Failure and Success Factors of Irrigation System Developments: A Case Study From the Ouémé and Zou Valleys in Benin

Abstract

In the period 1960–1980, Chinese and Taiwanese cooperations developed irrigated rice schemes throughout West Africa with variable success. In Benin for instance, schemes in Zonmon and Bamè (Ouémé Valley) were abandoned upon withdrawal of the project developers and have been sub‐optimally used ever since, while the neighbouring scheme of Koussin‐Lélé (Zou Valley) is still functional (double rice cropping) and well operated and maintained by the farmers. The factors for success and failure were investigated by comparing the two abandoned schemes with the successful one, using field observations and stakeholder surveys. We observed that (i) operation and maintenance costs associated with irrigation were presumably lower in the successful scheme––where irrigation was driven by gravity––compared to the failed ones––where part of the schemes were designed for motor‐pump driven irrigation. Moreover, contrary to the situation in the unsuccessful schemes, farmers in the successful scheme of Koussin‐Lélé benefit from (ii) external technical support, (iii) a favourable land tenure policy, entailing seasonal redistribution of plots favouring active and motivated producers, (iv) reliable access to credit, and (v) an effective farmer organization. These observations underscore the importance of addressing the longer‐term technical and financial needs of the beneficiaries for the successful development of irrigation schemes advancing smallholder farmers in sub‐Saharan Africa. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Water user associations: a review of approaches and alternative management options for Sub-Saharan Africa

“…However, cases where WUAs have not been solely responsible for O&M of irrigation schemes and received long-term technical support demonstrate positive results. For example, a comparative study of three irrigation schemes developed in the 1970s in Benin shows that only the scheme under continuous technical support was still fully operational by 2006 (Djagba et al 2014). In the other two schemes, the irrigation infrastructure was almost completely taken out of use.…”

Predictors of Drought in Inland Valley Landscapes and Enabling Factors for Rice Farmers’ Mitigation Measures in the Sudan-Sahel Zone

“…The measures to reduce drought impact in inland valley rice-based production systems include changes in the growing period to escape dry spells, supplemental irrigation and reduction of unproductive water losses to save more water for productive transpiration [16]. However, gains from the above-mentioned measures have been modest [17], in part because there has been insufficient farmer involvement in the development of the measures [18] and little effort for defining target population of drought-prone inland valleys and support farmers to implement appropriate measures [19]. Furthermore, few studies were conducted on drought occurrence in inland valley rice-based production systems and were based on experts' opinions [1], soil water-holding capacity only [12] and crop modelling with limited ground validation [20].…”

Contributions of lateral flow and groundwater to the spatio-temporal variation of irrigated rice yields and water productivity in a West-African inland valley

“…However, high interannual variability of precipitation as well as the onset of the rainy season poses large uncertainties for rainfed agriculture (Gruber et al, 2009). As such, these inland valleys, which are characterized by coarse to medium textured soils with low water retention potential (Andriesse and Fresco, 1991), remain, to date, largely underutilized and if cultivated, restricted to one crop in the rainy season due to the absence of adequate irrigation systems (Djagba et al, 2014;Saïdou and Kossou, 2009). Irrigated rice production in these valleys remains low and only reaches 2% of its total potential according to Gruber et al (2009).…”

“…Average paddy rice yields range from a low 0.85 t ha −1 (Gambia), a moderate 3.3 t ha −1 (Benin) to 5.3 t ha −1 (Mauritania), resulting in a regional average of 2.6 t ha −1 . Reasons for this low productivity can be attributed to bio-physical and socio-economic constraints found at many levels (Djagba et al, 2014) and include sub-optimal functioning markets for acquiring fertilizers and commercialization of rice products, lack of financial services to make necessary investments for intensification, poor management and maintenance of irrigation infrastructures, insufficient national policies, among others (Saito et al, 2014).…”

“…Therefore, as many of the inland valley rice systems are rainfed, field based water management strategies such as bunds, leveling or drainage systems are frequently absent (Worou et al, 2013). In those regions where irrigation systems are present, poor infrastructure and maintenance lead to sub-optimal water availability and hence low rice production (Djagba et al, 2014;Totin et al, 2012).…”