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| | | Title | EFFICIENT USE OF WATER RESOURCES Lessons from Niger on GSM based technology for irrigation control | | Author | ACBF | | Subject | Water Resources Management | | Date of Publication | 2017057 | | Publisher | African Community of Practice on Management for Development result at the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) | | Number of Pages | 7 pages | | Language | English | | Geographical Coverage | Niger | | Keywords | Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) and Water Resources, Irrigation and Technology | | Abstract | In Sub-Saharan Africa, rainfed agriculture accounts for more than 95% of farmed land. The situation is worse in sahelian regions where annual precipitation could drop under 100 mm/year, one of the lowest in the world (in comparison to 3,000 mm in Guineo-congolean regions). As such, irrigation is adopted as a key option for food production and animal watering but unfortunately as traditionally practiced, irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa leads to important water wasting and carries many constraints. In the context of water scarcity, there is an urgent need for efficient management of water resources. This implies to go beyond the traditional irrigation techniques and develop innovations that promote the efficient use of water resources while reducing constraints so as to facilitate adoption by thousands of farmers in need. Key findings: Using a case study approach, this knowledge product presents a Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) based technology on the efficient use of water resources in Niger and draws some lessons likely to guide appropriate policies. The technology is used by over 200 farmers in Niger to control the irrigation of their farms and to provide crops with timely appropriate quantity of water. The cost of the kit is the main constraint for its large adoption. To address this constraint, partnerships with financial institutions are established to assist smallholder farmers. Main lessons: The case study shows that mobile communication market is a niche of opportunities to address many development issues but some countries need more investments to improve mobile communication penetration. Another lesson from the case study is that innovations with high investments require assistance to be scaled up in rural areas. Main recommendations: This technology on irrigation control is consistent with ongoing efforts of regional African institutions (AU, AfDB, ECOWAS, etc.) for integrated and efficient water resources management. It represents a ready to use tool for African governments, alliances and regional cooperation on maximizing water use for agriclutuarl purposes. Therefore, there is need for capacity reinforcement for African governments not only for the application of best practices but also to reinforce the culture of Managing for Development Results (MfDR) in water resource management and for the development of clean technologies likely to reduce water wasting. | | Copyright Holder | African Community of Practice (AfCoP) | | Copyright URL | http://www.acbf-pact.org | | Filesize | 624222 MB | | File Format | PDF | | [ View / download original document ] |
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