AWM strategies in rainfed systems are different ways to influence rainwater flows in order to maximize infiltration in the soil, retain run-off and minimize losses, and range from field-scale techniques like stone bunds or manure application to watershed-scale structures like small reservoirs.
Objective
To synthesize existing knowledge, interventions, lessons, and gaps in knowledge regarding AWM
Questions addressed
▪ who did what, how, where, with which results and why
▪ what are the lessons learned for longer term development efforts and interventions
▪ what are the knowledge gaps
Sources of information
▪ 25 key resource informants
▪ more than 250 documents from peer-reviewed research papers to grey literature and projects documents, and from 1969 up to now
▪ AidData (most complete aid database publicly available)
Knowledge gaps and research topics
▪ Integrated management and system perspective to improve water-crop-livestock interactions, to develop off-season cultivation options and market access
▪ Landscape approaches and ecosystem services to understand ecological landscape processes and trade-offs between ecosystem services
▪ Socio-economic studies to assess economic viability of mechanized techniques, to develop markets and to balance gender benefits repartition
▪ Governance and adoption to facilitate management of AWM structures, to raise awareness and to lever the factors limiting adoption
▪ Climate change and risk management to foresee the best strategies for adaptation to climate change and manage risk in the variable environment of the basin
▪ Development aid and impact assessment to evaluate the return of aid investments on water availability, food security and livelihoods; to develop common indicators for monitoring and impact assessments of AWM projects
3. introduction
▪ 395 000 km2 across six countries, 80% in
Burkina Faso and Ghana
▪ 20.106 people:
Burkina Faso
Ghana
Poverty (>1$/d)
61%
45%
Growth rate
3.4%
2.1%
Rainfed croplivestock systems
90%
76%
▪ Degraded soils (38 and 11 %)
▪ N-S gradient of rainfall and of farming systems
▪ Basin level above threshold of water scarcity
(1700 m3 yr-1 per capita), but North Burkina at
900 m3 yr-1 per capita.
(Source: GLOWA)
5. introduction
Rainwater / run-off
Groundwater
Macro-catchment
Micro-catchment
In-situ, soil
storage
Washing
and cooking
Irrigation,
livestock
watering
“Zaï”
Tied ridging
Earth/stone rows
Half-moon
Organic material
(Source: CILSS)
Live barriers
Straw mulching
Manure
Small well
Small
reservoir
Rooftop
Drinking
water
Small-scale agriculture
Domestic
Industrial,
large-scale
agriculture
Main purpose
Mineral material
Drilled well
Large dam
(Source: CILSS)
6. introduction
Rainwater / run-off
Groundwater
Macro-catchment
Micro-catchment
In-situ, soil
storage
Washing
and cooking
Irrigation,
livestock
watering
“Zaï”
Tied ridging
Earth/stone rows
Half-moon
Organic material
(Source: CILSS)
Live barriers
Straw mulching
Manure
Small well
Small
reservoir
Rooftop
Drinking
water
Small-scale agriculture
Domestic
Industrial,
large-scale
agriculture
Main purpose
Mineral material
Drilled well
Large dam
(Source: CILSS)
7. introduction
Rainwater / run-off
Groundwater
Macro-catchment
Micro-catchment
In-situ, soil
storage
Washing
and cooking
Irrigation,
livestock
watering
“Zaï”
Tied ridging
Earth/stone rows
Half-moon
Organic material
(Source: CILSS)
Live barriers
Straw mulching
Manure
Small well
(Source: CILSS)
Small
reservoir
Rooftop
Drinking
water
Small-scale agriculture
Industrial,
large-scale
agriculture
Domestic
Main purpose
Mineral material
Drilled well
Large dam
AWM strategies in rainfed systems are different ways to influence rainwater flows in order to
maximize infiltration in the soil, retain run-off and minimize losses, and range from field-scale
techniques like stone bunds or manure application to watershed-scale structures like small
reservoirs.
8. introduction
Objective
To synthesize existing knowledge, interventions,
lessons, and gaps in knowledge regarding AWM
Questions addressed
▪ who did what, how, where, with which results
and why
▪ what are the lessons learned for longer term
development efforts and interventions
▪ what are the knowledge gaps
Sources of information
▪ 25 key resource informants
▪ more than 250 documents from peer-reviewed
research papers to grey literature and projects
documents, and from 1969 up to now
▪ AidData (most complete aid database publicly
available)
9. Creation of the
PAGIRE
Creation of Ministry of
Water and Environment
Creation of the WRC
Political stability in Burkina
Creation of first
research networks
Awareness of economic
and land reform aspects
Political stability in Ghana
Creation of the ONBI
Creation of the GIDA
Creation of CILSS
Independences
erosion control
cash crops
Droughts
climate change awareness
resources degradation awareness
demographic pressure
Technology transfer
Participatory approaches
Participatory and gender approaches
integrated NR management
soil and water conservation techniques
NR and livelihood
land husbandry
cropping system intensification
sustainable land management
staple food production
ecosystem research
farming system research
mechanized zaï
small scale irrigation
half-moon
TECHNIQUES
PROMOTED
TECHNIQUES
PROMOTED
MAIN
ACTORS
GHANA
Droughts
improved zaï
small reservoirs
earth bunds
MAIN
ACTORS
BURKINA FASO
FOCUS /
CONCEPT
GLOBAL DRVIERS AND EVENTS
evolution of AWM
Societies of intervention
stone bunds
Bilateral and multilateral cooperation
NGOs and farmers’ organizations
Regional Directions
International research organizations
Individual initiatives
Regional Organisms of Development
Burkinabe and French researchers
earth bunds
small reservoirs
State
medium and large reservoirs
Industrials
improved stone bunds
GIDA
small scale irrigation
mulching
earth and stone bunds
small reservoirs
National and international research organizations
NGOs
Bilateral and multilateral cooperation
District assemblies and WUA
11. evolution of AWM
Burkina Faso
Ghana
Aid projects (total nb)
8192
7023
AWM projects (total nb)
195
46
Investments AWM (million US$)
641
258
(Source: AidData)
Burkina Faso
Ghana
450
AWM
400
WASH
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
Aid investments (millions $US)
AWM
400
WASH
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
Burkina Faso
Ghana
2005-2009
2000-2004
1995-1999
1990-1994
1985-1989
1975-1979
2005-2009
2000-2004
1995-1999
1990-1994
1985-1989
1980-1984
0
1975-1979
0
1980-1984
Aid investments (millions $US)
450
400
$US)
$US)
Evolution of aid investments for AWM projects and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects in
450
450
Burkina Faso and Ghana (Source: AidData).
AWM
AWM
400
12. projects’ outcomes
From research projects
▪ numerous technical solutions
▪ benefits of AWM strategies for the agricultural system largely studied
▪ farmers’ perceptions and factors limiting adoption documented
From development projects
▪ 200 000 to 300 000 ha restored (zaï and stone bunds), yielding extra 80 000 tons of food annually
▪ more than 2500 small dams constructed or rehabilitated in Burkina and Ghana
▪ thousands of farmers trained, thousands of households in water users associations
Controversy
▪ actual impact on livelihoods
▪ investments were ineffective
▪ environment in fragile areas of the Basin
continues to degrade
13. conclusions
Some recommendations for AWM projects
Local capacities
▪ play on factors triggering adoption
▪ local capacities and agendas should be better accounted for
Resources management
(Source: Deserto Verde Burkinabé)
▪ combine water and nutrient management
▪ improve interactions between water, crop and livestock management
Infrastructures management
▪ participatory management of water infrastructures, integration of maintenance costs in project
budget,…
Capacity building
▪ assumption of more responsibility, ways to deal with turnovers within management committees,…
▪ farmers’ capacity building for enlightened risk management and constant adaptation to new
variable conditions
14. conclusions
Knowledge gaps and research topics
▪ Integrated management and system perspective to improve water-crop-livestock interactions, to
develop off-season cultivation options and market access
▪ Landscape approaches and ecosystem services to understand ecological landscape processes and
trade-offs between ecosystem services
▪ Socio-economic studies to assess economic viability of mechanized techniques, to develop markets
and to balance gender benefits repartition
▪ Governance and adoption to facilitate management of AWM structures, to raise awareness and to
lever the factors limiting adoption
▪ Climate change and risk management to foresee the best strategies for adaptation to climate
change and manage risk in the variable environment of the basin
▪ Development aid and impact assessment to evaluate the return of aid investments on water
availability, food security and livelihoods; to develop common indicators for monitoring and impact
assessments of AWM projects
(Source: Deserto Verde Burkinabé)
16. Burkina Faso
Ghana
Ghana
6%
6%
AWM
46%
26%
LIVESTOCK
LIVESTOCK
FORESTRY
FORESTRY
FISHING
36%
AGRIC RESEARCH
FISHING
FISHING
AGRIC POLICY
36%
AWM
LIVESTOCK
30%
30%
AWM
AGRIC DEVELOPMENTAGRIC DEVELOPMENT
FORESTRY
9%
AGRIC POLICY
AGRIC POLICY
WASH
WASH
AGRIC DEVELOPMENT
AGRIC RESEARCH
AGRIC RESEARCH
EXTENSION AND TRAINING
EXTENSION AND TRAINING EXTENSION AND TRAINING
5%
17%
9%
0%
1%
3%
17%
1%
4%
5%
4% WASH
0%
5%
0%
1%
1%
1%
1%
Repartition of aid investments in the area of agriculture and water, for the timeframe 2000-2009, in
(a) Burkina Faso and (b) Ghana (Source: AidData). The category “Agric development” account for all
projects that are not part of another category (e.g. linked to post harvest, crop
management, industrial crops, or financial services).
Notas do Editor
Agricultural water management (AWM): activity of planning, developing, distributing and managing the optimum use of water resources for agricultural purposes, through a suite of strategies. Classification of agricultural water management (AWM) strategies according to their source and their main purpose for the Volta Basin. Micro scale is field scale and macro scale is watershed scale.AWM sector comprises all types of agricultural systems, from rainfed to fully irrigated, with water sources varying between rainwater, surface water or groundwater.
Agricultural water management (AWM): activity of planning, developing, distributing and managing the optimum use of water resources for agricultural purposes, through a suite of strategies. Classification of agricultural water management (AWM) strategies according to their source and their main purpose for the Volta Basin. Micro scale is field scale and macro scale is watershed scale.AWM sector comprises all types of agricultural systems, from rainfed to fully irrigated, with water sources varying between rainwater, surface water or groundwater.
Agricultural water management (AWM): activity of planning, developing, distributing and managing the optimum use of water resources for agricultural purposes, through a suite of strategies. Classification of agricultural water management (AWM) strategies according to their source and their main purpose for the Volta Basin. Micro scale is field scale and macro scale is watershed scale.AWM sector comprises all types of agricultural systems, from rainfed to fully irrigated, with water sources varying between rainwater, surface water or groundwater.
(crop water use efficiency, yields, nutrients uptake, run-off, soil water content, livestock production, biodiversity, combined nutrient and water management, water productivity of small reservoirs, food security, income,…)(destruction of vegetation cover, depletion of soil fertility and intense erosion)
no stone rows should be promoted where stones are not easily available, no mechanized systems where there is no well functioning microcredit system to sustain it, no irrigation for vegetables where there is no market, no low-cost irrigation technologies where there is no simultaneous development of supply chains
Technological aspects, not much scope for improvement