Water, Land and Ecosystems - Niger

Poster on ecosystem services for agriculture development: a new way to look at sustainability

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypePoster

Subjects

Agricultural production
Ecosystems
Intensification
Land Management

Languageen

Authors

CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems

Citation

CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). 2013. Ecosystem services for agriculture development: a new way to look at sustainability.

Accessibility

Open Access

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/10568/34774

Solutions

Understanding smallholder irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa: results of a sample survey from nine countries

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Shah, Tushaar
Verma, S.
Pavelic, Paul

Smallholder irrigation is emerging as a development priority in Sub-Saharan Africa. Based on a survey of 1554 smallholders from nine countries, this paper compares rainfed farming with gravity-flow, manual-lift and motor-pump irrigation. Motor-pump-irrigation farmers reported the highest net value added per acre and per family worker, with gravity-flow and manual-irrigation farmers earning marginally more than rainfed-only farmers. In addition to making affordable pumps more readily available, improving the availability of working capital, enhancing security of tenure and ensuring the availability of affordable fuel are all likely to accelerate smallholder irrigation development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Citation

Shah, Tushaar; Verma, S.; Pavelic, Paul. 2013. Understanding smallholder irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa: results of a sample survey from nine countries. Water International, 38(6):809-826. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2013.843843

Accessibility

Limited Access

Research Themes

Land and Water Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40310

Water-balance approach for assessing potential for smallholder groundwater irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Subjects

Smallholders
Agricultural water management
Groundwater
Irrigation
Ecosystems

Languageen

Authors

Pavelic, Paul
Smakhtin, Vladimir U.
Favreau, G.
Villholth, Karen G.

Strategies for increasing the development and use of groundwater for agriculture over much of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are urgently needed. Expansion of small-scale groundwater irrigation offers an attractive option to smallholder farmers to overcome unreliable wet-season rainfall and enhance dry-season production. This paper presents a simple, generic groundwater-balance-based methodology that uses a set of type-curves to assist with decision making on the scope for developing sustainable groundwater irrigation supplies, and to help understand how cropping choices influence the potential areal extent of irrigation. Guidance to avoid over-exploitation of the resource is also provided. The methodology is applied to 2 sites in West Africa with contrasting climatic and subsurface conditions. At both sites the analysis reveals that there is significant potential for further groundwater development for irrigation whilst allowing provisions for other sectoral uses, including basic human needs and the environment.

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Citation

Pavelic, Paul; Smakhtin, Vladimir; Favreau, G.; Villholth, Karen G. 2012. Water-balance approach for assessing potential for smallholder groundwater irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Water SA, 38(3): 399-406. (Special edition on International Conference on Groundwater).

Accessibility

Open Access

Research Themes

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/10568/34597

Solutions

Groundwater availability and use in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review of 15 countries

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

Regions

Southern Africa

TypeBook

Languageen

Authors

Pavelic, Paul
Giordano, Mark
Keraita, Bernard N.
Ramesh, Vidya
Rao, Tamma

Traditionally, the spread and extent of human settlement beyond the major riparian zones of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and across many other arid regions of the world, has been determined by availability of groundwater supplies, accessed through hand-dug wells andsprings. In more recent times, groundwater is the preferred means of supplying water to meet the growing demand of the rural, dispersed communities and the small urban towns across SSA. It is estimated that about 100 million of the rural population throughout SSA areserviced by groundwater for domestic supplies and livestock rearing (Adelana and MacDonald, 2008), with most of the villages and small towns having access to groundwater supplies (Masiyandima and Giordano, 2007).

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Citation

Pavelic P, Giordano M, Keraita B, Ramesh V, Rao T, eds. 2012. Groundwater availability and use in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review of 15 countries. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

Accessibility

Open Access

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/10568/33844

Micro-entrepreneurship in Niger: factors affecting the success of women street food vendors

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Subjects

Business models
Poverty/food security/livelihoods
Gender
Food systems

Languageen

Authors

Otoo, M.
Ibro, G.
Fulton, J.
Lowenberg-Deboer, J.

Micro-entrepreneurship in the informal sector plays a vital role in generating employment and income in West Africa. In this article, the authors examine business success factors for micro-entrepreneurs involved in the production and sale of street foods in Niger, drawing on the resource-based view theory. Business success was measured by size of firm and vendor's perception of enterprise growth. Their results indicate that business experience is an important success factor, while the need for cash is a constraint for business success. A rare resource, limited access to financial assets translates into limited opportunities for growth of these informal micro-enterprises into viable businesses.

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Citation

Otoo, Miriam; Ibro, G.; Fulton, J.; Lowenberg-Deboer, J. 2012. Micro-entrepreneurship in Niger: factors affecting the success of women street food vendors. Journal of African Business, 13(1):16-28.

Accessibility

Open Access

Research Themes

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/10568/34659

Solutions

Social equity

Rice and irrigation in West Africa: achieving food security with agricultural water management strategies

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Katic, Pamela G.
Namara, Regassa E.
Hope, Lesley
Owusu, E.
Fujii, H.

West Africa's rice imports currently satisfy 70% of the soaring local demand, worsening the food vulnerability of an increasingly urbanized population. Despite considerable rice-growing potential, lack of water control systems, access to improved seeds, agrochemicals and appropriate mechanization have resulted in modest production growth rates, unable to alter the region's dependency on imported rice. Governments aim to boost production with import duties and input subsidies. However, questions remain as to whether these policies enable the rice sector to respond to changing consumers preferences for high grade rice and to contribute to national economic growth. We present the results from a Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) on rice production in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Niger and under three water management systems: irrigation (public scheme), supplemented rain-fed (rainfall aided by autonomously-sourced water supplies) and purely rain-fed. Our results show that policy interventions in these West African countries (i.e., input subsidies and import taxes) did not significantly enhance the profitability of rice production to farmers due to the effect of market failures (limited capital access and non-competitive market for rice) and the low quality of local milled rice. The PAM results point strongly to the importance of improving rice quality and yields through more efficient water management and post-harvest handling/processing and targeted breeding to match consumers' preferences.

Citation

Katic, Pamela G.; Namara, Regassa E.; Hope, Lesley; Owusu, E.; Fujii, H. 2013. Rice and irrigation in West Africa: achieving food security with agricultural water management strategies. Water Resources and Economics, 1:75-92. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wre.2013.03.001

Accessibility

Limited Access

Research Themes

Land and Water Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40272

Water-balance approach for assessing potential for smallholder groundwater irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Pavelic, Paul
Smakhtin, Vladimir U.
Favreau, G.
Villholth, Karen G.

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Citation

Accessibility

Open Access

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40225

Integrated use of fertilizer micro-dosing and Acacia tumida mulching increases millet yield and water use efficiency in Sahelian semi-arid environment

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Ibrahim, A.
Abaidoo, Robert C.
Fatondji, D.
Opoku, A.

Limited availability of soil organic amendments and unpredictable rainfall, decrease crop yields drastically in the Sahel. There is, therefore, a need to develop an improved technology for conserving soil moisture and enhancing crop yields in the Sahelian semi-arid environment. A 2-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the mulching effects of Acacia tumida pruning relative to commonly applied organic materials in Niger on millet growth, yields and water use efficiency (WUE) under fertilizer micro-dosing technology. We hypothesized that (1) A. tumida pruning is a suitable mulching alternative for crop residues in the biomass-scarce areas of Niger and (2) combined application of A. tumida mulch and fertilizer micro-dosing increases millet yield and water use efficiency. Two fertilizer micro-dosing options (20 kg DAP ha-1, 60 kg NPK ha-1) and three types of organic mulches (millet straw, A. tumida mulch, and manure) and the relevant control treatments were arranged in factorial experiment organized in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Fertilizer micro-dosing increased millet grain yield on average by 28 %. This millet grain yield increased further by 37 % with combined application of fertilizer micro-dosing and organic mulch. Grain yield increases relative to the unmulched control were 51 % for manure, 46 % for A. tumida mulch and 36 % for millet mulch. Leaf area index and root length density were also greater under mulched plots. Fertilizer micro-dosing increased WUE of millet on average by 24 %, while the addition of A. tumida pruning, manure and millet increased WUE on average 55, 49 and 25 %, respectively. We conclude that combined application of micro-dosing and organic mulch is an effective fertilization strategy to enhance millet yield and water use efficiency in low-input cropping systems and that A. tumida pruning could serve as an appropriate mulching alternative for further increasing crop yields and water use efficiency in the biomass-scarce and drought prone environment such as the Sahel. However, the economic and social implications and the long-term agronomic effects of this agroforestry tree in Sahelian millet based system have to be explored further.

Citation

Ibrahim, A., Abaidoo, R.C., Fatondji, D. & Opoku, A. (2015). Integrated use of fertilizer micro-dosing and Acacia tumida mulching increases millet yield and water use efficiency in Sahelian semi-arid environment. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 103(3), 375-388.

Accessibility

Limited Access

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/10568/77846

Sustainable groundwater development for improved livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa. Part 1

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeJournal Item

Languageen

Authors

Pavelic, Paul
Villholth, Karen G.
Verma, Shilp

Citation

Pavelic, Paul; Villholth, Karen G.; Verma, Shilp. (Eds.) 2013. Sustainable groundwater development for improved livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa. Part 1. Water International, 38(4):363-503. (Special issue with contributions by IWMI authors).

Accessibility

Limited Access

Research Themes

Variability, Risks and Competing Uses

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/10568/39054

Improving West African rice production with agricultural water management strategies

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeBook Chapter

Languageen

Authors

Katic, Pamela G.

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Citation

Katic, Pamela G. 2014. Improving West African rice production with agricultural water management strategies. In Grafton, R. Q.; Wyrwoll, P.; White, C.; Allendes, D. (Eds.). Global water: issues and insights. Canberra, Australia: Australian National University (ANU Press). pp.27-31.

Accessibility

Open Access

Research Themes

Land and Water Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/10568/65290