I cannot drink water on an empty stomach: a gender perspective on living with drought

Abstract

This article discusses the impact of drought on livelihoods of agro-based rural communities in the Volta Region of Ghana, and how rural women and men attempt to survive during drought periods. Drought, which negatively affects both women and men in some respects, affects women more due to their combined reproductive and productive workload. Focusing on the Volta Rural Water Supply Project, the article suggests that to reduce women's excessive workload, seasonal migration of men, and hunger arising from drought, development organisations need to incorporate irrigation into rural water supply projects in agro-based economies that are drought-prone. As well, it suggests that equal and full involvement of women in planning and implementation of water projects is essential.

Keywords:

• women and men
• drought
• Ghana
• workload
• irrigation
• development organisations

Notes

1. According to the World Bank, 417 million people live in the rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa, and their main economic activity is agriculture (see www.myjoyonline.com/business/200803/14122.asp, last accessed March 2008).

2. The DRA is considered revolutionary and was established as part of the new consensus agreed at the Dublin Conference in 1992 that water and sanitation services be seen as economic goods. The features of DRA are used by many (e.g., Black 1998; Rall 1999) to define it. The features are: (1) communities must initiate the process; (2) local people must participate in all decision-making; (3) communities must contribute towards their projects (per cent of capital cost and usually 100 per cent of operation and maintenance); and (4) communities must own the system.

3. Gleick (1998) recommended that at least of 5 litres of clean water should be used per person per day (lpcd) for drinking, 20 lpcd for sanitation and hygiene, 15 lpcd for bathing and10 lpcd for cooking, making 50 lpcd; it means that each person needs to spend about US$0.04 on water per day (the price of 25 litres is about US$0.02). Thus, in a household of four people, about 180 litres is needed per day (assuming that they need only 20 litres to cook for the household), costing about US$3.60. The literature maintains that most people in developing countries earn a dollar per day, so in reality they cannot spend US$3.60 on water per day. This means that the price of water is too expensive, so the quantity of water that they can use is far less than the least amount recommended.

4. This research emphasised the need for people to meet their basic need because, according to UN, this is a fundamental human right.

5. The Volta Region is one of the ten administrative regions in Ghana.

6. Awudome is a traditional area in the Volta Region which comprises the following communities: Anyirawase, Kwanta, Avenue, Bame, Tsibu-Dafor (twin communities) and Tsito.

7. Buying and selling a variety of items on a small scale.

8. Both men and women were asked ‘the number of hours spent working daily during both drought and non-drought periods’. The hours noted are what the participants reported. For example, between 11 and 15 hours means that the least time spent by some participants on work was 11 hours, while some spent 12, 13, 14, and 15 hours working.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Frank S. Arku

Frank S. Arku's research interests are gender, rural development and water resource management. He is currently lecturing at the Department of Rural and Community Development, Presbyterian University College, Ghana

Cynthia Arku

Cynthia Arku is a Planner at the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Canada. Her research interests are in gender, rural development and micro-finance with a special reference to Africa south of the Sahara and rural Canada