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Although agriculture remains the mainstay of the African economy, it is currently going through stress because of a multitude of factors including climate change. Thus, many countries in their efforts to transform their agricultural sectors are employing climate-smart initiatives including the provision of water harvesting technologies for irrigated crop production during the dry season. This paper examines the role of irrigation in the drive towards a transformation of smallholder agriculture in Africa. Focus group discussions, key informant interviews and individual questionnaires were employed for the data collection. The data were analyzed using the regression adjustment (RA) technique. The results indicate that irrigation has significant and positive impacts on farm incomes, employment, consumption, food security and non-farm businesses, all of which are necessary conditions for a successful transformation of smallholder agriculture in Africa. The impacts of irrigation on health and environmental sustainability are mixed—the positive being the ability of irrigators to pay for improved healthcare for their families and the negatives include the outbreak of waterborne diseases associated with irrigation water. Construction of irrigation facilities causes destruction to the environment but improves provisioning ecosystem services. It is generally concluded that access to irrigation is associated with higher farm incomes, employment, consumption, food security and engagement in non-farm business activities. The key policy implication of these findings is that African governments must formulate strategic policies that will accelerate investments in the provision of irrigation facilities to better promote the agenda to transform smallholder agriculture in the continent.

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This chapter examines the effect of commercialisation of microfinance on the performance measurement practices of MFIs and the implications these measurement practices have on the achievement of the mission objectives of MFIs using as a case, the microfinance industry in Ghana. Mainly qualitative research techniques were employed in the study, relying on the views and perspectives of MFIs, clients, practitioners, and experts. The study results indicate that MFIs have not appropriately met this dual expectation of pursuing both financial and social objectives and cannot therefore possibly improve their understanding of the mission drift phenomenon with their existing measurement practices. The authors therefore propose a conceptual framework, as well as core social and economic performance, and impact indicators for measuring the attainment of the double bottom line or convergence.

Some vegetable producers perceive their venture to be unprofitable owing to cheating at the farm gate. This study sought to determine profitability of production of exotic vegetables which are not native of Ghana. The study used data collected from 80 urban exotic vegetable farmers. Descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis, multiple linear regression, and the Garrett ranking scale were the methods of analysis. The most profitable system from the results of the net margin ratio was the production of lettuce as a sole crop with net margin ratio of 71% which explains the popularity of lettuce among exotic vegetable producers in the metropolis. Household size, experience, and access to credit positively affected profitability while farm size as well as costs of labor and fertilizer had negative effects. Farmers ranked high input cost, land tenure insecurity, and high cost of irrigation as challenges to urban exotic vegetable production. We recommend that urban exotic vegetable production should be considered as a source of employment. Government and financial institutions should improve farmer access to credit to enable them to hire adequate labor and acquire technologies and production inputs.