Water, Land and Ecosystems - Mali

Contour Ridge Tillage for Improved Crops and Fodder Trees Production in the Villages of Kani and Noumpinesso, Southern Mali

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 12:40:40 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Subjects

Agricultural production
Land Management
Soil

Languageen

Authors

Dembele, C. O.
Traore, K.
Karembe, M.
Zemadim, B.
Samake, O.

In rural Mali shortage of livestock feed is a challenging phenomenon worsening day by day, particularly in the villages of Kani and Noumpinesso. The significant decrease in crops yield and livestock are due to persistent and continuous land degradation and over grazing. Soil water erosion and inappropriate or ineffective farming systems led to land degradation over the many years. A purposeful growing of fodder plant (fast growing trees species) and crops in interacting combinations for a range of benefits would be required using a technology that is easily adaptable by the rural farming communities. Contour ridge (CR) technology is a holistic approach that protects farmlands from erosion; increases soil moisture, nutrient availability for crops and associated fast growing trees. The CR technology in combination with forage and improved crop production systems were applied in Kani and Noumpinesso villages of southern Mali and resulted indicated that at the end of rainy season of 2017 and 2018 the application of CR technology significantly increased (p < 0.05) Gliricidia sepium and Leucaena leucocephala growth and development. Similar to 2017, in 2018 CR technology significantly increased (p < 0.05) sorghum, millet, maize, and cotton growth, yield, and economic benefit. At Kani during 2017 and 2018 season soil moisture was always significantly higher (p < 0.05) under fodder planted area than non-fodder planted area, and the difference was high with respect to farmlands without CR.

Citation

Dembele, C. O.; Traore, K.; Karembe, M.; Zemadim, B.; Samake, O. 2021. Contour Ridge Tillage for Improved Crops and Fodder Trees Production in the Villages of Kani and Noumpinesso, Southern Mali. Journal of Agricultural Studies, 9(2):550-572. ISSN 2166-0379 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jas.v9i2.18513

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/117340

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Evaluation du potentiel d’expansion durable de l’irrigation solaire à petite échelle à Ségou et Sikasso, Mali. In French

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 12:41:38 +0000

TypeBrief

Languagefr

Authors

International Water Management Institute

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Citation

International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 2021. Evaluation du potentiel d’expansion durable de l’irrigation solaire à petite échelle à Ségou et Sikasso, Mali. In French. [Assessing the potential for sustainable expansion of small-scale solar irrigation in Segou and Sikasso, Mali]. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 8p. (Also in English).

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Open Access

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/115727

Spatial and temporal dynamics of croplands in expanding West African cities

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 12:38:51 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Karg, H.
Drechsel, Pay
Dittrich, N.
Cauchois, A.

The rapid expansion of cities in West Africa has implications for urban cropland. This study aimed to assess the dynamics of cropland in West African cities over time and space, to identify key drivers, and to report the effects of changing cropland on farmers and farmers’ resilience strategies. Cities studied were Accra (Ghana), Bamako (Mali), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), and Bamenda (Cameroon). Methodology involved multi-temporal spatial analysis of satellite images and farmer surveys. Results showed that the share of urban land covered by cropland differed in these cities, with higher shares in Accra and Bamenda, which included rainfed cultivation. Over the past 15 years, Accra has lost large shares of its farming areas, both in the inner-urban areas as well as in the fringe, whereas loss in Bamenda has been less substantial. In Ouagadougou and Bamako, where only irrigated sites were captured, cropland has shifted to the fringes but increased overall. Key drivers influencing the direction of change were official support of urban farming (or lack thereof), population pressure, and the availability of public open spaces that are not suitable for construction. In cities with decreasing cropland, implications included diminishing individual farm sizes, intensification of remaining sites, cessation of farming in the city, and the shift to other sites, which—apart from the physical availability of land and related resources—depends on social relations and informal rules.

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Citation

Karg, H.; Drechsel, Pay; Dittrich, N.; Cauchois, A. 2020. Spatial and temporal dynamics of croplands in expanding West African cities. Urban Agriculture and Regional Food Systems, 5(1):e20005. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/uar2.20005]

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Open Access

Research Themes

Rural-Urban Linkages

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/110880

Sustainable floodplains: linking e-flows to floodplain management, ecosystems, and livelihoods in the Sahel of North Africa

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 12:38:51 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

O’Brien, G. C.
Dickens, Chris
Baker, C.
Stassen, R.
Weert, F. van

Floodplains are particularly important in the semi-arid region of the Sub-Sahelian Africa. In this region, water governance is still being developed, often without adequate information and technical capacity for good, sustainable water resource management. However, water resources are being allocated for use with minimal sustainability considerations. Environmental flows (e-flows) include the quantity and timing of flows or water levels needed to meet the sustainable requirements of freshwater and estuarine ecosystems. Holistic regional scale e-flows linked to floodplain management can make a noticeable contribution to sustainable floodplain management. The Inner Niger Delta (IND) in Mali is an example of a vulnerable, socio-ecologically important floodplain in the Sahel region of North Africa that is being developed with little understanding of sustainability requirements. Although integrally linked to the Upper Niger River catchment, the IND sustains a million and half people within the region and exports food to surrounding areas. The flooding of the Delta is the engine of the socio-economic development as well as its ecological integrity. This paper aims to demonstrate the contribution that holistic regional e-flow assessment using the PROBFLO approach has to achieving floodplain sustainability. This can be achieved through the determining the e-flow requirements to maintain critical requirements of the ecosystems and associated services used by local vulnerable human communities for subsistence and describing the socio-ecological consequences of altered flows. These outcomes can contribute to the management of the IND. In this study, the socio-ecological consequences of altered flows have been evaluated by assessing the risk of alterations in the volume, duration, and timing of flows, to a number of ecological and social endpoints. Based on the risk posed to these endpoints by each scenario of change, an e-flow of 58% (26,685 million cubic meters (MCM) of water annually) was determined that would protect the ecosystem and maintain indicator components at a sustainable level. These e-flows also provide sustainable services to local communities including products for subsistence and limit any abnormal increases in diseases to the vulnerable African communities who live in the basin. Relative risk outputs for the development scenarios result in low-to-high-risk probabilities for most endpoints. The future development scenarios include insufficient flows to maintain sustainability during dry or low-flow periods with an increase in zero flow possibilities. Although unsuitable during the low-flow or dry periods, sufficient water is available through storage in the basin to meet the e-flows if these scenarios were considered for implementation. The IND is more vulnerable to changes in flows compared to the rivers upstream of the IND. The e-flow outcomes and consequences of altered flow scenarios has contributed to the management of vulnerable IND floodplains and the requirements and trade-off considerations to achieve sustainability.

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O’Brien, G. C.; Dickens, Chris; Baker, C.; Stassen, R.; van Weert, F. 2020. Sustainable floodplains: linking e-flows to floodplain management, ecosystems, and livelihoods in the Sahel of North Africa. Sustainability, 12(24):10578. (Special issue: Durable Protections for Free-Flowing Rivers) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410578]

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Open Access

Research Themes

Variability, Risks and Competing Uses

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/110881

Assessing the potential for sustainable expansion of small-scale solar irrigation in Segou and Sikasso, Mali

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 11:36:32 +0000

TypeBrief

Languageen

Authors

International Water Management Institute

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Citation

International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 2021. Assessing the potential for sustainable expansion of small-scale solar irrigation in Segou and Sikasso, Mali. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 8p. (Also in French).

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Open Access

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/115062

Drivers of adoption of small-scale irrigation in Mali and its impacts on nutrition across sex of irrigators

Anonymous — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 12:32:22 +0000

TypeOther

Subjects

Agricultural production
Gender
Irrigation
Livelihoods
Smallholders

Languageen

Authors

Nkonya, Ephraim M.
Kato, Edward
Ru, Yating

Irrigation is an important strategy to increase agricultural productivity, improve nutrition security and reduce climate-related risks in rural Africa, but adoption of this technology has been low. Using data from the Living Standards Measurement Study, this paper analyzes the characteristics of irrigation in Mali and its impact on nutrition across sex of irrigators. Results show that gravity irrigation is the most common technology and is practiced by 47 percent of irrigators. The share of women irrigators (3 percent of all plots) is significantly lower than that of men. Econometric results show that the proximity of crop fields to the homestead increases the propensity to use motor pumps while more remote plots are more likely to rely on gravity irrigation. Literacy and income from nonfarm activities increase the propensity to use motorized irrigation technologies. Access to motor pumps, in turn, increases consumption of fruits and vegetables, oils, spices, and cereals for female-headed households. Overall, irrigation increases consumption of nutrient-rich food groups, which significantly improves household nutrition in addition to increasing income. Participation in farmer groups increases the propensity to adopt irrigation. Farmer groups might also be an entry point for capacity building on irrigation; and groups to which women farmers belong should receive information on irrigation. Farmer groups also tend to support market participation, which is important to help address the challenge of economies of scale of small-scale irrigators.

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Citation

Nkonya, Ephraim M.; Kato, Edward; Ru, Yating. 2020. Drivers of adoption of small-scale irrigation in Mali and its impacts on nutrition across sex of irrigators. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1924. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133713

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Open Access

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/110741

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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

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Limited Access

Research Themes

Land and Water Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture

Permalink

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

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).

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Open Access

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

Contour bunding technology-evidence and experience in the semiarid region of southern Mali

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

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Zemadim, Birhanu
Traoré, Kalifa B.
Sanogo, Karamoko
Tabo, Ramadjita
Fischer, Gundula
Whitbread, Anthony M.

Land and water management practices have been widely implemented in rural Mali since the1980s to improve agricultural productivity and erosion control. Under conditions of recurring droughts, these practices are expected to increase farmers’ ability to cope with shocks. One of the most common practices applied in the central and southern parts of Mali is contour bunding (CB). In this study the impact of the CB technology is evaluated with a focus on biophysical and socio-economic benefits. Data were collected in two agro-ecologies of southern Mali and were generated through field experimentation and household survey. Field experimentation involved implementation of contour lines with farm ridges, agronomic trails and runoff and erosion measurements. Agronomic data was collected on sorghum, maize, groundnut and millet for three consecutive years (2015 to 2017). Socio-economic data on the use of CB was obtained from individual farmer surveys. CB involves the layout of contour lines with land leveling devices to identify points of equal elevation and construction of contour lines with draught animals and human labor. The majority of the labor input to construct and maintain the CB comes from adult men who are head of the household (58%) and youth male (33%). Results indicate that with the application of CB yield of crops was higher with the highest increase in grain yield and biomass obtained for maize and millet (P < 0.01). CB application was useful in retaining soil water and reduced erosion rate. In treatment fields, 162mmof rainfall per year was saved as soil moisture and on average 13,090 kg per hectare of soil was lost from farm fields without CB, and CB implementation significantly reduced the soil loss by 163% (P < 0.01). The improvements in crops yield and biomass, and the retention of soil nutrients positively changed farm level productivity conditions. The majority of farmers (78%) perceived higher income from the sale of crops grown on CB plots. These results suggest the landscape wide application of CB.

Citation

Birhanu, B., Traoré, K., Sanogo, K., Tabo, R., Fischer, G. and Whitbread, A. 2020. Contour bunding technology-evidence and experience in the semiarid region of southern Mali. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 1-9.

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Open Access

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/108503

Ostrich-like strategies in Sahelian sands?: land and water grabbing in the Office du Niger, Mali

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

TypeJournal Article

Subjects

Land Management
Agricultural water management
Irrigation
Socio-economics
Droughts
Floods
Institutions/governance/policies/reforms
Impact
Investment

Languageen

Authors

Hertzog, T.
Adamczewski, A.
Molle, Francois
Poussin, Jean-Christophe
Jamin, Jean-Yves

In recent years, large-scale agricultural investment projects have increased in sub-Saharan Africa as a result of the growing appetites of local and international investors for land resources. Research has so far mainly focused on land issues, but the water implications of these land deals are starting to surface. Taking the Office du Niger (ON), in Mali, as a case study, it is shown that while around 100,000 ha is currently being cultivated, mostly by smallholders, a total of 600,000 ha of land has been allocated in the past ten years to investors in large-scale farming. This process has largely bypassed the official procedure established by the ON at regional level. The allocation of new lands has shifted to the national level, with an attempt to recentralize the management of land deals and associated benefits at the highest level, despite contrary efforts by foreign donors to strengthen the ON. This article describes the complex allocation process based on 'behind-closed-doors' negotiations. It then analyses the implications of the land deals on water issues by focusing on the strategies of actors to limit the risk of future water shortages, the current and expected difficulties in water management and allocation, and the emerging spatial and social redistribution of benefits and risk that signals a process of water grabbing.

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Citation

Hertzog, T.; Adamczewski, A.; Molle, Francois; Poussin, J.-C.; Jamin, J.-Y. 2012. Ostrich-like strategies in Sahelian sands?: land and water grabbing in the Office du Niger, Mali. Water Alternatives, 5(2):304-321.

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Open Access

Research Themes

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/34581

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