FU Berlin
Nile Basin Livestock Water Productivity
Reclaiming Depleted Nile Water for Life and Livelihoods
D. Peden1, S. Awulachew3, M. Alemayehu2, T. Amede1&3, H. Faki4, A. Haileslassie1, J. Gitau1, M. Herrero1, D. Mpairwe5, P. van Breugel1
1 International Livestock Research Institute; 2 Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia; 3 International Water Management Institute;
4Agricultural Economics and Policy Research Center, ARC, Sudan; 5 Animal Science Department, Makerere University, Uganda
Six Rainfed Livestock Production Systems: 800
Six Major Livestock Production
• Cover about 60% of the area of the Nile River Basin. 600 Systems in the Nile River Basin
(Locations and Description)
• Are home to about 50% of the Nile’s peoples. 400
200 Arid Arid
• Receive about 85% of the Nile’s rainfall of about 2 trillion m3/year. Livestock Mixed crop
0 dominated Humid livestock Humid
• Lose about 75% of basin rainfall as evapotranspiration. Area (1000 km2) systems systems
Temperate Temperate
• Support almost 90% of the Nile’s Tropical Livestock units (TLU)
(One TLU = 250 kg live animal weight).
40
• Use about 60 billion m3 of water to produce forages, pasture and crop 30
residues for animal feed.
20
• Currently expose people to widespread and needless poverty, hunger 10 Egypt
and land and water degradation.
0
Human population (millions)
Opportunity to increase access to and benefits
from rainwater for people and nature:
30
• Billions of cubic meters of water are potentially available for increased Sudan
20
agricultural production and ecosystem services by converting
excessive evaporation (E) to transpiration (T) and increasing water 10
productivity. 0
• Vegetative rehabilitation of the six livestock production systems is key. Cattle, Sheep and Goat TLU (millions)
• Increasing water productivity requires better access to livelihood Ethiopia
assets, improved crop and livestock husbandry and health, access to
30 Total = 59 billion m3
markets, value added production, and land and water conservation.
DR Congo
• Capacity building, institutional development, multi-stakeholder 20
Uganda
participation are essential. 10 Kenya
Rwanda
0 Burundi
Case example Water use for feed by cattle,
sheep and goats (billion m3/year) Tanzania
• Challenge Program on Water and Food research in Ethiopia, Sudan and
Uganda confirms that higher environmentally sustainable levels of crop
and animal production are possible without increasing water depletion. 600 Total = 1,680 billion m3 600
Total = 1,272 billion m3
• Project research indicates that proactive integration of planning,
400 400
investment and management of livestock and water development
increases investment returns. 200 200
• Makerere University’s Animal Science Department provides an example
0 0
of the effect of converting evaporation to transpiration (Photos 1-4).
Estimated annual rainfall (billion m3) Estimated actual annual ET (billion m3)
BEFORE: Degraded system & Lower transpiration AFTER: Rehabilitated system & higher transpiration
Photos 1 & 2: A degraded livestock production system in Uganda’s Cattle Corridor. Photos 3 & 4: Rehabilitated production system. Night corralling of livestock deposits
Overgrazing and excessive charcoal production led to vegetation loss and to high run-off, manure on previously degraded soils. Termites seem to shift their diets from pasture grass
soil erosion, and evaporation. Siltation and reduced water quality in valley tanks, a water to manure enabling reestablishment of vegetative cover. Increased upslope ground cover
harvesting practice, followed. Livestock water productivity dropped to almost nil. Termites and riparian vegetation filter sediments and pathogens resulting in reduced siltation and
consumed any pasture vegetation that started to grow. Degraded pasture constrains higher quality water in valley tanks. Increased transpiration drives greater plant growth
animal production and compromises provision of ecosystem services. enabling more crop and animal production that is environmentally sustainable.
Results in this poster are based on CPWF research. For details, refer to publications now or
soon available from the International Livestock Research Institute (www.ilri.org)e-mail address
For more information contact: or the
CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (www.waterandfood.org). d.molden@cgiar.org
This poster was
prepared for the Tenth Anniversary of the Nile Basin Initiative, 6-8 November 2009, Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania. For more information contact Don Peden (d.peden@cgiar.org).
Ethiopian Institute
of Agricultural Agricultural Economics and © 2009 ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute)
Makerere University Research Policy Research Center
(ARC, Sudan)