Arid climatic conditions coupled with the prolonged dry season in northern Ghana (NG) place great restrictions on year-round smallholder farming. Because small-scale farming is the main source of livelihood for over 70% of rural inhabitants, limitations on dry season farming have contributed to severe poverty in NG. Although the adoption of individual smallholder irrigation in the area is enabling dry season farming, these practices do not account for spatial variability in physical soil properties (e.g., soil texture) that determine the amount of water available to plants. Hence, current irrigation practices in NG are inefficient. Here, we present preliminary results of the development of a precision irrigation framework (PIF) for the Nasia-Kparigu area in NG intended to enable smallholder farmers to make judicious use of limited irrigation water, and facilitate more sustainable dry season farming in the area. We also demonstrate the use of electromagnetic induction surveys to characterize field-scale spatial variability in soil water-retention capacity.
Presentation Date: Monday, October 15, 2018
Start Time: 1:50:00 PM
Location: 204A (Anaheim Convention Center)
Presentation Type: Oral
