Prospects for Improving Irrigated Agriculture in Southern Africa: Linking Water, Energy and Food

Abstract

Increasing agricultural productivity has always been a prominent feature on the regional agenda due to a high incidence of food and nutrition insecurity. This review assessed the current status of irrigated agriculture in southern Africa from a water–energy–food (WEF) nexus perspective. Gaps and opportunities for improving irrigated agriculture within the context of the WEF nexus were also assessed in terms of the feasible limits to which they can be exploited. Southern Africa faces water scarcity, and climate projections show that member states will face increased physical and/or economic water scarcity by as early as 2025, which will have negative impacts on water, energy and food production. Recurrent droughts experienced across the region reaffirm the sensitive issues of food and energy insecurity as well as water scarcity. Projections of an increasing population within the region indicate increased water, energy and food demand. With agriculture already accounting for about 70% of water withdrawals, increasing the area under irrigation will place additional demand on already strained energy grids and scarce water resources. This poses the question—is increasing irrigated agriculture a solution to improving water access, food security and energy supply? While there are prospects for increasing the area under irrigation and subsequent improvement in agricultural productivity, adopting a WEF nexus approach in doing so would mitigate trade-offs and unintended consequences. Consideration of the WEF nexus in integrated resources planning and management eliminates the possibilities of transferring problems from one sector to other, as it manages synergies and trade-offs. While it is acknowledged that improving water productivity in irrigated agriculture could reduce water and energy use while increasing yield output, there is a need to decide how such savings would then be reallocated. Any intervention to increase the irrigated area should be done in the context of a WEF nexus analytical framework to guide policy and decision-making. Technical planning should evolve around the WEF nexus approach in setting targets, as WEF nexus indicators would reveal the performance and impact of proposed interventions on any of the three WEF nexus components.

Grains Production Prospects and Long Run Food Security in Egypt

“…These findings emphasize the sustainable use of water and land resources as a policy option to mitigate the impact of water scarcity and partially compensate for potential future water reductions. Increasing water-use efficiency through investing in irrigation infrastructure and improving water resources management practices could raise agricultural productivity, limit the degradation of land fertility, and provide more water for expanding the cultivated area, leading eventually to increased food production and enhanced food security [22,40,[42][43][44]. Moreover, much support and attention should be paid to small farmers that are often seen as the driving force of agricultural development, and food security in many areas of the country.…”

The Water–Energy–Food Nexus as a Tool to Transform Rural Livelihoods and Well-Being in Southern Africa

“…Presently, almost 240 million people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (or one person in every four) do not have access to nutritious food that guarantees a healthy and active life [20,21]. Rising food prices, and the recurrence of extreme weather events like floods and droughts, are pushing more people into poverty and hunger, compromising human health and well-being [22].…”

Do agricultural innovation platforms and soil moisture and nutrient monitoring tools improve the production and livelihood of smallholder irrigators in Mozambique?

“…In the past, the focus has been on more efficient irrigation infrastructure, to increase crop yield and improve the productivity of small-scale irrigation (Mabhaudhi et al, 2018). But it has been argued that this does not always result in more profitable farming and better food security, as other factors, such as lack of market integration and transportation, prevent the translation of higher yields into higher profits (Beddow et al, 2015;Bjornlund et al, 2017).…”