Presented by Jennie Barron of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences at an event hosted by The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) on March 19th, 2018. The event was "Water for Agenda 2030 - balancing the needs for food, water and energy in a changing climate" was organized in celebration of Water Day.

1. Agricultural water management for
synergies in the development of Agenda
2030: a case of smallholder irrigation
development
Jennie Barron
Professor, Agricultural Water Management
Flagship Leader 'Land and Water Solutions for Sustainable Intensification '(LWS) CRP WATER LAND ECOSYSTEMS
(www.wle.cgiar.org)

2. Content
1. SDG and nexus
Global risks and challenges
2. Example of a SDG nexus opportunity
The case of spontaneous smallholder irrigation development
in SSA
3. R4D in food-water-energy nexus to meet SDG
4. Next steps..

3. 1. SDG and nexus: Global risks and challenges

4. There is consensus on issues….

5. Agenda 2030: a nexus dilemma

6. Water-soils-climate systems are in precarious
states in important production areas

7. More water needed for growing and more affluent
population
More nutritious
food needs more
water….
… also demand
fodder, feed,
fibre…

8. Impacts of climate variability and change
already affecting production?
Lobelll et al 2011
Global yields stagnant?
Grassini et al 20131970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Staple crops sensitive to temperature
increase…..

9. 2. An SDG nexus opportunity:
The case of spontaneous smallholder irrigation
development in SSA

10. Smallholder farming and irrigation: A vibrant and
growing sector
• Smallholder farmers are critical for
local and national food security in
SSA and SA
• Smallholder farmers increasingly
initiating and financing small-scale
land and water management
technologies themselves, e.g.:
• In India > 50% of the irrigated area
watered by smallholder pumps
• In much of Africa, smallholder AWM
reaches more farmers than public
irrigation.
Farmers’ reliance on different types of irrigation in Ghana

11. Small-scale dry season irrigation can benefit many
Water quantity?
Water quality?
CO2 emissions?

12. Finding technology options that are solutions

13. Case: Solar pumps to support micro-irrigation (off-grid, Ethiopia)
The context and opportunity
• Mostly rainfed, smallholder farming
• 14% of population connected to the electricity grid
• Significant potential for solar pumps (~7 M ha) to offer
climate smart, supplemental irrigation
• Demand is high; traction with public and donor supported
programs.
• Potential business scenarios for positive returns on
investment
The challenges
• Regulatory: difficult to access information/incentives
• Value chain: underdeveloped for irrigation/solar energy
• Rural financing: low capacity, limited access
• Capacity: limited on technology installation and repairs

14. The context and opportunity
• Communal reservoirs are common in the region
• Provide water when natural streams dry up
• Irrigating areas from 0.01-374ha (Volta basin)
• Multi-purpose water use
• Access: directly from reservoir or shallow wells near the
reservoir, limited access through gravity irrigation
The challenges
• Water availability: soil erosion upstream fills reservoirs with
sediments; downstream water availability
• Water application is still labor intensive, gravity irrigation
systems favor female farmers
• Aging infrastructure: most constructed 80-90s
Case: Small reservoirs infrastructure(Burkina Faso)
Small reservoir, monthly distribution of use (Bagyalgo, Burkina Faso)

15. 3. R4D in food-water-energy nexus to meet SDGs
Joel 20xx

16. Do we have more nexus opportunities to address SDGs?
• Water management (incl. irrigation)
in sustainable intensification of
agriculture can address multiple SDG
targets
• Water reuse and waste
management in rural –urban (circular)
economy for agriculture and other use
• Water management in agriculture
essential to meet ecosystems targets

17. Challenges when moving from ‘silver bullets’ to
complex solutions?
Systems approach for solutions demand multiple actors and
disciplines:
• Human, institution capacity to analyse and develop
• Innovations, data and technology
• Levelled market and policy arena
• Wise (=best informed) investments form public private and IFIs

18. Thank you!
If you wish to take part in this conversation, please join us at
• EAT Stockholm (11-12 June): http://eatforum.org/
• RESDEV 2018 Gothenburg (22-23 August):Water management for food
production in an era of changing development agendas
https://globalstudies.gu.se/forskning/development-research-conference- 2018
• Stockholm World Water Week (26-31 August) http://www.worldwaterweek.org/ :
Small-Scale Irrigation—The Answer to Ecosystem Health? IWMI IFPRI, USAID ,WLE, SLU
Working with the flow? Multifunctional landscapes in a changing climate SIWI; Sinai , SLU ..

19. EXTRA slides

20. How can water management make a difference?
Dry season irrigation
Residual moisture (fodder, fibre)
Rainfed crop
Drainage, storage
Supplemental
irrigation
Infiltration
Example: water management solutions for
resilient and productive crop systems
Example: different water management
strategies for sustainable intensification