents, it was discovered that rainwater harvesting in Adansi Fumso has the potential to conserve on-site potable water use, protect water quality and reduce the risk of flooding within the community. Rainwater was preferred by the community due to its easy accessibility, nature (clean, pure, healthier and tastier), cost and quality. An examination of the rainfall records at AngloGold Ashanti weather station at Obuasi revealed an average annual rainfall of 1449.2 mm with the drier months (November, December, January and February) receiving only a quarter of the average monthly rainfall. The relatively high rainfall means that rainwater harvesting system designs need to be taken as a priority in addressing the water shortage situation in the community. Geometrically uniform building shapes and the local hydrology can provide sufficient rainwater to serve buildings in the community. The cost of the proposed rainwater harvesting system is GH ¢ 389.00 ($256.00). Reasons have been given for the need for this project and recommendations made for its implementation at Adansi Fumso as the best alternative source of water to the fewer boreholes in the community

Management of pigeon pea in short fallows for crop-livestock production systems in the Guinea Savanna zone of northern Ghana

Crop and livestock production in the Guinea savanna zone of northern Ghana has been declining over the past years as a result of increasing pressure on land. To sustain soil productivity, pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), a leguminous perennial crop was evaluated for its potential as a short duration fallow crop for fodder and grain, and maize (Zea mays) production. It involved comparing a natural fallow (i.e., control) and four improved fallows of pigeon pea pruned annually at 30 cm, 60 cm and 90 cm from the ground, and unpruned pigeon pea over a two-year period. After this time, the land was cleared manually and planted to maize. The highest mean annual biomass of pigeon pea over the two-year period of 6.1 t ha' dry matter (DM) was obtained by pruning at 60 cm. The highest leaf litter production and pigeon pea seed yield was obtained from the no pruning treatment. The mean maize grain yield from the improved fallow (3.02 t ha ') in the first year after clearing was significantly (P < 0.05) greater than that of the natural fallow (1.54 t ha '). Considering the biomass of pigeon pea from pruning, pigeon pea seed yield and maize grain yield after the pigeon pea, pruning pigeon pea at 60 cm is the most promising regime for crop-livestock production systems

Sediment-bound nutrient export from five small reservoir catchments and its implications for the Sudan savanna zone of Ghana

A study was carried out in the Sudan savanna zone in the Upper East Region of Ghana to assess the rate of sediment-bound nutrient export (NE) into five small reservoirs (Dua, Doba, Zebilla, Kumpalgogo and Bugri) and to analyse the implications of this export. The catchment soils and reservoir sediments from the various study sites were sampled and analysed for their bulk density, particle size distribution and nutrient content. Assessment of the nutrient concentrations indicated that the reservoir sediments were richer not only in nutrients and organic carbon, but also in clay and silt, than the catchment soils, having enrichment ratios >1. Nutrient export rates (NE; kg ha?1 year?1) from the reservoir catchments ranged from 0.755 (±0.264) for OC, 0.104 (±0.0245) for N, 0.0020 (±0.0003) for P, 0.016 (±0.0038) for K, 0.009 (±0.0024) for Na, 0.113 (±0.017) for Ca and 0.027 (±0.0093) for Mg. These rates were lower than those of other studies, likely due to the low nutrient content in the catchment soils. The relationships established between NE and specific sediment yield (SSY) indicated the NE was positively correlated with SSY (R2 = 0.66–0.98). The derived empirical equations can be satisfactorily used to predict the quantity of sediment-bound plant nutrients lost from similar catchments and subsequently stored in the reservoir sediments. The study results also suggest the need for sustainable land management practices to forestall erosion in the catchment areas and to reduce reservoir sedimentation, for enhancement of the livelihoods of the communities in the study area

Modeling inland valley suitability for rice cultivation

The demand for rice (Oryza sativa) in Ghana is increasing at a rate of 11.8% from 939, 920 t in 2010. Though there has been some increase in production it does not match the increase in consumption. This study seeks to determine the most suitable areas for inland valley rice cultivation using computer based models for selected sites (15km by 15km) in the Brong Ahafo Region (BAR) and Western Region (WR) of Ghana. A sensitivity analysis was carried out by excluding the least contributing parameters and varying their weights to determine highly suitable areas. Finally, 12 most sensitive input parameters were identified from the original 22. These were used to model for five suitability classes (highly suitable, suitable, moderately suitable, marginally suitable and not suitable). The model results based on parameters having equal weights showed that 0.5% and 11.8% (BAR); and 1.4% and 21.4% (WR) of the area were highly suitable and suitable respectively. Using unequal weights, 0.8% and 7.6% (BAR); and 0.9% and 13.6% (WR) of the area were highly suitable and suitable, respectively. The study successfully mapped out suitable areas for rice cultivation using spatial models based on limited data set, which can be adopted for use elsewhere

Crop residues for mulch and feed in crop livestock systems: Impact on maize grain yield and soil properties in the West African humid forest and Savanna zones

A study was conducted in the humid-forest, forest-savanna, and Guinea savanna zones of West Africa from 1993 to 1999 to examine the effect of managing crop residues from cereal-legume cropping systems for mulch and fodder for sheeIncreasing the proportion of total crop residues produced from a unit area of land and used as mulch increased maize grain yield, soil organic carbon, nitrogen and available phosphorus. The extra increases obtained when more than half the crop residues were applied as mulch were relatively small, however, suggesting that 25-50% of the crop residues could be removed as feed without any detrimental effect. When any crop residues rejected by sheep were mixed with livestock urine and faeces and returned to the respective fields from where the crop residues had been removed, subsequent grain yield and soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and available phosphorus increased. The study demonstrated the possibility of managing crop residues for increased productivity in smallholder mixed croplivestock systems

Grain legumes increase yield stability in maize based cropping systems

Functional crop diversity enhances crop productivity, stability, and food security through efficient nutrient cycling and water utilization; however, performance is variable under marginal environments. We applied stability analysis to assess impacts of grain legume integration on maize (Zea mays L.) grain yield, yield stability, N use efficiency (NUE), and ability to meet household protein requirements. Six field trials were conducted across three agroecological zones over five cropping seasons. We used additive main effect and multiplicative interaction to assess grain yield stability of maize in unfertilized maize, maize fertilized with 69 kg N ha−1 (Mz69), maize–pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] intercrop (MzPp), and maize in rotation with soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] (SbRot), peanut (Arachis hypogaea L., PnRot), and peanut–pigeonpea intercrop (PnDLR). Maize in rotation or intercrop received 10.5 kg P2O5 and 35 kg N ha−1, whereas the Mz69 treatment received 21 kg P2O5 and 69 kg N ha−1. Maize grain yield in rotation with legumes was not significantly different from yield for Mz69. In wetter environments, MzPp intercrops had low maize grain yield (−35%) relative to Mz69, whereas in drier environments, maize had higher grain yield (14%) relative to rotated maize. Rotating maize with legumes increased NUE (56%) and protein contributions (65%) relative to Mz69. Grain yield of maize in SbRot consistently had the highest yield and was the most stable technology. Simple statistical models can be used to test multicrop stability. Integrating maize with legumes as intercrops or rotation can allow farmers to achieve high and stable yield under varying rainfall, with modest fertilizer investments