Underground water irrigation project for two c’ties

Two communities in the Bongo District in the Upper East Region have benefited from a 60,000 euro two-hectare underground water irrigation project to boost dry season farming.

The project is sited at Beo-Tankoo and Nayire and will benefit  200 farmers in the area.

The irrigation has a meteorological station which will give near-to-perfect rainfall figures and weather data, including wind speed and wind direction.

The project was funded by the government and Spain under the Spanish Funding Organisation for Development Projects in Developing Countries (ICO).

Modern techniques

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, a Principal Agricultural Engineer of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Mr Patrick Ohene Aboagye, said the project would expose the farmers in the district to modern farming techniques and also give them the opportunity to farm all year round.

He added that the meteorological component of the project would enhance proper forecasting as to which crop to cultivate and the most appropriate time of the year to do so.

According to Mr Aboagye, the scope of works under the project package includes siting and hydrological studies to investigate exact water high points to drill, mechanisation of boreholes from which water would be pumped, the supply of irrigation kits, water pumps and tanks.

He said the facility took six months to complete and was tested with a three-month trial cultivation of maize and a variety of vegetables and indicated that all things being equal, the system should function effectively for the next 50 years.

Reduce migration of youth

The Bongo District Director of MOFA, Mr Edgar Dra, said the system had come at the right time as the region had only five months of rainfall.

He said he was hopeful the project would engage majority of the youth who often migrated to the cities in search of non-existent jobs and also reduce poverty levels as the farmers could use proceeds to engage in petty trading to complement their farming activities. 

He gave an assurance of MOFA's preparedness to provide technical support, as well as respond to challenges that farmers might encounter.

Challenges of the project

The District Chief Executive for Bongo, Mr Alexis Ayamdoo Adugdaa, said inadequate power supply to the system had the propensity to slow down the performance of the project

He said the assembly was exploring other alternative means such as solar to improve upon the system.

He added that the initial cost of solar energy was huge and, therefore, required the intervention of other organisations and institutions as the district assembly could not bear the cost alone.

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About 200 farmers in Beo-Tankoo and Nayire, two farming communities in the Bongo District, are to benefit from an underground water irrigation project established at the cost of €60,000.