2018 Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 1-7
In Ghana, the demand for rice has been increasing, but the current supply is not sufficient to meet the growing consumption. The Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) is working on the development of a reinforcement technology for irrigation facilities at paddy fields, utilizing cover plant in inland valleys of Ghana. In developing this technology, the adaptability of the reinforcement technology was verified by grasping the situation of the local vegetation, the conditions of irrigation facilities as a plant growth base and the farmers’ attitude towards technology. The vegetation surveys conducted for over one and a half years, has identified 34 native plant species in four villages. The situation of the local vegetation at irrigation facilities was clarified and basic informations regarding suitable cover plants, were accumulated. The irrigation facilities were regarded as suitable as a growth environment for cover plants, based on the soil physical properties such as soil hardness and three-phase distribution of soil. The survey with the farmers revealed the following: 1) Rice is a highly valuable cash crop, 2) Setting up of solid irrigation facilities is of utmost importance, 3) Farmers believe that even after infrastructures have been developed in their fields, it is very important to secure stable water resources in order to continue rice production. Thus, these results showed that the reinforcement technology utilizing cover plants is adaptable in the inland valleys of Ghana.
