The core of this theme is formed by the SPC-funded "GLOWA Volta Basin Project, phase III, Synthesis and Transfer" and the SPC funded "Challenge Programme on Water and Food (CPWF): Enhancing rainwater and nutrient use efficiency for improved crop productivity, farm income and rural livelihoods in the Volta basin".
GLOWA Volta Basin Project
UNU-INRA is involved in the training and knowledge transfer component of the GLOWA Volta Basin Project, phase III, Synthesis and Transfer, coordinated by the Center for Development Research (ZEF), Bonn, Germany, and funded by the Federal Ministry of Science and Education (BMBF) of Germany.
Phase III of this project was approved for funding by the German Government around the middle of 2006 and the implementation of Phase III started later that year. UNU-INRA is involved with the training and dissemination of knowledge and technology in the field of climate-water-land-human interactions. Extensive databases on climate, water and land, and sophisticated computer models and negotiation support tools are available through the earlier two phases of the GLOWA project. As of 1st of March 07, Dr. Dilnesaw Alamirew, a Post-Doctoral Fellow (PDF), from Ethiopia with expertise in hydrology and modeling of surface water resources has joined UNU-INRA. He has worked closely with Dr Barnabas Amisigo, seconed to UNU-INRA by the Water Research Institute (WRI), Accra, Ghana, in developing a training programme on water and climate change. All training courses are conducted in English (Ghana) and French (in Burkina Faso).
Since the start of Phase III, UNU-INRA has organized 6 training workshops Accra and Ouagadougou.
An activity related to the GLOWA project is a project conducted by Dr Dilys Kpongor on assessing the potential impact of changes in climate on the production of maize in the forest zone of the Volta basin. This research is funded by UNU-INRA in 2007 and will be funded by ZEF in subsequent years.
For more information about the GLOWA Volta Project, please visit http://www.glowa-volta.de
Challenge Programme on Water and Food
A second, major SPC-funded project under this theme is the Challenge Programme on Water and Food: Enhancing rainwater and nutrient use efficiency for improved crop productivity, farm income and rural livelihoods in the Volta basin, coordinated by ICRISAT, Niamey, Niger. This project, which is jointly conducted by ICRISAT, TSBF, CIAT, ZEF and the national agricultural research and extension systems in Ghana and Burkina aims at reducing poverty and improving food security, income and livelihoods of small-scale resource-poor farmers in the Volta Basin. A planning and review meeting was held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso during 21-23 March 2007 to prepare the ground for external evaluation of the project, and also to plan activities for the final phase of project implementation.
It is hoped and expected that there will be a follow-up to the CPWF project Phase-1. During this second phase, in which UNU-INRA will also be involved, the emphasis will be more on transfer of technologies.
Additional Projects
Furthermore, there are 2 core-funded activities under this theme, both conducted by the Operating Unit in Zambia: (a) Evaluation of weathered materials from Kaluwe Carbonatite as sources of phosphorus for crop production, and (b) Development of a network of agricultural lime (Agro-mineral) producers, users, researcher and Extension officers. The OU-Zambia will be encouraged to broaden the scope of its activities in the future to include the effects of mining on the environment and, more general, address issues of environmental quality.
UNU-INRA continues to be a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the GEF/UNDP funded Sustainable Land Management for mitigating land degradation, enhancing agricultural biodiversity and reducing poverty (SLaM) project in Ghana, coordinated by the University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana. It is hoped and expected that UNU-INRA will play a role in implementing the training and capacity building component of the SLaM project.
