TITLE:
Low-Cost Irrigation Facilities with Cover Plants Based on Life Cycle Cost at a Paddy Field in Ghana
AUTHORS:
Haruyuki Dan, Tadashi Adachi, Yoko Oki, Sampson Agodzo, Hannah Adzraku
KEYWORDS:
Life Cycle Cost, Low-Cost Irrigation Facility, Paddy Weed, Maintenance Plan, Unlined Earth Canal
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.17 No.9,
September
28,
2026
ABSTRACT: In Africa, rice consumption has increased more than rice production, thereby increasing the gap between supply and demand. In Ghana, irrigation and drainage canals are unlined earth canals. Therefore, farmers are burdened with maintenance work following erosion caused by drip erosion, scouring caused by water running in the canals, and the removal of accumulated sediment. Cover plants can be used to reinforce irrigation infrastructure and minimise the adverse impact of rainfall on irrigation facilities in paddy fields. However, few studies have conducted economic evaluations, especially from a life cycle perspective, while investigating actual fields where suitable cover plants are planted in a canal. In the present study, after clarifying the current situation, including the awareness of extension officers on weeds, vegetation in the research area, and plant community stability, a maintenance plan was developed, and three types of canals were evaluated economically. The construction costs of earthen and concrete canals were 642 and 5,000 GHC, respectively, and the maintenance costs over 10 years were 4,767 and 2,500 GHC, respectively. In comparison, the costs of developing canals with cover plants and their maintenance were 1,007 and 2,577 GHC, respectively (1.0 USD = 3.9 GHC, as of April 2016). In terms of the total long-term cost, including not only construction but also maintenance costs, the costs for the earth canal exceeded those of the developed canal in 4.2 years and those of the concrete canal in 19.7 years. The findings of this study could facilitate sustainable canal development in Ghana.