Presentation made to the Panel discussion on ‘Optimizing water infrastructure for smallholder farmers’ All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Agriculture & Food for Development October 11, 2016 by Julie Van der Bliek. Existing research suggests that investments in small-scale water management technologies generate positive productivity and economic impacts, including increased net farm incomes, improved land and labor productivity, and important indirect bene ts. Farmers directly bene t when they grow more staple and high-value crops. More reliable access to water, and growing domestic, regional and international markets, also give farmers the con dence to invest in productivity-enhancing fertilizers, agricultural management strategies and agrochemical inputs. In addition, investments in water management and irrigation can reduce poverty indirectly by increasing non-agricultural rural and urban employment, and serve as a bu er for farmers from climate variability risks, becoming an essential part of adapting to climate change while supporting food and nutritional security.

1. Unlocking the Potential of Smallholder
Agricultural Water Management

3. Irrigation Options
Public Irrigation River Diversion Small Reservoirs
Motorized Pumps Rainwater Harvesting

5. Sources:
Altchenko, Y.; Villholth, K.G. 2015. Mapping irrigation potential from renewable groundwater in Africa – a quantitative hydrological
approach. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 19(2): 1055-1067.
Villholth, K.G.; Altchenko, Y.; 2016. Is groundwater the key to increasing food security in Sub Saharan Africa?
http://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/blog/2016/04/23/is-groundwater-the-key-to-increasing-food-security-in-sub-saharan-africa/

6. Giordano, M.; de Fraiture, C.; Weight, E.; van der Bliek, J. (Eds.) 2012. Water for wealth and food security: Supporting farmer-driven
investments in agricultural water management. Synthesis report of the AgWater Solutions Project. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water
Management Institute (IWMI). 50p.

7. Groundwater Irrigation: Actual and Potential
(a) Actual area irrigated with groundwater in 2005 expressed in ha. per cell adapted from
Siebert et al. (2010) and (b) groundwater irrigation potential for the year 2000 expressed as
the percentage of the area irrigated with groundwater in 2005
Source: Altchenko, Y.; Villholth, K.G. 2015. Mapping irrigation potential from renewable groundwater in Africa – a
quantitative hydrologicalapproach. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 19(2): 1055-1067.

8. Solar pumps in India and Africa

10. www.wle.cgiar.org