Agricultural Innovation in the Volta River Basin : An Analysis of Changes in Knowledge , Skills and Livelihoods brought about by the Volta Basin Development Challenge

One way to create an innovation system (AIS) is through the formation and utilization of certain innovation configurations known as Multistakeholder Platforms (MSPs) and/or Innovation Platforms (IPs). CGIAR’s Challenge Programs on Water and Food (CPWF) use both MSPs and IPs to bring together a diverse set of relevant stakeholders to address common challenges in river basins globally, and in the Volta River Basin system in West Africa in particular. The Challenge Program’s Volta Basin Development Challenge Project (VBDC) focuses primarily on strengthening integrated management of rainwater and small reservoirs. The Emory graduate student research team worked in conjunction with the V5: Coordination and Change Project in order to investigate how/if the knowledge produced by V2-V4 projects in two regions in northern Ghana is contributing to innovative changes in villagers’ knowledge, skills and livelihood activities.