Abstract
The Small Scale Irrigated Agriculture Promotion Project supported by the Japanese government was implemented in Ashaiman and Okyreko schemes in Ghana for 7 years between 1997 and 2004. The objectives of the project were to establish a model for farming system through Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) and prepare a guideline and a strategy for disseminating the PIM system to other projects. In the implementation process, the Ashaiman farmers rejected governmental intervention whilst the Okyereko farmers accepted it. This paper highlighted the remarkable difference in water management performance of the two schemes by conducting comparative study on the organizational structures of the irrigation management before and after the project. Through the analysis of performance in water management, the paper clarified the necessity of appropriate role sharing and cooperation between government and farmers for the success of PIM.
