21 Proposed Research, Science, Technology and Innovation …
511
water-stressed basins through modification of existing technologies like seawater
greenhouses and membrane technologies, while eliminating wastewater that would
cause disposal challenges (Wada et al. 2014). The right mix of hard and soft path solutions is required for cost-effective mitigation of water stresses and improve Africa’s
resilience against agricultural and hydrological droughts.
9 Food Security Anchored in Cost-Effective
Supplementary Irrigated Agriculture
A well-managed supplementary irrigation is a cost-effective system to mitigate the
effects of droughts. Unlike full scale irrigation, the timing and amount of supplementary irrigation cannot be determined in advance, owing to rainfall stochasticity. Researchers have to find solutions to these key challenges for implementing
successful supplementary irrigation in each agroclimatic region. Major research tasks
include (i) determination of optimal scheduling for farm conditions, (ii) selection of
crops and cropping patterns to maximize profitability to determine the socioeconomic
feasibility of occasionally supplying extra water to rainfed crops, (iii) promotion of
water user associations to manage water use in a sustainable manner, (iv) setting
fixed and efficient water delivery schedules in rainfed dry areas, (v) maximization
of yield from a unit of water as well as yield from a unit of land, (vi) exploring the
cost-benefit balance of supplementary irrigation, and (vii) optimizing other inputs
and cultural practices (World Bank 2005).
Other challenges include the identification of on-demand, efficient water delivery
systems that are best suited to supplementary irrigation, especially for small areas
such as 1–3 ha smallholder fields. Commercially available efficient irrigation systems
like drip, center pivots, and linear sprinklers are too costly for small-scale farmers
who mainly produce low-value staple crops, because these systems are designed
for large-scale commercial agricultural systems. To be effective and sustainable,
supplementary irrigation must be properly integrated with improvement of crops and
soil management and improvement of other production inputs like germplasm and
fertilizers in order to achieve the desired output. Also, farmers must understand the
technology and how to use it, and hence researchers and extension service providers
should develop simple and practical tools for supplementary irrigation scheduling,
since scheduling is the key to improving water use efficiency. Extension services
and human capacity building should play a major role in this respect. Long-term
training and advisory programs that build the capacity of extension workers and
farmers to install, operate, and maintain their irrigation systems should be designed
and implemented. Use of incentives for farmer participation, technology transfer,
and water cost recovery may prompt adoption of improved management options.
Innovative researchers have to develop low-cost, low-energy irrigation systems such
as drip or sprinkler technologies, including pumping sets. Development of lowcost and simple but effective systems for monitoring groundwater and surface water
511
water-stressed basins through modification of existing technologies like seawater
greenhouses and membrane technologies, while eliminating wastewater that would
cause disposal challenges (Wada et al. 2014). The right mix of hard and soft path solutions is required for cost-effective mitigation of water stresses and improve Africa’s
resilience against agricultural and hydrological droughts.
9 Food Security Anchored in Cost-Effective
Supplementary Irrigated Agriculture
A well-managed supplementary irrigation is a cost-effective system to mitigate the
effects of droughts. Unlike full scale irrigation, the timing and amount of supplementary irrigation cannot be determined in advance, owing to rainfall stochasticity. Researchers have to find solutions to these key challenges for implementing
successful supplementary irrigation in each agroclimatic region. Major research tasks
include (i) determination of optimal scheduling for farm conditions, (ii) selection of
crops and cropping patterns to maximize profitability to determine the socioeconomic
feasibility of occasionally supplying extra water to rainfed crops, (iii) promotion of
water user associations to manage water use in a sustainable manner, (iv) setting
fixed and efficient water delivery schedules in rainfed dry areas, (v) maximization
of yield from a unit of water as well as yield from a unit of land, (vi) exploring the
cost-benefit balance of supplementary irrigation, and (vii) optimizing other inputs
and cultural practices (World Bank 2005).
Other challenges include the identification of on-demand, efficient water delivery
systems that are best suited to supplementary irrigation, especially for small areas
such as 1–3 ha smallholder fields. Commercially available efficient irrigation systems
like drip, center pivots, and linear sprinklers are too costly for small-scale farmers
who mainly produce low-value staple crops, because these systems are designed
for large-scale commercial agricultural systems. To be effective and sustainable,
supplementary irrigation must be properly integrated with improvement of crops and
soil management and improvement of other production inputs like germplasm and
fertilizers in order to achieve the desired output. Also, farmers must understand the
technology and how to use it, and hence researchers and extension service providers
should develop simple and practical tools for supplementary irrigation scheduling,
since scheduling is the key to improving water use efficiency. Extension services
and human capacity building should play a major role in this respect. Long-term
training and advisory programs that build the capacity of extension workers and
farmers to install, operate, and maintain their irrigation systems should be designed
and implemented. Use of incentives for farmer participation, technology transfer,
and water cost recovery may prompt adoption of improved management options.
Innovative researchers have to develop low-cost, low-energy irrigation systems such
as drip or sprinkler technologies, including pumping sets. Development of lowcost and simple but effective systems for monitoring groundwater and surface water