IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i12p4763-d190371.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Modeling the Impacts of Conservation Agriculture with a Drip Irrigation System on the Hydrology and Water Management in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Tewodros Assefa

    (Faculty of Civil and Water Resource Engineering, Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar 26, Ethiopia)

  • Manoj Jha

    (Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA)

  • Manuel Reyes

    (Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL), Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA)

  • Abeyou W. Worqlul

    (Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Temple, TX 76502, USA)

Abstract

The agricultural system in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is dominated by traditional farming practices with poor soil and water management, which contributes to soil degradation and low crop productivity. This study integrated field experiments and a field-scale biophysical model (Agricultural Policy Environmental Extender, APEX) to investigate the impacts of conservation agriculture (CA) with a drip irrigation system on the hydrology and water management as compared to the conventional tillage (CT) practice. Field data were collected from four study sites; Dangishita and Robit (Ethiopia), Yemu (Ghana), and Mkindo (Tanzania) to validate APEX for hydrology and crop yield simulation. Each study site consisted of 100 m 2 plots divided equally between CA and CT practices and both had a drip irrigation setup. Cropping pattern, management practices, and irrigation scheduling were monitored for each experimental plot. Significant water savings (α = 0.05) were observed under CA practice; evapotranspiration and runoff were reduced by up to 49% and 62%, respectively, whereas percolation increased up to three-fold. Consequently, irrigation water need was reduced in CA plots by about 14–35% for various crops. CA coupled with drip irrigation was found to be an efficient water saving technology and has substantial potential to sustain and intensify crop production in the region.

Suggested Citation

  • Tewodros Assefa & Manoj Jha & Manuel Reyes & Abeyou W. Worqlul, 2018. "Modeling the Impacts of Conservation Agriculture with a Drip Irrigation System on the Hydrology and Water Management in Sub-Saharan Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-19, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:12:p:4763-:d:190371
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/12/4763/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/12/4763/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stephen Devereux, "undated". "Social Protection for Enhanced Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa," UNDP Africa Policy Notes 2012-010, United Nations Development Programme, Regional Bureau for Africa.
    2. Gassman, Philip W. & Williams, Jimmy R. & Wang, Xiuying & Saleh, Ali & Osei, Edward & Hauck, Larry M. & Izaurralde, R. Cesar & Flowers, Joan D., 2009. "The Agricultural Policy Environmental EXtender (APEX) Model: An Emerging Tool for Landscape and Watershed Environmental Analyses," CARD Technical Report Series 49156, Iowa State University, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development.
    3. Deepak K. Ray & Navin Ramankutty & Nathaniel D. Mueller & Paul C. West & Jonathan A. Foley, 2012. "Recent patterns of crop yield growth and stagnation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 3(1), pages 1-7, January.
    4. Su, Ziyou & Zhang, Jinsong & Wu, Wenliang & Cai, Dianxiong & Lv, Junjie & Jiang, Guanghui & Huang, Jian & Gao, Jun & Hartmann, Roger & Gabriels, Donald, 2007. "Effects of conservation tillage practices on winter wheat water-use efficiency and crop yield on the Loess Plateau, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 87(3), pages 307-314, February.
    5. Alfonso Expósito & Julio Berbel, 2017. "Sustainability Implications of Deficit Irrigation in a Mature Water Economy: A Case Study in Southern Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-13, June.
    6. Clarke, Neville & Bizimana, Jean-Claude & Dile, Yihun & Worqlul, Abeyou & Osorio, Javier & Herbst, Brian & Richardson, James W. & Srinivasan, Raghavan & Gerik, Thomas J. & Williams, Jimmy & Jones, Cha, 2017. "Evaluation of new farming technologies in Ethiopia using the Integrated Decision Support System (IDSS)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 180(PB), pages 267-279.
    7. Fathi M. Anayah & Jagath J. Kaluarachchi & Paul Pavelic & Vladimir Smakhtin, 2013. "Predicting groundwater recharge in Ghana by estimating evapotranspiration," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(4), pages 408-432, July.
    8. Zhang, Bangbang & Feng, Gary & Read, John J. & Kong, Xiangbin & Ouyang, Ying & Adeli, Ardeshir & Jenkins, Johnie N., 2016. "Simulating soybean productivity under rainfed conditions for major soil types using APEX model in East Central Mississippi," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 379-391.
    9. Moriasi, Daniel N. & King, Kevin W. & Bosch, David D. & Bjorneberg, Dave L. & Teet, Stephen & Guzman, Jorge A. & Williams, Mark R., 2016. "Framework to parameterize and validate APEX to support deployment of the nutrient tracking tool," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 146-164.
    10. Hassanli, Ali Morad & Ahmadirad, Shahram & Beecham, Simon, 2010. "Evaluation of the influence of irrigation methods and water quality on sugar beet yield and water use efficiency," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 357-362, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Batanai Sammie & Elvis Mupfiga & Liboster Mwadzingeni & Tavengwa Chitata & Raymond Mugandani, 2021. "A gendered lens to self-evaluated and actual climate change knowledge," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 11(1), pages 65-75, March.
    2. Sulav Paudel & Lalit P. Sah & Mukti Devkota & Vijaya Poudyal & P.V. Vara Prasad & Manuel R. Reyes, 2020. "Conservation Agriculture and Integrated Pest Management Practices Improve Yield and Income while Reducing Labor, Pests, Diseases and Chemical Pesticide Use in Smallholder Vegetable Farms in Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-16, August.
    3. Luca Tricarico & Andrea Galimberti & Ausilia Campanaro & Chiara Magoni & Massimo Labra, 2020. "Experimenting with RRI tools to Drive Sustainable Agri-Food Research: The SASS Case Study from Sub-Saharan Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, January.
    4. Sameh Kotb Abd-Elmabod & Noura Bakr & Miriam Muñoz-Rojas & Paulo Pereira & Zhenhua Zhang & Artemi Cerdà & Antonio Jordán & Hani Mansour & Diego De la Rosa & Laurence Jones, 2019. "Assessment of Soil Suitability for Improvement of Soil Factors and Agricultural Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-21, March.
    5. Sisay A. Belay & Tewodros T. Assefa & P. V. Vara Prasad & Petra Schmitter & Abeyou W. Worqlul & Tammo S. Steenhuis & Manuel R. Reyes & Seifu A. Tilahun, 2020. "The Response of Water and Nutrient Dynamics and of Crop Yield to Conservation Agriculture in the Ethiopian Highlands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-15, July.
    6. Worqlul, Abeyou W. & Dile, Yihun T. & Schmitter, Petra & Bezabih, Melkamu & Adie, Aberra & Bizimana, Jean-Claude & Srinivasan, R. & Lefore, Nicole & Clarke, Neville, 2021. "Constraints of small-scale irrigated fodder production and nutrition assessment for livestock feed, a case study in Ethiopia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    7. Belay, S. A. & Schmitter, Petra & Worqlul, A. W. & Steenhuis, T. S. & Reyes, M. R. & Tilahun, S. A., 2019. "Conservation agriculture saves irrigation water in the dry monsoon phase in the Ethiopian highlands," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 11(10):1-16.
    8. Zhao, Jie & Zhang, Xuepeng & Yang, Yadong & Zang, Huadong & Yan, Peng & Meki, Manyowa N. & Doro, Luca & Sui, Peng & Jeong, Jaehak & Zeng, Zhaohai, 2021. "Alternative cropping systems for groundwater irrigation sustainability in the North China Plain," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).

    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. Zhang, Bangbang & Li, Xian & Chen, Haibin & Niu, Wenhao & Kong, Xiangbin & Yu, Qiang & Zhao, Minjuan & Xia, Xianli, 2022. "Identifying opportunities to close yield gaps in China by use of certificated cultivars to estimate potential productivity," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    2. Talebizadeh, Mansour & Moriasi, Daniel & Gowda, Prasanna & Steiner, Jean L. & Tadesse, Haile K. & Nelson, Amanda M. & Starks, Patrick, 2018. "Simultaneous calibration of evapotranspiration and crop yield in agronomic system modeling using the APEX model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 299-306.
    3. Sam R. Carroll & Kieu Ngoc Le & Beatriz Moreno-García & Benjamin R. K. Runkle, 2020. "Simulating Soybean–Rice Rotation and Irrigation Strategies in Arkansas, USA Using APEX," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-17, August.
    4. Kiymaz, Sultan & Ertek, Ahmet, 2015. "Water use and yield of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) under drip irrigation at different water regimes," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 225-234.
    5. Cao, Juan & Zhang, Zhao & Tao, Fulu & Chen, Yi & Luo, Xiangzhong & Xie, Jun, 2023. "Forecasting global crop yields based on El Nino Southern Oscillation early signals," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    6. Meike Weltin & Silke Hüttel, 2023. "Sustainable Intensification Farming as an Enabler for Farm Eco-Efficiency?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(1), pages 315-342, January.
    7. Kosari, Sina & Parsinejad, Masoud & Mokhtaran, Ali & Zebardast, Shahram, 2024. "Predicted feasibility and economic return of drainage water recycling in an arid region," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).
    8. Manogna R. L. & Aswini Kumar Mishra, 2022. "Agricultural production efficiency of Indian states: Evidence from data envelopment analysis," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(4), pages 4244-4255, October.
    9. Rada, Nicholas E., 2013. "Agricultural Growth in India: Examining the Post-Green Revolution Transition," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 149547, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    10. Terrance Hurley & Jawoo Koo & Kindie Tesfaye, 2018. "Weather risk: how does it change the yield benefits of nitrogen fertilizer and improved maize varieties in sub‐Saharan Africa?," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 49(6), pages 711-723, November.
    11. Sassi, M., 2013. "Child Nutritional Status in the Malawian District of Salima: A Capability Approach," 2013 Second Congress, June 6-7, 2013, Parma, Italy 149892, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA).
    12. J. Vernon Henderson & Sebastian Kriticos, 2018. "The Development of the African System of Cities," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 10(1), pages 287-314, August.
    13. Osei, Edward & Li, Huijun, 2016. "Value of information: costs and returns of precision corn production in Livingston County, Illinois," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 236184, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    14. Zhongen Niu & Huimin Yan & Fang Liu, 2020. "Decreasing Cropping Intensity Dominated the Negative Trend of Cropland Productivity in Southern China in 2000–2015," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-14, December.
    15. Tiziano Gomiero, 2016. "Soil Degradation, Land Scarcity and Food Security: Reviewing a Complex Challenge," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-41, March.
    16. Shuang Liu & Yuru Gao & Huilin Lang & Yong Liu & Hong Zhang, 2022. "Effects of Conventional Tillage and No-Tillage Systems on Maize ( Zea mays L.) Growth and Yield, Soil Structure, and Water in Loess Plateau of China: Field Experiment and Modeling Studies," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-14, October.
    17. Haghverdi, Amir & Yonts, C. Dean & Reichert, David L. & Irmak, Suat, 2017. "Impact of irrigation, surface residue cover and plant population on sugarbeet growth and yield, irrigation water use efficiency and soil water dynamics," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 180(PA), pages 1-12.
    18. Belén Cárceles Rodríguez & Víctor Hugo Durán Zuazo & Dionisio Franco Tarifa & Simón Cuadros Tavira & Pedro Cermeño Sacristan & Iván Francisco García-Tejero, 2023. "Irrigation Alternatives for Avocado ( Persea americana Mill.) in the Mediterranean Subtropical Region in the Context of Climate Change: A Review," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-27, May.
    19. Cabezas, J.M. & Ruiz-Ramos, M. & Soriano, M.A. & Santos, C. & Gabaldón-Leal, C. & Lorite, I.J., 2021. "Impact of climate change on economic components of Mediterranean olive orchards," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    20. Marie Lassalas & Sabine Duvaleix & Laure Latruffe, 2024. "The technical and economic effects of biodiversity standards on wheat production," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 51(2), pages 275-308.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:12:p:4763-:d:190371. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.