BACKGROUND
The region is one of the ten (10) Regions of the Republic of |Ghana. Geographically, Volta Region lies at the eastern side of Ghana. Volta Region share common boundaries with four (4) major regions of Ghana namely, Greater Accra, Eastern, BrongAhafo and Northern regions.
Volta Region is divided into 18 administrative districts namely Adaklu Anyigbe, South Dayi (Kpeve), North Dayi (Kpando, South Tongu (Sogakope), North Tongu (|Adidome), South Ketu, North Ketu, South Nkwanta, North Nkwanta, Ho Municipal, Hohoe Municipal, Jasikan, Kadjebi, Krachi East, Krachi West, Biakoye and Keta.
LOCATION
The Volta Region is located at 3o 45’ latitude N and 8o 45’ longitude N; it covers a total land area of 20572 km2 and stretches from the coast of Gulf Guinea running through all the vegetational zones found in the country.
VEGETATION
The region has a length of about 500 km stretching from the south to the north and its vegetation can be categorized as follow:
- The coastal strand Mangrove Swamps
- The woodland Savannah
- Savannah grassland
- The Mangrove Swamps
- The Deciduous forest
RELIEF AND DRAINAGE
The topography of the region has a low-lying altitude from less than 15 meters above sea level at the coast and 855 meters including mountain Afadzato being the highest point.
More than half of the region falls within the Volta River Basin with the Volta Lake draining a substantial portion of the region. The region have the world’s largest manmade lake, river Dayi, Oti, Daka several seasonal streams like Aka, Agali, Kplikpa etc.
SOILS
The major soils are savannah ochrosols, sandy coastal soils, tropical grey earth and regolistic groundwater laterites, topohydric and luthochronic earth. The soil type’s ranges between heavy clay to sandy loams. Heavy clay laoms, sandy laoms and alluvial soils.
CLIMATE
The region has tropical climate, characterized by moderate temperature, 12 oC—32 o C for most of the years.
The rainfall pattern is bi-modal that is it has two rainfall regimes in the year, the first from March to July and the second from the mid-August to October. Rainfall figures, which vary greatly throughout the region, are highest in the central highland areas and in the forest zone; they are lowest in the Sahel-savannah zone in the north of the region. The annual rainfall ranges from 513.9 mm and 1099.88 mm.
LAND USE/COVER
The major kinds of land use in the region are:
Forest reserve/water sheds 732.30 sq.km
Volta Lake and water bodies 3360.00 sq.km
Lagoon Areas 330.00 sq.km
Cultivated Area
- Tree Crops 1250.00 sq.km
- Arable Crops 1870.00 sq.km
- Commercial Farms Partially Mechanized 350.00 sq.km
- Irrigation 15.00 sq.km
Potential Cultivated Areas
- Potential Irrigable Area 250.00 sq.km
- Hush Fallow/Unreserved Forest etc. 1,260.5 sq.km
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of the Region since Gold Coast and then to the present Ghana. The Region’s economy is mainly rural and dominated by agriculture and employs about 74% of the economically active population. The main sub-sectors include Crops, Livestock, Fisheries, Agroforestry and the Non-Traditional Commodities.
The average holding is about 0.46 Ha. The Region cultivates industrial and food crops such as Cereals, Legumes, Vegetables, Oil trees, Root and Tubers, Pulses and plantation crops. Nonetheless, the Region is endowed with rich vegetation that supports rearing of livestock of many species. The farming practices that dominates are monocropping, mixed cropping and mixed farming.