IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i18p11315-d910820.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Non-Governmental-Organization-Built Small-Scale Irrigation Systems Are a Failure in Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Amadou Keita

    (Laboratory of Hydro-Science, and Agriculture (LEHSA), International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE), Rue de la Science, 01 Ouagadougou 01 BP 594, Burkina Faso)

  • Dial Niang

    (Laboratory of Hydro-Science, and Agriculture (LEHSA), International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE), Rue de la Science, 01 Ouagadougou 01 BP 594, Burkina Faso)

  • Sibri Alphonse Sandwidi

    (National Laboratory of Research in Energetics and Spatial Meteorology (LAREME), Norbert Zongo University (UNZ), Koudougou BP 376, Burkina Faso)

Abstract

Every year, millions of dollars are invested in irrigation development in Sahelian African countries. After shifting from governmental organizations to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the vulnerability of local populations has not changed much over the last 60 years in Africa. In this study, ten 1 ha small-scale irrigation systems—spread over the two driest climatic zones—were investigated in Burkina Faso. The soils and subsoils were characterized using double-ring infiltration measurements and two soil databases. The irrigation systems’ operability was assessed by sampling 10–12 farmers per system. A total of eight pumping tests were performed on a sample of wells. To assess the yield of cultivated onion, 5 to 7 squares were followed up in each of the 10 systems. Results indicated that water availability was ensured nowhere. The 32 wells were dug in clayey subsoils. Six of them yielded available water V e flows ranging from 0.0 to 6.1 m 3 /day, far below the 80 m 3 /(ha·day) required by onion. To solve this issue, the NGOs shifted to a low-pressure drip irrigation solution, but the too-low pressure of 0.1 bar led to clogging. Ultimately, all 10 systems (except Louda) broke down a few months after the project’s end.

Suggested Citation

  • Amadou Keita & Dial Niang & Sibri Alphonse Sandwidi, 2022. "How Non-Governmental-Organization-Built Small-Scale Irrigation Systems Are a Failure in Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-19, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:18:p:11315-:d:910820
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/18/11315/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/18/11315/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Clement Nyamekye & Michael Thiel & Sarah Schönbrodt-Stitt & Benewinde J.-B. Zoungrana & Leonard K. Amekudzi, 2018. "Soil and Water Conservation in Burkina Faso, West Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-24, September.
    2. Hyung Baek Lim & Chulwoo Kim, 2020. "The Failure of a Rural Development Project: South Korean Official Development Assistance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo," Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 10(1), pages 259-269.
    3. Hyung Baek Lim & Chulwoo Kim, 2020. "The failure of a rural development project: South Korean official development assistance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo," Asian Journal of Agriculture and rural Development, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 10(1), pages 259-269, June.
    4. Carvajal, F. & Agüera, F. & Sánchez-Hermosilla, J., 2014. "Water balance in artificial on-farm agricultural water reservoirs for the irrigation of intensive greenhouse crops," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 146-155.
    5. Alassane Diallo, 2019. "Présentation de thèse : changement climatique et migrations humaines au Sénégal : une approche en termes de vulnérabilité du système socio-écologique," Post-Print halshs-02903413, HAL.
    6. de Kreij, C. & van der Burg, A. M. M. & Runia, W. T., 2003. "Drip irrigation emitter clogging in Dutch greenhouses as affected by methane and organic acids," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 73-85, May.
    7. Balint, Peter J., 2006. "Bringing solar home systems to rural El Salvador: lessons for small NGOs," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 721-729, April.
    8. Burney, Jennifer A. & Naylor, Rosamond L., 2012. "Smallholder Irrigation as a Poverty Alleviation Tool in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 110-123.
    9. de Fraiture, Charlotte & Giordano, Meredith, 2014. "Small private irrigation: A thriving but overlooked sector," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 167-174.
    10. Friedlander, Lonia & Tal, Alon & Lazarovitch, Naftali, 2013. "Technical considerations affecting adoption of drip irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 125-132.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Venot, Jean-Philippe, 2016. "A Success of Some Sort: Social Enterprises and Drip Irrigation in the Developing World," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 69-81.
    2. Mwangi, Joseph Kanyua & Crewett, Wibke, 2019. "The impact of irrigation on small-scale African indigenous vegetable growers’ market access in peri-urban Kenya," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 295-305.
    3. Mwangi Joseph Kanyua, 2020. "Effect of Imposed Self-Governance on Irrigation Rules Design among Horticultural Producers in Peri-Urban Kenya," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-16, August.
    4. Balasubramanya, Soumya & Kafle, Kashi, 2021. "Irrigation for reducing food insecurity: the case of Niger," 2021 Annual Meeting, August 1-3, Austin, Texas 313901, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Dessalegn, Mengistu & Merrey, D. J., 2014. "Is ‘Social Cooperation’ for traditional irrigation, while ‘Technology’ is for motor pump irrigation?," IWMI Reports 201004, International Water Management Institute.
    6. Aarnoudse, E. & Closas, Alvar & Lefore, Nicole, 2018. "Water user associations: a review of approaches and alternative management options for Sub-Saharan Africa," IWMI Working Papers H048782, International Water Management Institute.
    7. Elizabeth Bryan & Elisabeth Garner, 2022. "Understanding the pathways to women’s empowerment in Northern Ghana and the relationship with small-scale irrigation," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(3), pages 905-920, September.
    8. Tesfaye, Meneyahel Z. & Balana, Bedru B. & Bizimana, Jean-Claude, 2021. "Assessment of smallholder farmers’ demand for and adoption constraints to small-scale irrigation technologies: Evidence from Ethiopia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
    9. Garb, Yaakov & Friedlander, Lonia, 2014. "From transfer to translation: Using systemic understandings of technology to understand drip irrigation uptake," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 13-24.
    10. Mwaura, Francis M. & Muwanika, Fred R., 2018. "Providing irrigation water as a public utility to enhance agricultural productivity in Uganda," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 99-109.
    11. Bekoe, Joseph & Balana, Bedru B. & Nimoh, Fred, 2021. "Social cost-benefit analysis of investment in rehabilitation of multipurpose small reservoirs in northern Ghana using an ecosystem services-based approach," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    12. Domènech, Laia, 2015. "Is reliable water access the solution to undernutrition? A review of the potential of irrigation to solve nutrition and gender gaps in Africa South of the Sahara:," IFPRI discussion papers 1428, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    13. Morey Burnham & Zhao Ma & Delan Zhu, 2015. "The human dimensions of water saving irrigation: lessons learned from Chinese smallholder farmers," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 32(2), pages 347-360, June.
    14. Higgins, Daniel & Arslan, Aslihan & Winters, Paul, 2021. "What role can small-scale irrigation play in promoting inclusive rural transformation? Evidence from smallholder rice farmers in the Philippines," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    15. Nelson Mango & Clifton Makate & Lulseged Tamene & Powell Mponela & Gift Ndengu, 2018. "Adoption of Small-Scale Irrigation Farming as a Climate-Smart Agriculture Practice and Its Influence on Household Income in the Chinyanja Triangle, Southern Africa," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-19, April.
    16. George Kyriakarakos & Athanasios T. Balafoutis & Dionysis Bochtis, 2020. "Proposing a Paradigm Shift in Rural Electrification Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa through Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-19, April.
    17. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Bazilian, Morgan & Griffiths, Steve & Kim, Jinsoo & Foley, Aoife & Rooney, David, 2021. "Decarbonizing the food and beverages industry: A critical and systematic review of developments, sociotechnical systems and policy options," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    18. Maren Radeny & Elizaphan J. O. Rao & Maurice Juma Ogada & John W. Recha & Dawit Solomon, 2022. "Impacts of climate-smart crop varieties and livestock breeds on the food security of smallholder farmers in Kenya," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(6), pages 1511-1535, December.
    19. Merrey, D. J. & Lefore, Nicole, 2018. "Improving the availability and effectiveness of rural and “Micro” finance for small-scale irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review of lessons learned," IWMI Working Papers H049027, International Water Management Institute.
    20. Imran Sajid & Bernhard Tischbein & Christian Borgemeister & Martina Flörke, 2022. "Assessing Barriers in Adaptation of Water Management Innovations under Rotational Canal Water Distribution System," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-16, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:18:p:11315-:d:910820. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.