Considering Gender in Irrigation: Technology Adoption for Women Farmers

Originally published on The Chicago Council on Global Affairs as part of the Uncharted Waters blog series. Written by guest authors Elizabeth Bryan and Hagar El Didi. 

Access to water is a primary concern and challenge for many rural households, whether for drinking and domestic use, or irrigation and livestock use. With climate change driving changing rainfall patterns in many rural geographies, access to small-scale irrigation systems is becoming an increasingly important tool for reducing farm production risks and improving the well-being of small-scale farmers. But not all farmers are able to access the benefits these systems provide – women in particular, are often left out of the picture.

Consider, for example, the Upper East Region of Ghana, where water for irrigation is limited in many communities without a dam…