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Demand for water to supply agriculture and power generation in West Africa’s Volta basin is putting these two essential sectors into competition. But at the very time more water is needed, successive years of low rainfall, coupled with land degradation, have caused grave water deficits. These conflicting trends increase human vulnerability to change—a dangerous prospect given the basins’ six riparian countries are already among the world’s poorest.

International cooperation on water issues—among the Volta basin countries themselves and with donor agencies—has increased in recent years. Both political and donor commitment have created favorable conditions for successful research and development under the CPWF. 

The Challenge Program for Water and Food identified some priority topics of research to address Volta basin needs at various levels and with various stakeholders.

The Basin Focal Project Volta was developed along three main steps;

1. Assessment of present conditions of the distribution of rural poverty, farming system and their productivity
2. Analysis of opportunties and risks, especially under the pressure of demogrpahy and possible climate change
3. Identification of research gaps and implentation plans.

BFP Volta project was commissioned in the year 2005 and reached completion. Overall, the study indicated that while many technical solutions are available and identified, their socio-economic acceptability and implementation still need further research and efforts.

Click here for dowloading several published and unpublished documents on water poverty, water productivity, fisheries and water use in the Volta Basin

The Integreated Database Information System [IDIS] Basin Kits provide baseline data layers (vector and grid) for the Volta Basin covering various domains such as climate, agriculture, soil, land use, topography, etc.

Team Members