Lesson Learned

In Ghana, the technical work of rehabilitating the irrigation systems was completed at Bontanga and Golinga, but the post-Compact evaluation findings suggest that these schemes are unlikely to remain functional because the institutional structures are not in place to run and maintain them, the service charges are too low, and the farmers do not have the motivation (financial or otherwise) to use the systems optimally.

In Ghana, the technical work of rehabilitating the irrigation systems was completed at Bontanga and Golinga, but the post-Compact evaluation findings suggest that these schemes are unlikely to remain functional because the institutional structures are not in place to run and maintain them, the service charges are too low, and the farmers do not have the motivation (financial or otherwise) to use the systems optimally. The technical pieces are in place, but the social ones are not. Torgorme presents the flip side of the coin: extensive training programs were conducted, the scheme management structure was in place with key players active (though hampered by financial challenges), and some of the mid-size farmers were even developing their own outgrower programs. Despite these efforts on the "soft" side that seemed to lay a strong foundation for success, the infrastructure wasn't completed. Local partners and stakeholders were unable to step in and finish construction of the scheme after the Compact closed, and consequently, the post-Compact evaluations found that the land was not irrigated and the system was not working. In short, hard (technical) and soft (capacity-building and behavior change) investments are necessary and complementary.