Background and Objectives of the SecureWater Project

The SecureWater Project was a project funded by the USAID Feed the Future (FtF) program through the International Fertilizer Development Center Agricultural Technology Transfer Project. The overall goal for the USAID Feed the Future (FtF) program is to sustainably reduce global poverty and hunger through inclusive agriculture sector growth and improved nutrition status of women and children. In this context, USAID-ATT promotes technology adoption by increasing productivity and profit margins for agricultural producers throughout northern Ghana. The SecureWater project contributes to this overall goal with the main objective to provide water management interventions for sustainable dry season agricultural production, and thereby improve livelihoods for smallholder farmers in the flood-prone areas of northern Ghana.

Specifically, the project aimed to:

1. Identify and select potential sites for the installation of proposed technologies through mapping salient features important for successful implementation of the technologies.
2. Designed and installed BIT and PIT systems in the selected sites in concert with water lifting and distribution systems.
3. Assess and establish technical and economic viability of the installed technologies.
4. Enhance the capacity of trainers (such as Ministry of Agriculture and Food (MoFA), ATT and Strengthening Partnership, Results and Innovations in Nutrition Globally (SPRING) staff) to support project beneficiaries including women and men farmers in the management and operation of the BIT and PIT systems and the optimal use of the water for dry season agricultural production.

The expected results of the project will be an evidence-based investment and outscaling plan presented as business cases for the benefit of smallholder women and men farmers to enhance income through improved crop production. From the dry season of 2016, the project will demonstrate selected agricultural water management (AWM) interventions to be evaluated for the local agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions prevailing in the targeted sites.  This project will pilot and test the feasibility and returns on investment of Bhungroo irrigation technology (BIT) and PAVE Irrigation Technology (PIT) in combination with lift technology using solar energy and motorized pumps, for crop production.  It will contribute towards major outcomes of the FtF initiates that include improved agricultural productivity, increased employment opportunities in targeted value chains, increased investment in agriculture and nutrition related activities, and increased resilience of vulnerable communities and households.