A ‘blue revolution’ for African agriculture

Water plays a critical role in increasing agricultural production. Agricultural performance drives poverty trends in Africa and goes a long way in achieving food security. Making the most effective use of water is a major policy challenge for the whole continent.

With variable rainfall, andrecurring droughts and floods, vast areas of Africa suffer from acute waterstress. Fourteen countries are defined as ‘water scarce’ and eleven morecountries are expected to face water stress by 2025. Regional inequalities andpolitical issues concerning access to and control over water further complicatewater management, particularly for agricultural needs.

Research from the Institute ofDevelopment Studies, UK, examines the links between water, food security and poverty inAfrica, focusing on technologicalinnovation and the policy environment in water management. The 2005 Report forthe Commission for Africa focuses on increased spending on irrigation infrastructureand doubling the area under irrigation. However, the report does not provide acomplete picture of water management problems in Africa. The emphasis onexpanding infrastructure overlooks the social and institutional challenges ofwater management and ignores the potential of dryland agriculture. 

The research shows that:

• Large-scale infrastructure projects to increase water supply,such as dams, may go some way towards increasing agricultural productionand food security, but tend to have significant social and environmentalconsequences.
• Integrated water management, which emphasises decentralisationand the ‘user pays’ principle, can be problematic, particularly if it doesnot properly address different perceptions of resource ownership that inturn reflect wider political struggles.
• Water pricing to encourage efficiency disadvantages poor peopleand does not resolve current water scarcities.
• The legal and administrative frameworks for ownership, access,control and use of water tend to favour elite groups, who often haveracially defined interests.

Appropriate water management can enhancefood security and agricultural productivity. However, the Commission forAfrica’s emphasis on investments for irrigation infrastructure tends tooverlook other issues of equal importance. The transformation of watermanagement in Africa - the ‘blue revolution’ - cannot be restricted to simplyexpanding irrigation or promoting integrated water management. Africa issocially and politically diverse, and policy responses should be specific toeach region to reflect this, using technology that is locally appropriate andaffordable.

To address water shortages in Africa, theresearch suggests that policymakers should:

• Focus on enhancing thereliability and efficiency of water supplies, relying more on rain-fedagriculture supplemented by irrigation and improved cropping techniques
• Recognise and realise theproductivity potential of Africa’s floodplains for fish and livestock grazing. 
• Make use of local knowledge andexperience of water management.
• Improve plant growth underwater stress conditions through improved agricultural practices, such asmulching, and new plant breeding techniques, such as using conventional ormolecular techniques to increase drought resistance.
• Ensure that all people haveaccess to water, through policies such as South Africa’s Free Basic WaterPolicy.
• Support farmers in using newtechnologies, in achieving access to credit and markets and interpreting newpolicies.