The impact of climate change on water conservation for dry season irrigation farming in Ghana’s Sudan agro ecological zone of the Upper East Region

Abstract Dry season irrigation farming practices continue to play a crucial role in supplementing the nation’s food security during the dry season and providing income for many rural household farmers. Despite the many success stories associated with dry season irrigation farming in Ghana’s Upper East Region over the years, the sector still faces several challenges, including the effects of climate change, which hinder water availability for crop production. This study examines water conservation practices for dry-season irrigation farming as a climate change adaptation strategy, using the Sudan agro-ecological zone in the Upper East region of Ghana as a case study. A mixed methods approach, involving quantitative and qualitative methodology for data collection, was adopted; from which the convergent parallel mixed-parallel design was used. Primary data was obtained using survey, key informant interview, and focus group discussion. A sample size of 390 farmers and five key institutions were contacted for the survey using snow ball and purposive sampling techniques. Also, two Key Informant Interviews and eight focus group discussions were carried out. Secondary data was collected by obtaining documents and reports from key government institutions and climate data from the Ghana Meteorological Agency. The data was analyzed using different methods of analysis. The survey results were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, and the focus group discussions and interviews were analysed manually using content analysis. Secondary data were collected by obtaining documents and reports from key government institutions and climate data from the Ghana Meteorological Agency. The data was analyzed using different methods of analysis. The survey results were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, and the focus group discussions and interviews were analysed manually using content analysis. The findings of this study indicate that dry season irrigation farming practices in the area were exposed to climate change in terms of increasing extreme temperatures and unreliable rainfall, which cause excessive evaporation and reduce the moisture content in the soil. To adapt to changes in climate, farmers used various conservation methods such as small dams, dug-outs, and ponds to conserve water for farming activities in the dry season. The study recommends that the government should invest in the construction of large dams with irrigation components to make them useful for dry-season farming.