Flood Hazard Assessment in Agricultural Areas: The Case of the District of Pélébina in the Municipality of Djougou, Bénin

Flood is a natural disaster and causes loss of life and property destruction. Its impacts are large on agriculture especially in West African countries where smallholder farmers account for 80% of all the farms. The objective of this study was to assess flood risks in the inland valley of Dosir located in the district of Pélébina, northern Benin. Rainfall, discharge and water level in the riverbed were monitored using rain gauge, acoustic current meter and pressure sensors, respectively. The hydrological functioning of the inland valley was simulated using the Integrated Flood Analysis System (IFAS) model. The calibration was done based on the land use map (GlobalMap) and the soil water holding capacity map (UNEP). Our study demonstrated the existence of a high flood hazard in the inland valley of Dosir which reacts very quickly to rainfall solicitations. The IFAS model has shown a good performance in simulating the runoff in the riverbed of the inland valley with a coefficient of determination of 0.65. The IFAS model can be used to design a flood management system in the district of Pelebina. Further studies are needed to assess the exposure and vulnerability of farmers to flood risk

Modelling the hydrological balance of the Okpara catchment at the Kaboua outlet in Benin

Rapid population growth and industrial development create problems with water management that can lead to contamination and scarcity of water resources. The primary aim of the modeling in this study was to assess annual renewal rates of water resources and erosion rates in the Okpara catchment at the Kaboua outlet. The SWAT 2003 model was selected as the most appropriate for the purpose of this study; it was calibrated and validated for the study basin. Digital elevation model, daily climatic data for 1968-2007, soil and land use maps, physical characteristics of soil, physical parameters of crops were all incorporated in the model that divided the whole catchment in to sub-basins and Hydrological Responses Units (HRU). Calibration and validation of data demonstrated that precipitation in the watershed was 1,075.8 mm/a. Surface runoff was 106.6 mm/a (10% of precipitation), and the total recharge of aquifers was 225.4 mm/a (21% of precipitation). The actual rate of evapotranspiration was 759.8 mm/year (71% of precipitation). The total volume annually produced in the catchment was about 4 billions m3; this amounted to more than 500 times the needs of the population, but paradoxically it still suffered from severe water scarcity. Regarding erosion, an average value of 7t/ha/year was obtained for the watershed with a maximum value for cropland (16.85t/ha/a) and the minimum value for bushed savannah (0.64t/ha/a). Moreover, agricultural practices most susceptible to reduce soil loss were those ridges perpendicular to a slope. Based on these results, some suggestions were made for more sustainable use of land and water resources in the catchment

Evaluation of Household Knowledge on Water Supply, Hygiene and Sanitation Practices in So-Ava District (South Benin)

The adoption of good practices in access to water, hygiene and sanitation is very important for the well-being and socio-economic development of any community. The objective of the study was to evaluate the knowledge and practices that households adopt regarding water supply, hygiene and sanitation. For this, a survey was conducted among 386 households in the seven districts of the commune of Sô-Ava. The data collected was analyzed using the XLSTAT 17 software and the Excel Spreadsheet. The results obtained show that in the commune of Sô-Ava, drilling is the most used water source and that nearly 66.33% of households do not cover their containers during the transport of water with a rate that varies from 2.85 to 25.39% from one borough to another. Sô-Ava is the district that has the highest number of latrines is that with a rate of 3.11%. In addition, most households dispose of their garbage and wastewater either in the wild or in the water body in the absence of a waste collection system. The low level of hygiene and sanitation observed could affect the quality of drinking water and hence the health of the population

Increasing lowland rice yields of smallholder farmers through the adoption of good agricultural practices in the forest agro-ecological zone of Ghana

ABSTRACTRice is an important food crop in Ghana. However, its production has constantly been below 40% of the demand, and most of the requirements meet from imports. Such low production level is largely attributed to farmers’ sub-optimal crop and water management practices. As an effort toward sustainably improving rice yield, three-season on-farm participatory experiments were conducted within the Biem watershed in Ghana to determine the potential of good agricultural practices (GAP) for closing the rice yield gap with agronomic and economic sustainability. Good agricultural practices were compared with 23 farmers’ traditional practices on lowland rice growth and yield, profitability, and nutrient use efficiency. The effect of alternate wetting and drying (AWD) with GAP on grain yield of rice was also determined. Rice yield was on average 28% higher under GAP than farmers’ practices (FP). Alternate wetting and drying did not have significant effect on rice yield when compared to continuous flooding. However, when GAP was combined with AWD, rice yield was 13% higher than under FP. Furthermore, the results of the study indicate that major gains in nitrogen use efficiency (+1.48 kg grain kg−1 N; +2.4%), and net profit (+694.35 USD ha−1; +59%) were achievable through the adoption of GAP. There is therefore, a high potential to close lowland rice yield gap and achieve rice self-sufficiency through the adoption of GAP in the lowlands of the Inland valley of Ghana and similar rice production regions of West Africa