ISSN 2756-3804
International Journal of Irrigation and Water Management Volume (2014), 10 pages. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Built-in rice-fish agricultural activity as a business: The case of Golinga irrigation system of small-scale farmers
Koffi Samuel1*, Ajapong Chy Okeke and Stephen J. Hunt
University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies, Bunso, East Akim Municipal, Eastern Region, Ghana.
*Corresponding author. E- mail: [email protected].
Accepted 1 June, 2014
Abstract
The purpose of the Golinga Rice-fish farming project was to improve the capacities of members of a Farmer Based Organization (FBO) to carry out environmentally friendly, sustainable rural farming business using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques at the Golinga Irrigation Project (GIP) in northern Ghana. The project assisted small scale peasant farmers at GIP to integrate fish farming into their rice cultivation. The FBO members acquired critical IPM skills from the project demonstration farms which they applied to their own rice plots and thus improved rice productivity from mean yields of 3.5 to 4.6 - 5.8 t/ha in the project area. The project evolved a strategy for managing the FBO’s two fish ponds which was based on low-input and self-reliance of the farmers. Mean fish yield from the two ponds was 2300 kg/ha which was generally higher than reported yields (500 to 1000 kg/ha) obtained from similar low-input fish ponds in the country. The arrangement helped to maximize water use efficiency and contributed to a drastic reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides at GIP. The FBO members improved their capacities in integrated farming rice and fish and enhanced their incomes from sales of both commodities.
Key words: Rice-fish farming, integrated pest management (IPM), Golinga, Oreochromis niloticus (L), Katanga rice, value- chain.