Seasonal water sources at irrigated urban vegetable production sites in Ghana

Abstract

AbstractStudies on water use in urban agriculture in developing countries have largely focused on wastewater reuse and its associated health concerns. However, there is some heterogeneity in the choice of water sources of urban farmers in a developing country such as Ghana, where agricultural infrastructure is not fully developed. Therefore, this study explores the choice of water sources during the rainy and dry seasons by urban farmers since it has implications for food security in urban areas and beyond. Using chi‐square and multinomial logit regression, this paper assesses urban farmers’ choices for different water sources in Ghana during the rainy and dry seasons and examines the associated factors driving these choices. The results show that most urban farmers use rainwater and wastewater during the rainy and dry seasons, respectively, but small lakes/rivers are the least used during both seasons. Also, the choice of water sources at different locations is influenced by farm and non‐farm characteristics. The paper concludes that there is heterogeneity in the choice of water sources among urban farmers at different locations during different seasons. We recommend that stakeholders involved in promoting and sustaining urban agriculture must help in building a solid infrastructure for sustainable irrigation.