Presentation by Eva Ludi (ODI) at the NBDC Workshop on Baselining Changes in Planning, Implementation and Collective Action, Addis Ababa, Nov 8-11, 2010
Boost PC performance: How more available memory can improve productivity
Rainwater management for poverty reduction
1. Rainwater Management for Poverty Reduction Eva Ludi Overseas Development Institute NBDC Workshop on Baselining Changes in Planning, Implementation and Collective Action Addis Ababa, Nov 8-11, 2010
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6. Rainwater management strategy Purpose Management options Increase plant water availability Ex-situ (external) water-harvesting systems Dry spell mitigation, protective irrigation, spring protection groundwater recharge, enable off-season irrigation, multiple water use Surface micro-dams, subsurface tanks, farm ponds, percolation dams/tanks, diversion and recharging structures
7. Rainwater management strategy Purpose Management options In-situ water-harvesting systems Concentrate run-off to cropped area and/or other use Maximize rainfall infiltration Bunds, ridges, broad-beds and furrows, micro-basins, run-off strips Terracing, contour cultivation, conservation agriculture, staggered trenches
9. Rainwater management strategy Purpose Management options Increase plant water uptake capacity Integrated soil and crop management Increase proportion of water balance flowing as productive transpiration Improved crop varieties, soil fertility, optimum crop rotation, pest control, organic matter
10. Rainwater management strategy Purpose Management options Crop, tree and livestock management Increase water productivity = more production per amount of water uptake Improved crop varieties, shade trees, better distribution of watering points for livestock
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Notas del editor
rain water management ” (RWM), defined broadly to include soil and water conservation (SWC), in situ and ex situ rainwater harvesting, conservation farming, and small-scale irrigation
RWM = integrating land and water management, crop component technology, crop management, crop-livestock systems, pastoral systems and agro forestry systems so as to raise productivity and incomes and enhance resilience, while slowing land degradation and reducing downstream siltation.
The term “Agricultural Water Management” (AWM) has come to be defined in a broad manner, to include management of water for crops, agro forestry, livestock and fish in the continuum of agricultural systems ranging from full irrigation to those dependent entirely on rainfall. Most Sub-Saharan African (SSA) smallholder farmers depend on rainfed agriculture; and most staple grains are rainfed.
Rainfed agriculture is by definition dependent on the timing and amount of rainfall; and in most regions of Africa rainfall is highly variable and unreliable. This is the case even in areas with relatively high average rainfall, such as the East African Highlands. This is a major factor underlying low productivity:
even if input and output markets are operating and farmers have access to improved seed and fertilizer, they are still reluctant to invest because of the high risk of loss. In much of SSA markets do not operate well, and until recently governments have under-invested in agricultural support. Farmers’ risk aversion is a rational strategy in this situation.
The result is low productivity of rainfed agriculture, high levels of poverty and poor health, high levels of vulnerability to shocks such as drought or illness, and continuous under-investment in sustaining the productivity of the natural resource base – a perfect vicious cycle.
Rainfed agriculture can be upgraded by improving soil moisture conservation and, where feasible, providing supplemental irrigation, if combined with improved fertility and crop management in a context where farmers can benefit from such investments. The critical requirement is to take an integrated and holistic approach and avoid focusing too narrowly on one dimension, be it water, soil, or crop variety. In this context, the CPWF has therefore adopted the term “ rain water management ” (RWM), defined broadly to include soil and water conservation (SWC), in situ and ex situ rainwater harvesting, conservation farming, and small-scale irrigation.