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 smallholder farmers as careful consideration and attention to local cultural and environmental conditions is necessary. Moreover, it is important to recognise that Africa is a massively interconnected continent with 93% of its total surface resources being located in transboundary river basins (UNEP, 2010).  Therefore, the future management of food and water supplies massively relies on different African countries working interdependently and collaboratively.

Overall, I believe the case-studies I have presented demonstrate that the future of Africa is bright. Indeed, modern scientific knowledge and indigenous African knowledge can be combined to prevent the oversights and environmental damages caused by conventional agricultural practices, while also resolving the unsustainable use of vital water sources.

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