Impact of Irrigation Dam Intervention on Livelihoods of Farmers in the Drought Prone Upper West Region of Ghana: The IFAD Funded Busa and Karni Dams

An increasing number of irrigation dam interventions are user-managed, presuming that this approach delivers better project outcomes. Using an institutional approach, this paper explores how the IFAD-funded, user-managed, irrigation dam interventions in Ghana’s Upper West Region impacted on farmers‟ capacity to cope with drought. Water users associations were formed to address problems of malfeasance among members and ensure collective action for efficient irrigation management to empower participants and reduce poverty and vulnerability to drought. The study concludes that perverse incentives at all levels, particularly at design led to the framing of the intervention on the neo-liberal tenet of full cost recovery, and at implementation to poorly constructed irrigation canals, while lack of collective action during the operational phase contributed to lack of maintenance. As a result, the intervention contributed to a low increase in the capacity of respondents to cope with drought. -- Relevance to Development Studies -- Access to and management of irrigation facilities is vital for the livelihoods of poor and vulnerable farmers living in drought-stricken areas. By exploring how this donor-funded, user-managed irrigation dam intervention worked and impacted on the capacity of farmers to cope with drought, this paper makes a theoretical contribution to literature on irrigation, climate change and rural livelihoods.