Abstract Construction of dams affects the livelihoods of the population living along the dammed river. There is a need for more studies to guide dam development policies and management to safeguard the livelihoods of local river users. This paper examines the effects of dams on the socio-economic livelihoods of downstream communities by drawing on the Kpong Dam in Ghana constructed from 1979 to 1982 with the goal of supplying energy and for irrigation purposes. Primary data were collected in resettled and non-resettled downstream communities using a mixed-research approach. This case study highlights how the Kpong Dam has affected the downstream river-dependent population whose livelihoods, particularly farming and fishing revolved around the seasonal flow regimes of the Volta River. Our study challenges the general perception that dams increase agricultural production by illustrating that developing ancillary facilities such as irrigation schemes as part of dam projects can enhance all-year-round agricultural production to improve food and income security of downstream households only when constraints such as lack of farm inputs are addressed. To safeguard livelihoods and limit the social impacts of dams, compensation schemes and alternative livelihood activities should be designed to include resettled and non-resettled communities along the downstream areas affected by dam projects.

中文翻译：

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大坝对依赖河流的社区生计的下游影响：以加纳 Kpong 大坝为例

摘要 大坝的建设影响了沿河堤坝居民的生计。需要进行更多研究来指导大坝开发政策和管理，以保障当地河流使用者的生计。本文以加纳 1979 年至 1982 年建造的 Kpong 大坝为例，研究大坝对下游社区社会经济生计的影响，其目标是提供能源和灌溉。使用混合研究方法在重新安置和未安置的下游社区收集原始数据。这个案例研究强调了 Kpong 大坝如何影响下游依赖河流的人口，他们的生计，特别是农业和渔业，围绕着沃尔特河的季节性流动状况。我们的研究通过说明开发灌溉计划等辅助设施作为大坝项目的一部分可以提高全年农业生产，从而改善下游家庭的粮食和收入安全，从而挑战大坝增加农业产量的普遍看法的农业投入得到解决。为了保障生计并限制大坝的社会影响，补偿计划和替代生计活动的设计应包括受大坝项目影响的下游地区的重新安置和非安置社区。