Presented by IWMI's Tushaar Shah at the African Green Revolution Forum in Kigali, Rwanda during the FRAMING SESSION – Technical Findings from Recent Research on Farmer-led Irrigation and Its Significance for the Transformation of Agriculture in Africa. September 5, 2018 International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

1. Accelerating Farmer-Led Irrigation (FLI)
Development in Sub-Saharan Africa:
Lessons from Asian Experience
Tushaar Shah
International Water Management Institute
t.shah@cgiar.org

2. TO ACHIEVE 6%/YEAR GROWTH IN AGRICULTURE,
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA MUST ACCELERATE SMALL-
HOLDER IRRIGATION DEVELOPENT..

3. 49.6 51.7
4.2
72.1
56
6.1
98
73.9
8.2
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
1 2 3 4
Growth in Irrigated Area (m ha) 1973-2003
Series1 Series2 Series3
EXPERIENCE OF ASIA AND ELSEWHERE IN FARMER-
LED IRRIGATION (FLI) CAN OFFER USEFUL LESSONS.
ASIA
ACCELERATED
FARMER-LED
IRRIGATION
WITH MOTOR
PUMPS AND LAY-
FLAT PIPES.

4. IN SOUTH ASIA, FLI ADDED MORE IRRIGATION IN
PAST 50 YEARS THAN GOVERNMENT INVESTMENTS
ADDED IN 200 YEARS.

5. IN SOUTH ASIA, FLI ADDED MORE IRRIGATION IN
PAST 50 YEARS THAN GOVERNMENT INVESTMENTS
ADDED IN 200 YEARS.
Figure 1 Spread of Diesel and Electric
Tubewells in South Asia (circa 2010)

6. FARMER LED IRRIGATION
• FARMER: OWNER, ARCHITET, BUILDER, MANAGER
• SMALL (1-15 HA) FOR INDIVIDUALS OR SMALL GROUPS
• COSTS A FRACTION OF DAM & CANAL IRRIGATION
• IS COMMISSIONED IN A WEEK
• USES MOTOR PUMPS, LAY-FLAT PIPES, GROUND OR
SURFACE WATER
• ON-DEMAND IRRIGATION, YEAR ROUND
• INTENSIFICATION AND DIVERSIFICATION OF SMALL-
HOLDER FARMING
• MADE FAMINES HISTORY IN ASIA
• TURNED SOUTH ASIA FROM ENDEMIC FOOD-
IMPORTER TO FOOD EXPORTER IN TWO DECADES.

7. IRRIGATED AREA MAP OF ASIA & SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA:

8. IMPACT IN SSA OF ASIA-STYLE MOTOR-PUMP BASED FLI:
2012 IWMI SURVEY IN 9 SSA COUNTRIES
Rainfed
(399)
Gravityflow
(366)
Manuallift
(413)
Motorpump
(362)
Level ofyear-round
on-farmwatercontrol
Low
seasonal
Moderate
seasonal
High
seasonal
Highperennial
Farmerinvestmentin
irrigation
nil nil US$49
(15-155)
US$1016
(350-2650)
#ofcropstakenperyear 1-2 1-2 3-5 3-9
Kindofcrops Subsisten
cegrains
Subsistence
grains
Vegetables
formarket
Vegetablesfor
market
Inputintensification(cash
US$/acre
59 72 84 178
Valueofoutput/acre(US$) 405 414 398 1413
Valueadded/family
worker(US$)
319 325 307 1092
%whofeltsecuretenure 62 45 67 65
ETHIOPIA
KENYA
TANZANIA
MALAWI
NIGER
NIGERIA
MALI
BURKINA FASO
GHANA

9. 50 YEARS AGO, ASIAN AGRICULTURE ALSO SUFFERED MISSING MARKETS FOR
INPUTS AND OUTPUTS, LAND TENURE, INSTITUTIONAL CREDIT ISSUES.
SUBSI-
STENCE
MARKET
LIVELIHOOD
& INCOME
FARM
INPUT
MARKETS
CREDIT
TENURE
INFRASTR
-UCTURE
OUTPUT
MARKETS
FLI AS
LEADING
INPUT
LIVELIHOODS &
INCOME
MARKET
PRODUCTS
AS A ‘LEADING INPUT’,
FLI BOOM EASED THESE CONSTRAINTS BY GROWING THE
MARKETABLE SURPLUS OF SMALLHOLDERS.

10. SSA HAS MORE RENEWABLE SHALLOW
GROUNDWATER THAN ASIA..
AND ITS IRRIGATION DEMAND IS SMALLER..
WATER SCARCE
NORTH AFRICA
HAS MORE FLI
THAN WATER
ABUNDANT SSA

11. EXCESSIVE PRECAUTION TOWARDS MOTOR-PUMP
IRRIGATION IN SSA IS MISFOUNDED..
SUB
SAHARAN
AFRICA
SOUTH
ASIA
CULTIVATED AREA AS %
OF CELL AREA
5-7% 30-70%
RENEWABLE
GROUNDWATER/NET
SOWN AREA
80,000
m3/HA
3100
m3/HA

12. FLI IS THE LOWEST HANGING FRUIT
THAT ASIA PICKED AND SSA IGNORED
ASIA
GROUNDWATER FOR PRO-POOR
IRRIGATION
PROACTIVE PROMOTION OF FLI BY
GOVERNMENTS
INCENTIVES TO SCALE FLI DREW IN
MARKET PLAYERS
INTERNATIONAL FI’S ACTIVELY
FUNDED FLID
ECONOMIES OF SCALE & SCOPE
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
GROUNDWATER A FRAGILE
RESOURCE TO BE PROTECTED
GOVERNMENTS LFFT FLID TO NGOS
AND SMALLHOLDERS
MARKET PLAYERS LUKEWARM TO
FLI
INTERNATIONAL FI’S INACTIVE IN
FLID
ABSENCE OF FLI ECO-SYSTEM

13. ACCELERATING FLI DEVELOPMENT IN SSA
• SHED EXCESSIVE PRECAUTION.
• PROACTIVE PROMOTION OF FLI BY GOVERNMENTS &
DONORS.
• GOVT. ROLE CRITICAL IN PILOTING TECHNOLOGIES AND
INSTITUTIONAL MODELS
• INCENTIVES/SUBSIDIES NEEDED TO CREATE ECONOMIES
OF SCALE & SCOPE.
• INTENSE COMPEITION AMONG PUMP DEALERS AND
BOREWELL DRILLERS IS CRITICAL.
• RESOURCE MONITORING FROM THE START.

14. SSA should leapfrog from bucket and treadle
pump to solar irrigation pump (SIP)

15. SOLAR IRRIGATION PUMPS (SIP) CAN CREATE
JOBS FOR YOUTH AND GROW FLI
• SIPS ENTAIL HIGH CAPITAL INVESTMENT BUT ZERO
OPERATIONAL COST; 1500-1700 HOURS OF ANNUAL OPERATION
MUST FOR VIABILITY
• MINIATURE SIPS HAVE NEGLIGIBLE IMPACT; 5-6 KWP SIPS CAN
CATALYSE IRRIGATION SERVICE MARKETS
• USE SIPS TO CREATE JOBS AND GROW FLI; PROMOTE YOUNG
MEN/WOMEN AS SOLAR-IRRIGATION SERVICE PROVIDERS (S-ISP)
• A SOLAR IRRIGATION SERVICE PROVIDER WITH 5 KWP SIP AND
1500 FEET OF LAY-FLAT PIPE CAN IRRIGATE 15-20 HA;
• PILOT GRID-CONNECTED SIPS WITH OPTION TO SELL OFF-SEASON
POWER TO GRID
• NEEDED: HIGH VOLUME-LOW MARGIN SUPPLY CHAIN FOR SIPS

16. THANK YOU