Abdul Kamara

Development aid and access to water and sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper compares countries’ performance in the water and sanitation sector and analyzes how effectively they used the development aid targeted for this sector. These analyses are validated by presentation of the water and sanitation situation of four case-study countries: Kenya, Madagascar, Burkina Faso and Uganda. The paper also utilizes the innovative Watsan Index of Development Effectiveness, which compares drivers of progress with results achieved and ranks African countries by the level of outcome obtained per unit of available input in the four case-study countries.

The Impact of Treadle Pump Irrigation Technology Adoption on Poverty in Ghana

Abstract Treadle pump (TP) technology has been promoted by Enterprise Works in West Africa as an alternative to the traditional rope and bucket irrigation. The aim is to improve output and incomes and reduce poverty among farm households. This paper reports a short term (two years) assessment of the dynamics of its adoption and impacts, with a special focus on poverty reduction. Data used were from primary surveys of adopters and non-adopters of treadle pumps in two regions of Ghana. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, budgetary and production function analysis. The results of the study reveal that time and labor savings for irrigation were the major attractive features of the treadle pump for those who adopted it. The difference in net income between adopters and non-adopters was about US

Soaring Food Prices and Africa’s Vulnerability and Responses

393 per hectare, with an increase in land and labor productivities. About 21% stopped the use of the treadle pump because it broke down, while about 10% shifted to motorized pumping. The study shows that adoption of treadle pumps reduces poverty. It is recommended that increased collaboration with local institutions, such as extension services, will improve the transfer of treadle pump technology to farmers. After-sales service and training of farmers on repairs could reduce treadle pump abandonment. This paper is original as it compares the factors that affect adoption and non-adoption of treadle pumps. It also reveals reasons for abandonment. A multivariate analysis was used to examine the productivity impact of adoption.

Smallholder Agriculture in East Africa: Trends, Constraints and Opportunities

While the food price spike in 2007 and the beginning of 2008 has abated, food price pressures have remained. Many African countries are yet to recover from the severe economic and social strain caused by the sudden escalation of prices. This situation, however, triggered a renewed attention that led to increased spending in the agriculture sector in Africa, and created an opportunity for agriculture to find its way back on the development agenda in several countries. Indeed, numerous opportunities exist for exploiting Africa’s unused food production potential, but this requires appropriate policy responses, accompanied by adequate investments to enhance Africa’s agricultural revitalization. This chapter seeks to review the recent global food crisis with specific attention on Africa, and present a country level vulnerability analysis methodology that could be useful in guiding policy responses in addressing food price shocks.