Posts

Final Thoughts

 First and foremost, I would like to start off by thanking everyone who has kept up with my series of blogs on water and development in Africa! Before this, I had never written a blog and I have found this assignment truly enjoyable. Although at first I thought this topic was way too broad to study, the more research I did, the easier it became as it allowed me delve into a variety of interesting topics. I have learnt that Africa is an immensely diverse continent with a variety of social, cultural, economic and geographical conditions, meaning that each farmer encounters its own set of challenges. Therefore, approaches and solutions to agriculture and water management are not ever ‘one size fits all’. In my blogs, I have highlighted a range of solutions from GMOs to irrigation. Although they are viable solutions, they are not the only existing solutions, neither are they suitable to every farmer in Africa. Thus, it is imperative for these solutions to not be imposed or enforced on s
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GM: Drought-tolerant Maize

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 In one of my previous blogs, I mentioned the increasing occurrence of drought seasons in many regions of Africa and the massive impact it is having on food security. In this blog post, I aim to discuss a possible solution to counteract these drastic climatic changes with a specific focus on Genetically Modified (GM) crops using drought-tolerant Maize as a key example. What is the threat? Globally, the agricultural industry is the largest consumer of freshwater, taking approximately 70% of it, a proportion which is expected to rise with future demands. Therefore, it is necessary for the agricultural sector to start adopting and prioritising water conservation policies and practices ( Boretti and Rosa, 2019 ). This necessity is being intensified by the growing threat of climate change. Indeed, Africa is expected to be of one of the continents most affected by these changes as droughts and floods are becoming increasingly frequent and widespread, impacting people and agriculture acr
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Africa's Green Revolution

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 Throughout my research on water and development in Africa, the term “Green Revolution” has appeared across numerous academic papers that I have read. Therefore, in this week’s blog I aim to explore this idea and its significance in ensuring future food security in all African states. Figure 1: Alliance for a green revolution The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) was established in 2006 and formed through a partnership between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. Both foundations core belief is “investing in agriculture is the surest path to reducing poverty and hunger in Africa” . AGRA is quite unique compared to other organisations as it is independent and led by Africans based in Africa. This is because the foundation believes that African professionals and scholars know the best as only Africans truly hold the experience and knowledge to enlighten Africa’s agriculture. Moreover, ensuring Africans lead this revolution provides people
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Farmer-led smallholder irrigation in Africa

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In my previous blog post, I uncovered the topic of irrigation and showed the massive, unlocked potential it has in Africa. One type of irrigation that is gaining rapid recognition and being adopted in Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, is farmer-led irrigation. Nearly a decade of research in sub-Saharan Africa suggests that farmer-led irrigation has positive effects on income, poverty alleviation, employment and enhanced nutrition ( Giordano and De Fraiture, 2014 ). This type of irrigation places small-scale farmers at the forefront of agricultural development.  Farmer-led irrigation is known as "a process where farmers assume a driving role in improving their water use for agriculture by bringing about changes in knowledge production, technology use, investment patterns and market linkages, and the governance of land and water" ( Woodhouse et al. 2017 ). Ongoing research in Mozambique, has revealed that farmer-led irrigation is very flexible and adjustable to different s
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Africa & Irrigation

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 In my previous blog, I mentioned and explored ways in which water scarcity can be tackled. This week’s blog is tightly linked to that as agriculture is the most water-intensive industry and the biggest industry in Africa, home to 60% of the world's arable land . I found the above quote from Obama very interesting as there is obviously not one solution to this, but without a doubt, colonial legacies and lack of investments have partly influenced Africa’s ability to achieve self-sufficiency. Irrigation strategies have been deemed by many scholars to be the solution for Africa to escape inefficient crop plantations and hunger. Irrigation is the controlled application of water for agricultural purposes through manmade systems to supply water and meet the requirements not satisfied by rainfall. However, irrigation methods are not all the same, so I believe it is important to highlight and provide an overview of the different irrigation practices that exist.   Overview of irrigation pr
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One approach to Water Scarcity: Legedadi Phase II Water Project

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In my previous blog post, I mentioned how exposed Ethiopia is to climate change, as Ethiopia is recording consecutive seasons of below-average rainfall, making many regions susceptible to crop failures, livestock loss and food and water insecurity.  In this blog post, I aim to disclose how the Ethiopian government is approaching and tackling their domestic water crisis. Legedadi Phase II Water Project The latest approach to tackling water insecurity in Ethiopia is the Legedadi Phase II Water Project, launched in April 2019. One aspect of the project consists in drilling 20 boreholes that would give the combined output capacity of 86,000 m 3  of clean water a day to Addis Ababa . Likewise, it will integrate 15 concrete reservoirs with a water holding capacity of 2000 - 10,000 m 3  of water .  According to Nigusse Desalegn, spokesman for the Addis Ababa Water and Sewage Authority, this project will play a significant role in tackling water scarcity. Despite, Ethiopia being the sou
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Water & Climate Change

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  Water Availability The hydrological system is arguably the most important system on Earth as it controls all life. In many African countries, water is primarily used for agricultural activities such as cropland irrigation and livestock maintenance. You may ask: why is this relevant? Well, many African countries have highly variable and scarce water supplies, which directly impacts their food production and livelihoods. According to Taylor ( 2004 ), delivering on the core issue of water availability can increase self-sufficiency and mitigate food scarcity levels. One main reason many African countries have highly variable and scarce water supplies is largely owed to Africa's position across equatorial and subtropical latitudes. Its positionality along the Intertropical Convergence Zone makes it highly susceptible to irregular or low annual rainfall.    Nevertheless, if adequate adaptive capacities are implemented such as effective irrigation systems these areas will suffer less
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