Abstract
The objective of this paper was to examine farmer-directed technology adaptation of selected water harvesting technologies (WHTs) in order to enhance their potential contribution to food security and livelihood improvement in sub-Saharan Africa. The selected WHTs included micro- and meso-scale reservoirs that store water in the soil (in situ) or in a reservoir, respectively: household ponds in Ethiopia, ndiva systems in Tanzania and combinations of mechanized zaï, grass strips and bunds in Burkina Faso. The impact of non-adapted WHTs was below expectation. Although WHTs improved yields, most families were unable to meet their (nutritional) food needs every year and experienced limited or no long-term effects on sustainable livelihood. The lining of household ponds and conveyance canals with durable materials gave promising results, yet needs economic consideration; a minimum investment may form a barrier particularly to resource-poor farmers. Incorporation of the location-specific nature of farming and livelihoods into WHT interventions is recommended, along with incentive measures to support farmers including the provision of access to credits and inputs for agricultural production.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdela H (2014) Evaluating the Performance of Water Holding Capacity of Rainwater Harvesting Ponds: The Case of Alaba Special Woreda, Southern Ethiopia. Unpublished MSc thesis. Arba Minch University.
Awulachew S B, Merrey D, Kamara A, Koppen B V, de Vries F P, Boelee E, Makombe G (eds) (2005) Experiences and Opportunities for Promoting Small-scale/micro-irrigation and Rainwater Harvesting for Food Security in Ethiopia. International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Working Paper 98, Colombo.
Barry B, Olaleye A O, Zougmore R, Fatondji D (2008) Rainwater harvesting technologies in the Sahelian zone of West Africa and the potential for outscaling. International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Working Paper 126, Colombo.
Bouma J, Hegde S E, Lasage R (2016) Assessing the returns to water harvesting: A meta-analysis. Agric Water Manag 163:100–109.
Boyd C, Turton C (2000) The contribution of soil and water conservation to sustainable livelihoods in semi-arid areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural Research and Extension Network (AgREN), Paper No. 102. ODI (Overseas Development Institute). Aailable at: http://www.odi.org.uk/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/5124.pdf, accessed on 24-10-2016.
Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture—CA (2007) Water for Food, Water for Life: a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture. Earthscan, London and International Water Management Institute, Colombo.
Critchley W, Gowing J (2012) Water Harvesting in Sub-Saharan Africa. London: Earthscan.
Food and Agriculture Organisation for the United Nations (2002) Crops and drops: making the best use of water for agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organisation for the United Nations, Rome.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations—FAO (2003) A perspective on water control in southern Africa: Support to regional investment initiatives. Land and Water Discussion Paper 1, Rome.
Gowing J (2015) WHaTeR deliverable 6.4: Synthesis report on technology improvement. Proceedings of the WHaTeR Synthesis Workshop, 5–8th May 2015, World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), Nairobi.
Gowing J W, Mahoo H F, Mzirai O B, Hatibu N (1999) Review of rainwater harvesting Techniques and evidence for their use in semi-arid Tanzania. Tanzania J Agric Sci 2(2):171–180.
Hatibu N, Kajiru G J, Senkondo E M (2000) Technical integration of RWH into development plans: think globally, plan locally. In: Hatibu N, Mahoo H F (eds), Rainwater Harvesting for Natural Resources Management: A planning guide for Tanzania, Chapter 4, Technical Handbook no. 22, RELMA/SIDA, Nairobi.
Kaboré D, Reij C (2004) The emergence and spreading of an improved traditional soil and water conservation practice in Burkina Faso. EPTD Discussion paper No. 114, IFPRI, Washington D C Institut. Available at https://www.ifpri.org/publication/emergence-and-spreading-improved-traditional-soil-and-water-conservation-practice, accessed 20-10-2016.
Kahimba F C, Mbilinyi B P, Mahoo H F, Tumbo S D, Rwehumbiza F B, Mutabazi K D, Richard F (2015) From promises to practice: Innovations in water harvesting technologies for improved livelihood and food security in semi-arid areas of Tanzania. Proceed 16th WaterNet/WARFSA Symposium, Mauritius.
Lasage R, Verburg P H (2015) Evaluation of small scale water harvesting techniques for semi-arid environments. J Arid Environ 118:48–57.
Lemma G (2005) The role of household ponds on the expansion of homegardens in Tigray, Ethiopia. M.Sc. Thesis, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia.
Mahoo H, Kahimba F, Mutabazi K, Tumbo S, Rwehumbiza F, Reuben P, Mbilinyi B and Gowing J (2012) Tanzania: Bright spots and barriers to adoption. In: Critchley W and Gowing J (eds) Water Harvesting in Sub-Saharan Africa, Earthscan, London.
Makurira H, Mul M L, Vyagusa N F, Uhlenbrook S, and Savenije H H G (2007) Evaluation of community-driven smallholder irrigation in dryland South Pare Mountains, Tanzania: a case study of Manoo micro dam. Phys Chem of the Earth 32: 1090–1097.
Mekdaschi Studer R, Liniger H (2013) Water Harvesting: Guidelines to Good Practice. Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), Bern; Rainwater Harvesting Implementation Network (RAIN), Amsterdam; MetaMeta, Wageningen; The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Rome.
Moges G, Hengsdijk H, and Jansen H C (2011) Review and quantitative assessment of ex situ household rainwater harvesting systems in Ethiopia. Agric Water Manag 98:1215–1227.
Morris J, Barron J (2014) Agricultural Water Management Technology Expansion and Impact on Crop Yields in Northern Burkina Faso (1980–2010): A Review. Research for Development Series 10, CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food, Colombo.
Mul M L, Savenije H H G, Uhlenbrook S, Voogt M P (2006) Hydrological assessment of Makanya catchment in South Pare Mountains, semiarid northern Tanzania. In: Demuth S. et al (eds), Climate Variability and Change—Hydrological Impacts, IAHS Publ. 308, Proceedings of the Fifth FRIEND World Conference, Havana.
Mul M L, Kemerink J S, Vyagusa N F, Mshana M G, van der Zaag P, Makurira H (2011) Water allocation practices among smallholder farmers in the South Pare Mountains, Tanzania: The issue of scale. Agr Water Manage 98(11):1752–1760.
Rämi H (2003) Ponds filled with challenges. In: Water Harvesting—Experiences in Amhara and Tigray, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Addis Ababa.
Rockström J (2000) Water resources management in smallholder farms in eastern and Southern Africa: an overview. Phys Chem Earth (B) 25(3):275–283.
Rockström J, Falkenmark M (2015) Agriculture: Increase water harvesting in Africa. Nature 519: 283–285.
Sally H (2010) Strategies of Water for Food and Environmental Security in Drought-prone Tropical and Subtropical Agro-ecosystems, Tanzania and South Africa. SIDA review 2010:7, SIDA, Stockholm.
Segers K, Dessein J, Nyssen J, Haile M, Deckers J (2008) Developers and farmers intertwining interventions: the case of rainwater harvesting and food-for-work in Degua Temben, Tigray, Ethiopia. Int J Agr Sustain 6(3):173–182.
Senkondo E M M, Lazaro E A, Kajiru G J (1999) Adoption of Rainwater Harvesting Technologies by Farmers in Tanzania with Reference to the Western Pare Lowlands. Tanzania J Agric Sci 2(2):205–218.
Seyoum M (2003) Overview of the Ethiopian Rainwater Harvesting Association (ERHA) In: McCornick P G, Kamara A B, Girma Tadesse (eds), Integrated water and land management research and capacity building priorities for Ethiopia, Proceedings of MoWR/EARO/IWMI/ILRI workshop at ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2–4 December 2002, International Water Management Institute, Colombo and ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), Nairobi.
Shewangizaw D, Michael Y (2010) Assessing the Effect of Land Use Change on the Hydraulic Regime of Lake Awassa. Nile Basin Water Sci Eng J 3(2):110–118.
SWMRG (2001a) Assessment Analysis of RWH Demand and Efficacy: Annex A—Extent and Performance of RWH. Final Technical Report to DFID. Sokoine University of Agriculture, Soil-water Management Research Programme, November 2001, Sokoine.
SWMRG (2001b) Assessment Analysis of RWH Demand and Efficacy: Annex C—Economic Analysis of RWH Systems Final Technical Report to DFID. Sokoine University of Agriculture, Soil-water Management Research Programme, November 2001, Sokoine.
Tesfay G (2011) On-farm water harvesting for rainfed agriculture development and food security in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Drylands Coordination Group Report No. 61 (07), DCG, Oslo. Available at http://www.drylands-group.org, accessed on 25 June 2015.
Winterbottom R, Reij C, Garrity D, Glover J, Hellums D, McGahuey M, Scherr S (2013) Improving land and water management, Working Paper, Installment 4 of Creating a Sustainable Food Future. World Resources Institute, Washington DC. Available at http://www.worldresourcesreport.org, accessed on 24-10-2016.
WOCAT (World Overview of Conservaton Approaches and Technologies) (2012) WOCAT Database: Technologies. Available at http://cdewocat.unibe.ch/wocatQT/index.php, accessed on 10-4-2016.
World Bank (2007) Agriculture for development. World Development Report 2008, World Bank, Washington.
Zombré N P (2003) Les sols très dégradés (Zipella) du Centre Nord du Burkina Faso: dynamique, caractéristiques morpho-bio-pédologiques et impacts de techniques de restauration. Thèse de doctorat, Université de Ouagadougou, Ouagadougou.
Zougmore R, Ouattara K, Mando A, Ouattara B (2004) Rôle des nutriments dans le succès des techniques de conservation des eaux et des sols (cordons pierreux, bandes enherbées, zaï et demi-lunes) au Burkina Faso. Sécheresse 15(1):41–48
Acknowledgements
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement number 266360 (WHaTeR).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Snelder, D. et al. (2018). Adaptations in Water Harvesting Technologies for Enhancing Food Security and Livelihood: A Multi-country Study in Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Leal Filho, W., de Trincheria Gomez, J. (eds) Rainwater-Smart Agriculture in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66239-8_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66239-8_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-66238-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-66239-8
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)