Integrated Development for Sustainable Development : A study of the agriculture sector in Ghana

Abstract: The growing demand for our most valuable resources; land, energy, and water, due to population growth and increased living standards, put the security of these resources at risk. The complexity of climate change, with the interdependencies between the aforementioned resources and potential feedback loops, makes the issue even more inextricable. This makes an integrated sectorial approach and sensible resource management crucial for decision making and policy development. To address these issues, a study of the agriculture sector of Ghana has been performed, by using GAEZ outputs in the OSeMOSYS framework. This enables the assessment to be done with multiple regions, in comparison to national data only. The results of this study show that coordination of agricultural practices on a national level, for the different regions, does not only reduce the necessary land use significantly, it also enables a growing demand to be met, and resources to be used more efficiently. It also provides guidance on where financial investments for irrigation and increased input levels are best placed. Finally, the results from this study highlight the importance of intersectoral assessments for policy developing. It should be stated that the integration with a climate, energy and water model, is essential to reach the full potential of this model.