Actor networking, technological planning and conceptions of space: The dynamics of irrigation farming in the coastal savanna of Ghana

The sustainability of introduced technology in rural contexts is based on the socioenvironmental networking of local stakeholders, a point generally ignored in Ghana. A case study is given of an irrigation project from the coastal savanna of Ghana, a region appraised by contested assessments of drought and social conflict. Using a methodology based on a strand of actor network theory (ANT), including social surveys, meteorological and field data, it is concluded that such analyses of spatial linkages, serve as an effective methodology for assessing technological developments and socio-cultural contexts of various scales, and has applied relevance for environmental and development planning.