Accra (Greater Accra), 7th May ?99 -
Mr Joseph H. Owusu-Acheampong, Minister of Agriculture, on Thursday called on African countries to develop appropriate water use and conservation strategies because scarcity of the commodity is posing a big threat to the continent's growing population.
African governments should, therefore, "be bold to take the necessary technical, political, economic and environmental measures and formulate appropriate coordinated national policies that would lead to sustainable use of water resources".
Mr Owusu-Acheampong who was addressing the opening session of a two-day expert consultation on West African sector vision on water for food" said such policies would be for increased food production which would help in the alleviation of poverty and malnutrition on the continent.
The consultation is to prepare a regional vision on water for food production, rural development and food security that would reflect the peculiar needs of the region for incorporation into the global water document.
Experts are drawn from countries including, Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Chad, Mauritania, Cameroon, Niger and Senegal.
It was convened by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and International Programme for Technology and Research Irrigation Drainage (IPTRID) at the request of World Water Commission.
Mr Owusu-Acheampong said frequent droughts in Africa place more people at risk from its effects. Additionally, water resources in Africa are relatively less developed than those in other regions.
He said both rain fed and irrigated agriculture would need to be intensified, but irrigated agriculture has a higher potential for intensification.
It is estimated that in Ghana about 18,000 hectares are presently irrigated. This includes about 12,700 hectares of public schemes out of which 5,600 hectares are operational.
Irrigated lands, therefore, constitute less than 15 per cent of the potential 120,000 hectares or 0.3 per cent of the 5.2 million hectares currently under cultivation in the country.
He said Ghana has defined essential measures of the strategy for the development of sustainable irrigated agriculture.
These include reduction of operating cost and completion of existing schemes, focusing on small-scale irrigation and micro-irrigation.
Others are support to farmers with small irrigation equipment and on-the-job training for them, and priority to the development of inundated lands and inland valleys.
Mr Owusu-Acheampong commended FAO and other organisations for supporting the government in food security.
Dr. Bamidele F. Dada, FAO Regional Representative for Africa, said against the background of necessity for water, its scarcity and associated problems, Africa needs a vision for its water sector that would ensure consistent development through judicious and sustainable use of water.
He said efficient water control and soil moisture management is critical for reliable food production. Yet in Africa, only 12 million hectares, or about six per cent of total cultivated land, is irrigated.
This area could be increased considerably and irrigation could bring about increases in yield of over 400 per cent, he said.
