Assessing the feasibility and potential impacts of smallholder AWM interventions

in SSA and SA

Partners: IWMI, IFPRI, SEI, FAO, IDE, CH2M Hill

Agricultural Water Management (AWM)

Landscape Analysis

The opportunity

• 40-80 billion US$

• Smallholder agricultural water management is a promising investment option to improve the livelihoods and food security of the rural poor

The challenge• Despite documented success stories adoption

rates remain low. Adoption at large scale in a sustainable manner, and targeting poor (particularly women) remains a challenge.

• Irrigation investments mixed success rate, particularly in SSA

• Where to invest, how?

Project Goal

To stimulate and support successful pro-poor, gender-equitable AWM investment, policy and implementation strategies through concrete,

evidence-based knowledge and decision-making tools.

Three Key Outputs

1. Criteria, methodology and tools for selecting

AWM interventions (technologies & approaches);

2. M&E Framework for evaluating economic, social

and environmental impacts of AWM

interventions;

3. National agricultural water management

investments guides that offer AWM intervention

guidance for donors, policy-makers and

implementers

Ethiopia, Ghana, Burkina, Zambia, Tanzania ;

2 states in India (MP, WB).

Project Impact Pathway

15-20 years

5-10 years

5 years

Project

Completion

Vision of Success: Livelihoods of 65 million poor women and men farmers in SSA and SA are significantly improved

Target: Beneficiaries multiplied through broader uptake and financing of project recommendations

Target: Livelihoods of 1 million smallholder farmers enhanced in project’s priority locations

Outcome: Measurable changes in AWM investment, policy and implementation strategies by the project’s boundary partners

Outcome: Clear guidance from the project facilitates successful AWM policy, investment, and implementation strategies in the project’s priority locations

Output: Results synthesized, packaged and communicated to policy makers, investors and implementers

Output: Cohesive set of AWM knowledge products and decision-making tools

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Learning from existing

information

Learning from field experiences

/scenario development

Outscaling and strategizing

Synthesizing, disseminating and reaching out

Activity Schematic

Activity 1: inventory

1.1 Inventory of technologies and approaches on farm and community scale

1.2 Inventory of lesson learnt on watershed level impacts

1.3 Synthesis of literature and existing information

Outputs

• Inventory database

• Documentation of lessons learnt

• Report cards per technology

Activity 2: Constraint and opportunity analysis

2.1 Development of methodology for Rapid Participatory Opportunity and Constraint Analysis

2.2 Identification of field sites

2.3 Opportunity & constraint analysis at farm level: at least 20 sites

2.4 Opportunity & constraints analysis at community level: at least 30 sites

•analyze the technological, biophysical, social and institutional landscape in which AWM technologies operate

•understand the opportunities, constraints and impacts of their use

Activity 2: Opportunity and Constraint analysis

2.5 Impacts at watershed level, 3 comprehensive watershed studies, nested approach

2.6 Adoption scenarios and environmental impacts at watershed level

2.7 SynthesisOutputs• Opportunity & constraints assessment tools /

methodology at farm, community & watershed scale• Application of methodology at >20 farm sites, >30

small reservoirs, >3 watershed sites • Intervention briefs by technology & intervention

approach

Activity 3: Scaling up, evaluating potential

3.1 Data Harmonization

3.2 Mapping biophysical & socio-economic opportunities & constraints

3.3 Mapping gender, Irrigation & crop control

3.4 Assessment of geographic suitability domains

3.5 Assessment of AWM potential and their impact

Activity 3: Scaling up, evaluating potential

3.6 AWM Impact – cost model

Outputs

• Data accessible through searchable web-portal

• GIS based suitability domains

• Maps & tables of potential impacts under different adoption scenarios

• AWM investment cost-benefit analysis tool

Activity 4: AWM Strategic support

4.1 Distillation of the key messages

4.2 Project workshops (inception, midterm & synthesis)

4.3 Web-based data dissemination

4.4 Country policy dialogues

4.5 Dissemination to NGO’s and other implementing agencies

Activity 4: AWM Strategic support

4.6 Project Monitoring and Evaluation: internal and external M&E

Outputs

• Criteria for high potential areas, guidelines for AWM interventions, tools to estimate costs and benefits

• Intervention briefs, journal articles, dissemination materials, website, blog

Three Key Outputs

1. Criteria, methodology and tools for selecting

AWM interventions (technologies & approaches);

2. M&E Framework for evaluating economic, social

and environmental impacts of AWM

interventions;

3. National agricultural water management

investments guides that offer AWM intervention

guidance for donors, policy-makers and

implementers