Strengthening the capacity of irrigation schemes to cope with flood through improved maintenance: a collaborative approach to analySe the case of Chókwè, Mozambique

Ducrot, Raphaëlle; Leite, Maira Fares; Gentil, Celine; Bouarfa, Sami; Rollin, Dominique; Famba, Sebastião

doi:10.1002/ird.2229

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…It is located in the inundation plain of the Limpopo River basin, receiving an average rainfall of 630 mm yr‾¹, and is particularly vulnerable due to the influence of the palaeodelta in the flood dynamics. The scheme is the largest in the country with a total area of 30 000 ha; large commercial farmers occupy 64% of the area, and smallholder farmers make up the rest, usually farming less than 2 ha on average (Ducrot et al ., ). During the 2012/2013 season, only a small fraction (6849 ha) was irrigated for agricultural production due to salinization and poor infrastructure exacerbated by recurrent flooding.…”

Section: Eau4food Case Studiesmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Arranging the long‐term presence of researchers is essential in order to gain an in‐depth understanding of the framework conditions under which innovations can take place. This is reflected in the outcome of the effort of Centre de coopération international en recherche Agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD) to participate in the Mozambique case study (Ducrot et al ., , ).…”

Section: Engaging With An Extended Non‐scientific Peer Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transdisciplinary Innovation in Irrigated Smallholder Agriculture in Africa

Froebrich

Ludi

Bouarfa³

et al. 2020

Irrigation and Drainage

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Boosting the productivity of smallholder farming systems continues to be a major need in Africa. Challenges relating to how to improve irrigation are multi‐factor and multisectoral, and they involve a broad range of actors who must interact to reach decisions collectively. We provide a systematic reflection on findings from the research project EAU4Food, which adopted a transdisciplinary approach to irrigation for food security research in five case studies in Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, South Africa and Tunisia. The EAU4Food experiences emphasize that actual innovation at irrigated smallholder farm level remains limited without sufficient improvement of the enabling environment and taking note of the wider political economy environment. Most project partners felt at the end of the project that the transdisciplinary approach has indeed enriched the research process by providing different and multiple insights from actors outside the academic field. Local capacity to facilitate transdisciplinary research and engagement with practitioners was developed and could support the continuation and scaling up of the approach. Future projects may benefit from a longer time frame to allow for deeper exchange of lessons learned among different stakeholders and a dedicated effort to analyse possible improvements of the enabling environment from the beginning of the research process. © 2020 The Authors. Irrigation and Drainage published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Commission for Irrigation and Drainage

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Section: Eau4food Case Studiesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Engaging With An Extended Non‐scientific Peer Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Transdisciplinary Innovation in Irrigated Smallholder Agriculture in Africa

Froebrich

Ludi

Bouarfa³

et al. 2020

Irrigation and Drainage

Self Cite

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“…To restore its resources and hence its capacity for action, HICEP had also to negotiate with the state. In a context of growing urbanization, the maintenance of infrastructure is not only an issue of productivity but also of public safety and hygiene, as highlighted by the role of the drainage system in a recent flood event (Ducrot et al, 2018). The role of maintenance provider was consolidated in these negotiations.…”

Section: Going Beyond Managerial Improvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upscaling Maintenance Operations in a Large‐scale Irrigation Scheme to Solve Drainage Issues: Going Beyond a Managerial Perspective

Ducrot

Otake

Riera

et al. 2018

Irrigation and Drainage

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In large-scale irrigation schemes built in flood plains the state of the drainage systems not only affects the performance of irrigation but also the quality of life of the population. However, maintenance of the drainage infrastructure is often neglected. This paper draws from two transdisciplinary interventions dealing with the maintenance of drainage infrastructure in the Chokwe Irrigation Scheme in Mozambique: one tested an experimental intervention that called on farmers and experts to solve local drainage issues. The other used a participatory mapping, modelling and simulation approach to discuss the barriers to upscaling different solutions at scheme levels. Managerial issues such as a good communication between actors, a good match between tasks and resources, and the scheduling of maintenance activities were important, but the most difficult challenge was addressing the underlying economic, social and political drivers that affected the relationships between actors and consequently their willingness to cooperate. Thus, the development of perennial solutions calls for (re)internalization of the social and political dimensions in scheme management and to rethink the issue of equity not as a moral injunction but as a condition for irrigation success. RÉSUMÉDans les systèmes d'irrigation à grande échelle construits dans les plaines inondables, l'état des systèmes de drainage affecte non seulement la performance de l'irrigation mais aussi la qualité de vie de la population. Pourtant, l'entretien de l'infrastructure de drainage est souvent négligé. Cet article s'inspire de deux interventions transdisciplinaires portant sur la maintenance des infrastructures de drainage dans le système d'irrigation de Chókwè au Mozambique: l'une a testé une intervention expérimentale qui a demandé aux agriculteurs et aux experts de résoudre les problèmes de drainage locaux. L'autre a utilisé une approche participative de cartographie, de modélisation et de simulation pour discuter des obstacles à la mise à l'échelle des différentes solutions au niveau des systèmes. Les questions managériales telles que la bonne communication entre les acteurs, le bon équilibre entre les tâches et les ressources et l'ordonnancement des activités de maintenance étaient importantes, mais le défi le plus difficile demeurait de s'attaquer aux moteurs économiques, sociaux et politiques sous-jacents qui affectaient les relations entre les acteurs et par voie de conséquence leur volonté de coopérer. Ainsi, le développement de solutions pérennes appelle à la (ré) intériorisation des dimensions sociales et politiques dans la gestion du système et à repenser la question de l'équité non comme une injonction morale mais comme une condition du succès de l'irrigation.

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“…A majority of articles describe the participatory process that allowed for the implementation of the transdisciplinary approach (Dicko et al, ; Dolinska et al, ; Ducrot et al, ; Hanafi et al, ; Sánchez‐Reparaz et al, ). The article of Dicko et al .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ducrot et al . () provide relevant insights into how current institutional settings in the Chókwè irrigation area (Mozambique) affected post‐flood damage recovery, as well as how the flood initiated a renewed focus on maintenance, and improved communication between key stakeholders. Hanafi et al .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%