IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/comdev/v53y2022i1p39-56.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Common-pool community resource use: Governance and management of community irrigation schemes in rural Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Samuel Ziem Bonye
  • Gordon Yenglier Yiridomoh
  • Frederick Der Bebelleh

Abstract

The Hardian solutions to the excessive abuses of common-pool resources are still being contested. However, studies on governance and management of community irrigation facilities as a “common” in developing countries is limited. Contributing to literature on irrigation water management in the Global South, this paper examines the role of communities in the governance and management of small-scale irrigation dams in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The study employs a qualitative approach to research with 25 interviews and seven Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Using a thematic approach to analysis, the study reveals that smallholder farmers through the Water Users’ Associations (WUAs) have defined user boundaries and instituted ground rules and regulations to enable them to sustainably manage these water resources for their activities of agriculture. Further results revealed that irrigable land for dry season gardening was equitably shared among farmers who are members of WUA, and as a result, minimized possible conflicts among the resource users. The study recommends the need for the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ghana Irrigation Authority to provide more technical support to WUAs in the Upper East Region of Ghana to enable them to better manage these water resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Samuel Ziem Bonye & Gordon Yenglier Yiridomoh & Frederick Der Bebelleh, 2022. "Common-pool community resource use: Governance and management of community irrigation schemes in rural Ghana," Community Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(1), pages 39-56, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:comdev:v:53:y:2022:i:1:p:39-56
    DOI: 10.1080/15575330.2021.1937668
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/15575330.2021.1937668
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/15575330.2021.1937668?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:comdev:v:53:y:2022:i:1:p:39-56. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RCOD20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.