Water and food security in Africa face challenges due to climate change impacts, increasing population and demand for water, and inefficient water usage. While Africa has abundant water resources, they are poorly distributed and high losses occur. Agriculture is mostly rain-fed and irrigation reaches only a small percentage of cultivated land. The continent suffers extensive water scarcity. Innovations in water infrastructure development, appropriate technologies, partnerships, and improved policies are needed to enhance sustainable water use and food security in Africa.
3. Climate Change: GHG and warming
Climate Change will impact negatively on water availability and food production
0.8° 2.0° 4.0°
4. Africa is Endowed with Abundant Water Resources
• Africa has about 4,000 cu km of
freshwater.
• There are 17 rivers with catchments areas
>100 000 km2
• There are 160 lakes >27 km2,
• Mean annual rainfall 670 mm/yr
• Highly variable rainfall ranging <100 mm
in deserts to over 2,000 mm in rainforests
& highlands
• Huge hydropower potential of about
1,750 TWh (12% of the global capacity)
• Vast ground water resources
• The continent is surrounded by three
oceans (vast marine water)
5. • About 65% of Africa’s land area
comprises drylands (annual rainfall
100-800 mm)
• Rainfall is erratic, droughts, floods
& high runoff losses
• High evaporation losses (up to x 10
annual rainfall)
• Poorly distributed water resources
(rivers, lakes)
• High runoff losses (over 50% of
rainfall is lost)
• Renewable water resources
constitute only about 20% of total
rainfall.
But Africa Suffers from Extensive Water Scarcity
6. Ground Water Resources in Africa remain largely untaped
Source: WHYMAP (2008) Groundwater resources of the world.
8. INCREASING WATER DEMAND
• Africa’s average population growth rate between 2005 and 2010
was 2.3%, the highest in the world (UNFPA 2009).
• The growth in water demand is not matched by a corresponding
development of water resources
• Africa has the world’s lowest per capita water withdrawal at about
170 m3, due not only to poor water resource availability but also
underdeveloped water infrastructure and inefficient water
management.
• Less than 25% of Africa’s average annual river runoff is being
utilized for human developmental activities (Couet and Maurer 2009)
• Total annual withdrawals for the three major water-use sectors of
agriculture, municipalities and industries is only 5.5% of internal
renewable resources.
• Agriculture is mostly rain-fed and less than 10% of the continent’s
cultivated land of 185 million ha or 6% of the total land area is
irrigated.
9. Africa has a Multiplicity of Needs for Water Dev /Use
Water Infrastructure
Development:
It’s the turn for
Africa now!
11. Main agricultural & land
use systems in Africa
Land degradtion susceptibility in
Africa
Agriculture and Land Degradation go together
Source: UNEP 2006
12. The Africa Water Vision for 2025
Envisions:
“An Africa where there is
an equitable and
sustainable use and
management of water
resources for poverty
alleviation, socio-
economic development,
regional cooperation, and
the environment”
Source: UN/Water Africa 2004
13. Stop Turning Urban Stormwater = Wastewater
Storm-water runoff should be recycled,
not thrown into the sewer system
15. Efficient water use in irrigation
Sprinkler irrigation to replace surface irrigationSmallholder furrow irrigation Malawi – but for high value crops, lined canals
Micro-sprinkler irrigation in Ghana – All photos by B. Mati Greenhouse farming in smallholder farm in Kenya
17. Innovations like Fog Harvesting for drinking water
Prof. Imbuga handing over of fog
harvesting Equipment at Ilmasin
Primary School, Ngong, in Kenya
19. Issues to tackle
in addressing
Sustainable
Water Use
Declining
water
availability/
increasing
demand
Inefficient
technologies
and practices
Policy
enforcement
disconnect
Declining
arable land
area and soil
health
How to bring
to scale inputs
of science in
SWU
Capacity of
SWU sector
across the
value chain
SWU should
not get lost in
the “missing
middle”
Smallholder
agriculture in
transition
Climate
change, floods
and droughts
20. Making Use of Partnerships
Typologies of Partnerships
• Official partnerships set up by a
number of organisations.
• More bottom-up partnerships
initiated by non-profit
organisations or groups.
• Short-term alliances created
around a particular project or
programme.
• Informal partnerships to support
ongoing delivery of services and
aims.
• Other forms of collaboration to
share information and offer
mutual support that may be
better seen as networks
Research Partners – for
synergies, economies of scale
and cross-learning.
Financing and investment
partners - to leverage finances
through collaborative activities,
e.g. PPP, matching funds
Implementation Partners- at
national, region & international
levels e.g. Govts, NGOs
Policy partners – to facilitate
policies, legal & institutional
support
21. Water Dev issues of focus (as identified by AMCOW)
– Closing the gap in attaining the MDGs and ‘unserved’ communities
– Integrating water as key to poverty reduction and socio-economic
development
– Expanding Africa’s water infrastructure assets to achieve this.
– Fostering transboundary cooperation
– Mobilising the financial resources needed to build the infrastructure
– Build and strengthen institutional and technical capacity and skills;
the water data base, information knowledge and monitoring
capacity
– Fostering partnership with stakeholders for full participation
– Closing the implementation gap between Africa’s agenda and the
policies of Development Partners
– Tackling the climate change challenges and building resilient
adaptation systems
The Targets for Africa are aimed at: