This document summarizes the objectives, processes, and initial results of a companion modeling study in Ghana called the Volta Basin Challenge. The study aims to develop an integrated approach to managing rainwater and small reservoirs through stakeholder engagement. Key activities included workshops at the community, district, and regional levels to map natural resources, issues, potential interventions, and propose institutional arrangements. Results showed stakeholders identified erosion, flooding, and farming practices' environmental impacts as priorities. The next step is bringing all participant levels together to discuss results and proposed solutions.

1. V4: Sub‐basin management and governance
of rainwater and small reservoirs
COMPANION MODELING IN GHANA:
Objectives, Processes and first Results
CPWF Volta Science Week
Ouagadougou
3‐5 July 2012
Aaron Bundi ADUNA ‐ WRC

2. The Volta Basin Challenge (VBDC)
Adapt and further develop an integrated
approach towards the management of
rainwater and small reservoirs for multiple
uses
As a way to
• Contribute to poverty reduction
• Improve livelihoods
• Enhance resilience (adaptability)
• Ensure sustainability

3. Components of the VBDC Study
• V1 Targeting and Scaling Out
• V2 Integrated Management of Rainwater for Crop‐
Livestock Agro‐ecosystems
• V3 Integrated Management of Small Reservoirs for
Multiple Uses
• V4 Sub‐basin Management and Governance of
Rainwater and Small Reservoirs
• V5 Coordination and Learning for Adaptive
Management and Change

4. V4 Study Area
Bawku West District Zongoyiri
Widnaba
Binaba
INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF WATER
RESSOURCES
Poverty alleviation
Enhance livelihoods
Environmental sustainability
Nafkolga Limited conflicts
Binduri
Bansi
Bawku Municipality V4 project team

5. Water Resources Management Issues
WRM issues are very diversified and complex in
nature. They may be but not limited to the ff:
• Thematic in nature: Biodiversity, Water, Forest,
Agriculture, Livestock, Peri‐urban area, etc.
• Social Dynamics: Market, Credit, Migration,
institution building, learning, Dialogue, Conflict.
• Geographical

6. Companion Modeling
• An interactive process facilitated by models used as
mediating tools to support dialogue, shared learning &
collective decision‐making.
• The modeling and simulation activities are driven by end
users interest
• Uses conceptual models, role‐playing games, and agent‐
based simulators in an iterative way to represent how
competing natural resource uses/users could be
coordinated and to search for acceptable collective
solutions through scenario assessment.

7. Objectives
• Stakeholders learn together by creating,
modifying, observing and assessing
simulations.
• Identify evolving knowledge, perceptions,
behavior, and practices along the process
• How it translates to the development of
collective action plans and better
mobilization to implement them.

8. Objectives Cont’d
• To address governance “questions” along the main White Volta
River and find locally relevant answers to:
Uncoordinated management
Competing use of land and water resources
Potential conflicts among users
Environmental threats (floods, droughts, pollution, etc.)
• To establish necessary linkages between
Science (Knowledge base) and policy (Institutional)
Theory (Management principles & national policies) and
Practice (local priorities, stakeholder consultation)

9. Engagement of Visionary Team of Experts
(VToE)
• VToE: (Local Government, Environment,
Agriculture, Academia/Research and NGO.)
• Guide the V4 team in its study(Rainbow
Framework).
• Identify ’tricky’ areas in the participatory
approach
• Knowledge gathering on institutional and legal
arrangements in Water and Natural Resource
Management.

10. Rainbow Framework
Developed from engagement with VToE to guide in the ff:
• Identification of Actors/Stakeholders
• Stakeholder roles/interventions
• Required Capacity of Stakeholder
• Capacity needs ( who provides?)
• Methods/Tools needed for effective engagement of
relevant stakeholders

11. Community and District level Engagement
• Field visit and Interaction with Community
elders and Waterusers.
• Interaction with political and administrative
heads of decentralised organisations
• Presentation of Project to General Assembly
meetings (Bawku Municipal and Bawku‐
West District )

12. Engagement Levels/Process
Regional Level Institutions
Other Nat. res.
Municipal/District User group
Assembly Water User
association
Chiefs & Land
Owners
Technical Basin
Services Management Farmers and
(WVBB) herdsmen
NGOs and Civil
Society
Traditional Women’s Groups
Authorities Research(V4)

13. Second Engagement
Three day workshop Organised
• Day1: Engaging Community Level participnats:
Assembly members, Crop and livestock
farmers,Traditional Authorities, Women
representatives, Local level Tech. Service
• Day 2: District Level Participants : Public Sector,
Farmers, Traditional Rulers, NGO.
• Day 3: Regional Level Participants: Public
Sector, Farmers, Traditional Rulers, NGO.

14. Results from Second Engagement
Each group produced its version of:
• Natural resource map
• Identified and mapped critical Issues relating to water and
other natural resources
• Identified potential Interventions and/or Regulations to
deal with the undesirable.
• Identified erosion and flooding as key issues

15. Third Engagement
Another Three day workshop Organised
• Day1: Engaging Community Level participnats:
Assembly members, Crop and livestock
farmers,Traditional Authorities, Women
representatives, Local level Tech. Service
• Day 2: District Level Participants : Public Sector,
Farmers, Traditional Rulers, NGO.
• Day 3: Regional Level Participants: Public
Sector, Farmers, Traditional Rulers, NGO.

16. Results from Third Engagement
Each group :
• Refined its Natural resource map
• Refined its map on natural resource Issue maps
• Refined potential Interventions and/or Regulations to deal
with the undesirable.
• Proposed Institutional Arrangements for interventions and
regulations
• Identified Farming/other water use practices and their
impact on water resources and the environment

17. Next Step
• All levels of Participants (Community, District
and Regional) to discuss their results and
proposed interventions.

18. THANKS FOR YOUR
ATTENTION