Ghana’s Right to Information Bill: Opportunity for SDI as a Technical Infrastructure

Information is an important resource in the 21st century knowledge-based society. Access to public sector information is being viewed as an important path to strengthening democracy, good governance, public service and sustainable development. Ghana is about to enact a right to information law (now The Right to Information Bill) to provide a legal framework for making public sector information accessible to the public. However, while the legal framework is necessary, it is not sufficient to ensure real access to public sector information by the public. This paper highlights the need for designing policy and institutional frameworks in general and a technical infrastructure in particular for actuating the provisions of the anticipated law. Therefore, the paper assesses the opportunities and imperatives for building SDI, at least, as part of the technical infrastructure for making public sector information discoverable, retrievable and usable to the public. Steps are then proposed for creating the SDI, including building institutional mandate, creating a metadata catalogue, digitalization of analog data/information and the development of plans to strategically manage and enhance the organic growth of the SDI. The paper is significant in that it makes anticipatory contribution to the discourse on the design of policy and institutional frameworks in general; and technical infrastructure in particular to support the implementation of the Right to Information Law in Ghana

Simulated Regional Yields of Spring Barley in the United Kingdom under Projected Climate Change

This paper assessed the effect of projected climate change on the grain yield of barley in fourteen administrative regions in the United Kingdom (UK). Climate data for the 2030s, 2040s and 2050s for the high emission scenario (HES), medium emissions scenario (MES) and low emissions scenario (LES) were obtained from the UK Climate Projections 2009 (UKCP09) using the Weather Generator. Simulations were performed using the AquaCrop model and statistics of simulated future yields and baseline yields were compared. The results show that climate change could be beneficial to UK barley production. For all emissions scenarios and regions, differences between the simulated average future yields (2030s–2050s) and the observed yields in the baseline period (1961–1990) ranged from 1.4 to 4 tons·ha−1. The largest increase in yields and yield variability occurred under the HES in the 2050s. Absolute increases in yields over baseline yields were substantially greater in the western half of the UK than in the eastern regions but marginally from south to north. These increases notwithstanding, yield reductions were observed for some individual years due to saturated soil conditions (most common in Wales, Northern Ireland and South-West Scotland). These suggest risks of yield penalties in any growing season in the future, a situation that should be considered for planning adaptation and risk management

Enhancing Spatial Data Accessibility in Ghana: Prioritization of Influencing Factors Using AHP

The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a general problem-solving method that is useful in making complex, multi-criteria and multi-stakeholder decisions based on variables that have or do not have exact numerical consequences. AHP was applied to structure a multi-criteria decision problem regarding access to spatial data in Ghana; and to determine the priorities of spatial data accessibility components and influencing factors. A three-level AHP structure was constructed to examine the spatial data access problem, with a main objective, four sub-objectives and five alternatives. Spatial data accessibility was decomposed into four components (discoverability, retrievability, usability and affordability) which were used as sub-objectives (criteria). More so, spatial data access is mediated by affective factors (institutional, technical, policy/legal, socio-cultural and economic) which were used as alternatives. Fifty individuals from twenty four organizations were interviewed and later engaged in focus-group discussion to generate weights (priorities) for the accessibility components and the alternatives. The results provide both qualitative and quantitative information to decision makers regarding the spatial data access problem and their priorities from the perspective of enhancing access to spatial data. Regarding accessibility components (objectives), discoverability and retrievability had the highest priorities while technical and institutional issues had the highest priorities with regard to the affective factors. Considering the overall impact on the main objective and in the face of limited resources, it is concluded that improvement in the technical and institutional environment with the view to improving discoverability and retrievability require the highest priority in order to enhance access to spatial data in Ghana

Transforming urban idle spaces into green, productive and aesthetic landscapes

There are several idle lots and spaces in cities and towns in Ghana due to poor land use and physical planning as well as pressure for privately-built, low density residential houses. This project tested the idea of using idle, unmanaged urban spaces in Cape Coast to produce multiple ecosystem services in the context of multifunctional land use: food, landscape beautification, income, and environmental protection. Two sites which were bushy and seemingly used for nefarious activities were transformed into greenhouse vegetable production. The greenhouse project generated short term jobs for eight young people of equal gender distribution, and one additional person produced vegetables on a portion of vacant, backyard residential lot in an urban residential area. Premium quality tomatoes were harvested from the greenhouse production, while garden eggs and pepper were harvested from the outdoor production. Production outputs were either sold to nearby eateries and residents, or used by the project members as subsistence. The landscaped spaces around the greenhouses attracted families nearby to bring their children to play in the area while curiously learning about the crop production in the greenhouse. Thus, the project provided greenspace and opportunity for active living and learning for children and families in their neighbourhood on a lot that was previously unused and inaccessible. The project was also visited by the AgriCorps team (USA) who found it promising and worthy of up- and out-scaling. A highly successful dissemination event brought together stakeholders (local farmers, representatives from the vegetable group of market women association of Cape Coast, Regional and Metropolitan Agricultural Offices, media, academia, local chiefs and opinion leaders, and the general public) who were very impressed by the project. Some were even motivated to start their own production on idle spaces around their homes. The media also showed large interest for the project. Key lessons learned include (i) the need to formalize access to and use of vacant, idle, unmanaged urban spaces for such multifunctional land use purposes, (ii) accurate timing of first production cycle for the dry season to fetch premium price for the produce, (iii) establishing stable markets for the produce, trialling and using different crops to understand what works best and to reduce risks, and (iv) continuous engagement of stakeholders to sustain interest in the projects. Overall, edible urban landscapes could provide food, jobs, beautiful landscapes, environmental protection, and greenspace for active living in cities and towns

Spatial assessment of sugarcane (Saccharurn spp. L.) production to feed the Komenda Sugar Factory, Ghana

Ghana imports about US$2 million worth of sugar annually. To address this huge import bill and to take advantage of a growing demand for sugar in the West African sub-region, the Government of Ghana initiated a Sugar Policy. The Government of Ghana, therefore, re-constructed and commissioned the Komenda Sugar Factory in 2016 at a reported cost of US$ 35 million. The Komenda Sugar Factory can process 1,250 tons of sugarcane per day (or 225,000 tons per annum), but was shut down soon after the test run and commissioning. This raised considerable public outcry. Among the numerous reasons that were given, it was widely believed that the factory faced feedstock deficits. This study therefore applied satellite remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems to quantify the potential feedstock supply from current production within the immediate catchment of the factory. Supervised classification was applied to Landsat 8 images, using QGIS, to quantify sugarcane production in the study area and at specified buffer distances from the factory. The results showed that the factory could mobilize only 7% of its feedstock requirement within the industrially recommended radius of 40 miles and 13% within the entire catchment area in the 2016/2017 season. Thus, under current scale of production and production conditions, the Komenda Sugar Factory faces large deficits in feedstock supply. National production data suggests that total national sugarcane production in 2016 would only meet 68% of the factory's requirement if it were operational. The results suggest an urgent need to establish a plantation for the factory and to commit out-growers to production to support and sustain the factory if it is to become operational soon. There is also a need for high-yielding, high-brix, and early maturing varieties, coupled with good agronomic practices, to bridge the quantity and (potentially) quality gaps

Enabling Sustainability: Hierarchical Need-Based Framework for Promoting Sustainable Data Infrastructure in Developing Countries

The paper presents thoughts on Sustainable Data Infrastructure (SDI) development, and its user requirements bases. It brings Maslow's motivational theory to the fore, and proposes it as a rationalization mechanism for entities (mostly governmental) that aim at realizing SDI. Maslow's theory, though well-known, is somewhat new in geospatial circles; this is where the novelty of the paper resides. SDI has been shown to enable and aid development in diverse ways. However, stimulating developing countries to appreciate the utility of SDI, implement, and use SDI in achieving sustainable development has proven to be an imposing challenge. One of the key reasons for this could be the absence of a widely accepted psychological theory to drive needs assessment and intervention design for the purpose of SDI development. As a result, it is reasonable to explore Maslow’s theory of human motivation as a psychological theory for promoting SDI in developing countries. In this article, we review and adapt Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a framework for the assessment of the needs of developing nations. The paper concludes with the implications of this framework for policy with the view to stimulating the implementation of SDI in developing nations

N₂ o emission and mineral n release in a tropical acrisol incorporated with mixed cowpea and maize residues

A laboratory microcosm incubation was conducted to study the influence of mixed cowpea-maize residues on N2O emission and N mineralization in a tropical acrisol. The soils were incorporated with different ratios of cowpea:maize mixtures on weight basis: 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100, and a control treatment in which there was no residue incorporation. The results show that N2O and CO2 emissions were higher in the sole cowpea treatment (100:0) than the sole maize treatment (0:100) and the control. However, cowpea-maize residue mixtures increased the proportion of N lost as N2O compared to the sole treatments. This interactive effect was highest in the 75:25 treatment. The 50:50 treatment showed moderate N2O emission compared to the 100:0, 75:25 and 25:75 treatments but with corresponding steady N mineralization and appreciable mineral N concentration. It is concluded that mixing cowpea-maize residues might increase the proportion of N lost as N2O in a tropical acrisol. However, compared to the other residue mixture treatments, mixing cowpea-maize residues in equal proportions on weight basis might offer a path to reducing N2O emissions while maintaining a steady N mineralization without risking good N supply in acrisols. The study therefore offers potential for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining soil fertility in tropical acrisols. However, further studies under both laboratory and field conditions will be required to verify and validate this claim

Enabling Sustainability: Hierarchical Need-Based Framework for Promoting Sustainable Data Infrastructure in Developing Countries

The paper presents thoughts on Sustainable Data Infrastructure (SDI) development, and its user requirements bases. It brings Maslow's motivational theory to the fore, and proposes it as a rationalization mechanism for entities (mostly governmental) that aim at realizing SDI. Maslow's theory, though well-known, is somewhat new in geospatial circles; this is where the novelty of the paper resides. SDI has been shown to enable and aid development in diverse ways. However, stimulating developing countries to appreciate the utility of SDI, implement, and use SDI in achieving sustainable development has proven to be an imposing challenge. One of the key reasons for this could be the absence of a widely accepted psychological theory to drive needs assessment and intervention design for the purpose of SDI development. As a result, it is reasonable to explore Maslow’s theory of human motivation as a psychological theory for promoting SDI in developing countries. In this article, we review and adapt Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a framework for the assessment of the needs of developing nations. The paper concludes with the implications of this framework for policy with the view to stimulating the implementation of SDI in developing nations.spatial data infrastructure; Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; motivation theory; sustainability; GIS; developing nations