*STOCKHOLM (29 AUGUST 2012)—*As food prices escalate globally due to the
failed monsoon season in Asia and the “super drought” in the US, a new
study finds that small-scale irrigation schemes can protect millions of
farmers from food insecurity and climate risks in sub-Saharan Africa and
South Asia. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR
consortium research center, released the paper at Stockholm World
Water Week
.
According to the report, *Water for wealth and food security: Supporting
farmer-driven investments in agricultural water management,* expanding the
use of on-farm water management techniques could increase yields up to 300
percent in some cases, and add tens of billions of US dollars to household
revenues across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Researchers looked at
these trends in six countries, including Tanzania.
“Water is critical for agricultural growth and improved livelihoods in
sub-Saharan Africa,” according to Dr. Timothy O. Williams, IWMI’s director
for Africa, based in Accra. “Agriculture provides food and employment for a
large segment of the population in sub-Saharan Africa and inadequate access
increases their vulnerability to food insecurity.”
The assessment quantified the potential reach and possible additional
household revenue for a number of different on-farm and local community
water solutions.
*Solution*
*Sub-Saharan Africa*
*South Asia*
****
*Number of people reached*
*Annual additional household net revenue generated*
*Number of people reached*
*Annual additional household net revenue generated*
*Motor pumps***
185 million****
USD 22 billion****
40 million****
USD 4 billion****
*Rainwater harvesting***
147 million****
USD 9 billion****
205 million****
USD 6 billion****
*Small reservoirs***
369 million****
USD 20 billion****
N/A****
N/A****
*Electrification***
N/A****
N/A****
34 million ****
USD 4 billion****
*Communally-managed river diversions***
113 million****
USD 14 billion****
N/A****
N/A****
*Note: N/A = Not Assessed
*
The three-year AgWater Solutions Research Initiative unearthed for the
first time the scale at which enterprising smallholder farmers themselves
are driving this revolution by using their own resources innovatively
rather than waiting for water to be delivered.
“The rate of progress is incredible,” said Dr. Victor Kongo of the
Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)—Africa Centre, based at the
University of Dar es Salaam, who coordinated the initiative in Tanzania.
“Even though steep start-up costs, unwieldy supply chains, and other
constraints are prevalent, smallholder farmers across Africa and Asia have
tapped their own resources to finance and install irrigation technologies.
It is the farmers themselves who are pushing at the forefront of this wave
of change.”
In Tanzania, for instance, with the support of public investments in the
Mkindo community-led irrigation scheme in the Morogoro region, smallholder
farmers are realizing 3.6 USD/day compared to 1.6 USD/day in rainfed
systems. The increase in productivity has led to improved livelihoods, with
some of the farmers diversifying and investing in other sources of income
such as small shops.
Partners in the AgWater collaboration believe the implications of the work
could be profound, especially for donors and private investors committed to
boosting incomes and livelihoods in the world’s poorest countries by
improving farmer access to water resources.
The research—a collaborative effort involving several international
partners and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—provides the
best evidence to-date on the scale and potential economic benefits of
smallholder water management in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Technologies for accessing water are major constraints on food production
for millions of smallholder farmers. While water resources are often
sufficient, farmers lack the means to harvest it, which limits crop
production to the rainy season and diminishes income opportunities.
Of sub-Saharan Africa’s abundant renewable water resources, the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization reported that only 3 percent are withdrawn for
agriculture. Approximately 4 percent of arable land is equipped for
irrigation, of which less than 6 percent is serviced by groundwater.
Experts believe that improving water management capabilities could unleash
smallholder farming and it could become a major driver of economic growth,
poverty reduction and food security.
One example is of innovative farmers in the Same District using a
combination of water storage and terraces to improve agricultural
production. In addition to high-value crops, the maize yields in these
terraces are twice as much as when compared to conventional practices.
“The technologies for farmers to manage their water usage have already been
developed,” said Kongo. “Inexpensive water pumps and new ways of powering
them are changing what it means to farm all over Africa and Asia. Even by
using simple tools for drilling wells and capturing rainwater, many
smallholders can now grow more crops in the dry season, a tremendous help
in meeting their bottom lines. Therefore, there is a need for strategic
public investment in these proven profitable initiatives by smallholder
farmers to expedite their escape from poverty traps.”
There are risks to the unchecked expansion of smallholder water
management, however. The poorest farmers, especially women, still struggle
to find the resources needed to access new technologies, which may lead to
greater inequities. And if farmers engage in a water free-for-all, supplies
in some areas could dwindle past sustainable levels. It is also necessary
to look at the possibility of payment for environmental services by
downstream users, to encourage upstream soil and water conservation and
ensure the sustainable management of catchment areas. This calls for a
system approach in managing soil and water resources.
AgWater partners believe new institutional arrangements are needed to
address these challenges. They also are focusing on innovative business
models that could help improve water access, such as *pump-on-a-bike* hire
schemes, where cycling entrepreneurs tour rural areas, renting out pumps
strapped to their bicycles.
“Letting farmers take the lead provides terrific investment opportunities,”
says Eng. Futakamba Mbogo, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of
Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives. “AgWater Solutions has figured
out where investments can be applied for maximum impact and to continue
with this farmer-led progress”.
###
The research partners were the Stockholm Environment Institute; the
International Food Policy Research Institute; iDE; the Food and Agriculture
Organisation of the United Nations and CH2MHill. In-country collaborative
partners included the Direction des Amenagements et du Developpement de
l’Irrigation (DADI); Ministry of Agriculture, Burkina Faso; Ghana
Irrigation Development Authority; Ministry of Food and Agriculture,
Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development, Ethiopia; Centre for
Advanced Research & Development, Bhopal, India; Rajarhat PRASARI, West
Bengal, India; Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives,
Sokoine University of Agriculture, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania;
and the Department of Agriculture, Zambia.
*More information on the program can be found at **
www.iwmi.org/campaigns/agwater*
The *International Water Management Institute* (IWMI) is a nonprofit,
scientific research organization focusing on the sustainable use of land
and water resources in agriculture to benefit poor people in developing
countries. IWMI’s mission is “to improve the management of land and water
resources for food, livelihoods and the environment.” IWMI has its
headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and regional offices across Asia and
Africa. The Institute works in partnership with developing countries,
international and national research institutes, universities and other
organizations to develop tools and technologies that contribute to poverty
reduction as well as food and livelihood security. www.iwmi.org
*CGIAR* is a global research partnership that unites organizations engaged
in research for sustainable development. CGIAR research is dedicated to
reducing rural poverty, increasing food security, improving human health
and nutrition, and ensuring more sustainable management of natural
resources. It is carried out by the 15 centers who are members of the CGIAR
Consortium in close collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations,
including national and regional research institutes, civil society
organizations, academia, and the private sector. www.cgiar.org
The *CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems* examines how we
can intensify agriculture, while still protecting the environment and
lifting millions of farm families out of poverty. The program focuses on
the three critical issues of water scarcity, land degradation and ecosystem
services. It will also make substantial contributions in the areas of food
security, poverty alleviation and health and nutrition. The initiative
combines the resources of 14 CGIAR centers and numerous external partners
to provide an integrated approach to natural resource management research.
This program is led by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
wle.cgiar.org