IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jfpoli/v36y2011i6p770-782.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

What is the irrigation potential for Africa? A combined biophysical and socioeconomic approach

Author

Listed:
  • You, Liangzhi
  • Ringler, Claudia
  • Wood-Sichra, Ulrike
  • Robertson, Richard
  • Wood, Stanley
  • Zhu, Tingju
  • Nelson, Gerald
  • Guo, Zhe
  • Sun, Yan

Abstract

Although irrigation in Africa has the potential to boost agricultural productivities by at least 50%, food production on the continent is almost entirely rainfed. The area equipped for irrigation, currently slightly more than 13 million hectares, makes up just 6% of the total cultivated area. More than 70% of Africa’s poor live in rural areas and mostly depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. As a result, agricultural development is key to ending poverty on the continent. Many development organizations have recently proposed to significantly increase investments in irrigation in the region. However, the potential for irrigation investments in Africa is highly dependent upon geographic, hydrologic, agronomic, and economic factors that need to be taken into account when assessing the long-term viability and sustainability of planned projects. This paper analyzes the large, dam-based and small-scale irrigation investment potential in Africa based on agronomic, hydrologic, and economic factors. We find significant profitable irrigation potential for both small-scale and large-scale systems. This type of regional analysis can guide distribution of investment funds across countries and should be a first step prior to in-depth country- and local-level assessment of irrigation potential, which will be important to agricultural and economic development in Africa.

Suggested Citation

  • You, Liangzhi & Ringler, Claudia & Wood-Sichra, Ulrike & Robertson, Richard & Wood, Stanley & Zhu, Tingju & Nelson, Gerald & Guo, Zhe & Sun, Yan, 2011. "What is the irrigation potential for Africa? A combined biophysical and socioeconomic approach," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 770-782.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:36:y:2011:i:6:p:770-782
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2011.09.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030691921100114X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.foodpol.2011.09.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Inocencio, Arlene & Kikuchi, Masao & Tonosaki, Manabu & Maruyama, Atsushi & Merrey, Douglas & Sally, Hilmy & de Jong, Ijsbrand, 2007. "Costs and performance of irrigation projects: A comparison of Sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions," IWMI Research Reports H036214, International Water Management Institute.
    2. You, Liangzhi & Wood, Stanley, 2006. "An entropy approach to spatial disaggregation of agricultural production," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 90(1-3), pages 329-347, October.
    3. Svendsen, Mark & Ewing, Mandy & Msangi, Siwa, 2009. "Measuring irrigation performance in Africa:," IFPRI discussion papers 894, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Svendsen, M., 2009. "Measuring irrigation performance in Africa," IWMI Working Papers H043570, International Water Management Institute.
    5. You, Liangzhi & Wood, Stanley & Wood-Sichra, Ulrike, 2007. "Generating plausible crop distribution and performance maps for Sub-Saharan Africa using a spatially disaggregated data fusion and optimization approach:," IFPRI discussion papers 725, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Anton Eberhard & Vivien Foster & Cecilia Briceño-Garmendia & Fatimata Ouedraogo & Daniel Camos & Maria Shkaratan, 2008. "Underpowered : The State of the Power Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Bank Publications - Reports 7833, The World Bank Group.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. You, Liangzhi & Ringler, Claudia & Nelson, Gerald & Wood-Sichra, Ulrike & Robertson, Richard & Wood, Stanley & Guo, Zhe & Zhu, Tingju & Sun, Yan, 2010. "What is the irrigation potential for Africa?," IFPRI discussion papers 993, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. Franziska Schuenemann & James Thurlow & Stefan Meyer & Richard Robertson & Joao Rodrigues, 2018. "Evaluating irrigation investments in Malawi: economy†wide impacts under uncertainty and labor constraints," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 49(2), pages 237-250, March.
    3. Nicholas Kilimani & Jan van Heerden & Heinrich Bohlmann & Louise Roos, 2016. "Counting the Cost of Drought Induced Productivity Losses in an Agro-Based Economy: The Case of Uganda," Working Papers 201649, University of Pretoria, Department of Economics.
    4. Richard Stirzaker & Ikenna Mbakwe & Nuru Ressa Mziray, 2017. "A soil water and solute learning system for small-scale irrigators in Africa," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(5), pages 788-803, September.
    5. Raymond van Der Wijngaart & John Helming & Claire Jacobs & Pedro Andres Garzon Delvaux & Steven Hoek & Sergio Gomez y Paloma, 2019. "Irrigation and irrigated agriculture potential in the Sahel: The case of the Niger river basin: Prospective review of the potential and constraints in a changing climate," JRC Research Reports JRC108657, Joint Research Centre.
    6. Liang Zhi You, 2008. "Africa : Irrigation investment Needs in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Bank Publications - Reports 7870, The World Bank Group.
    7. Muchara, B. & Ortmann, G. & Mudhara, M. & Wale, E., 2016. "Irrigation water value for potato farmers in the Mooi River Irrigation Scheme of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: A residual value approach," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 164(P2), pages 243-252.
    8. Sulser, Timothy B. & Ringler, Claudia & Zhu, Tingju & Msangi, Siwa & Bryan, Elizabeth & Rosegrant, Mark W., 2009. "Green and blue water accounting in the Limpopo and Nile Basins: Implications for food and agricultural policy," IFPRI discussion papers 907, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    9. Dittoh, Saa & Akuriba, Margaret A. & Issaka, Balma Y. & Bhattarai, Madhusudan, 2010. "Sustainable Micro-Irrigation Systems for Poverty Alleviation in The Sahel: A Case for “Micro” Public-Private Partnerships?," 2010 AAAE Third Conference/AEASA 48th Conference, September 19-23, 2010, Cape Town, South Africa 97045, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    10. Takle, Eugene S. & Gustafson, David & Beachy, Roger & Neslon, Gerald C. & Mason-D'Croz, Daniel & Palazzo, Amanda, 2013. "US food security and climate change: Agricultural futures," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 7, pages 1-41.
    11. Kiselev, Sergey & Romashkin, Roman & Nelson, Gerald C. & Mason-D'Croz, Daniel & Palazzo, Amanda, 2013. "Russia's food security and climate change: Looking into the future," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 7, pages 1-66.
    12. Ye, Liming & Tang, Huajun & Wu, Wenbin & Yang, Peng & Nelson, Gerald C. & Mason-D'Croz, Daniel & Palazzo, Amanda, 2014. "Chinese food security and climate change: Agriculture futures," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 8, pages 1-39.
    13. Anthony Baffoe‐Bonnie & Genti Kostandini, 2019. "Annual and cropping season environmental production conditions effects on smallholder technical efficiency in sub‐Saharan Africa: Evidence from Ethiopia," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 50(6), pages 779-791, November.
    14. Aarnoudse, E. & Closas, Alvar & Lefore, Nicole, 2018. "Water user associations: a review of approaches and alternative management options for Sub-Saharan Africa," IWMI Working Papers H048782, International Water Management Institute.
    15. Sithembile Ndema Mwamakamba & Lindiwe Majele Sibanda & Jamie Pittock & Richard Stirzaker & Henning Bjornlund & Andre van Rooyen & Paiva Munguambe & Makarius Victor Mdemu & Japhet J. Kashaigili, 2017. "Irrigating Africa: policy barriers and opportunities for enhanced productivity of smallholder farmers," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(5), pages 824-838, September.
    16. Dube, Sikhalazo & Scholes, Robert J. & Nelson, Gerald C. & Mason-D'Croz, Daniel & Palazzo, Amanda, 2013. "South African food security and climate change: Agriculture futures," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 7, pages 1-54.
    17. Xie, Hua & You, Liangzhi & Dile, Yihun T. & Worqlul, Abeyou W. & Bizimana, Jean-Claude & Srinivasan, Raghavan & Richardson, James W. & Gerik, Thomas & Clark, Neville, 2021. "Mapping development potential of dry-season small-scale irrigation in Sub-Saharan African countries under joint biophysical and economic constraints - An agent-based modeling approach with an applicat," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    18. Sheahan, Megan & Barrett, Christopher B., 2017. "Ten striking facts about agricultural input use in Sub-Saharan Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 12-25.
    19. Nkonya, Ephraim & Place, Frank & Pender, John & Mwanjololo, Majaliwa & Okhimamhe, Appollonia & Kato, Edward & Crespo, Susana & Ndjeunga, Jupiter & Traore, Sibiry, 2011. "Climate risk management through sustainable land management in Sub-Saharan Africa:," IFPRI discussion papers 1126, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    20. Cenacchi, Nicola, 2014. "Drought risk reduction in agriculture: A review of adaptive strategies in East Africa and the Indo-Gangetic plain of South Asia:," IFPRI discussion papers 1372, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:36:y:2011:i:6:p:770-782. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.