What is the irrigation potential for Africa? A combined biophysical and socioeconomic approach

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dc.creatorYou, Liangzhi
dc.creatorRingler, Claudia
dc.creatorNelson, Gerald C.
dc.creatorWood-Sichra, Ulrike
dc.creatorRobertson, Richard D.
dc.creatorWood, Stanley
dc.creatorGuo, Zhe
dc.creatorZhu, Tingju
dc.creatorSun, Yan
dc.date2010
dc.date2024-10-01T13:55:03Z
dc.date2024-10-01T13:55:03Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T15:18:11Z
dc.descriptionAlthough irrigation in Africa has the potential to boost agricultural productivities by at least 50 percent, food production on the continent is almost entirely rainfed. The area equipped for irrigation, currently slightly more than 13 million hectares, makes up just 6 percent of the total cultivated area. Eighty-five percent of Africa's poor live in rural areas and mostly depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. As a result, agricultural development is key to ending poverty on the continent. Many development organizations have recently proposed to significantly increase investments in irrigation in the region. However, the potential for irrigation investments in Africa is highly dependent upon geographic, hydrologic, agronomic, and economic factors that need to be taken into account when assessing the long-term viability and sustainability of planned projects. This paper analyzes large, dam-based and small-scale irrigation investment needs in Africa based on agronomic, hydrologic, and economic factors. This type of analysis can guide country- and local-level assessment of irrigation potential, which will be important to agricultural and economic development in Africa.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/152638
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/100497
dc.languageen
dc.publisherInternational Food Policy Research Institute
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceYou, Liangzhi; Ringler, Claudia; Nelson, Gerald C.; Wood-Sichra, Ulrike; Robertson, Richard D.; Wood, Stanley; Guo, Zhe; Zhu, Tingju; Sun, Yan. 2010. What is the irrigation potential for Africa? A combined biophysical and socioeconomic approach. IFPRI Discussion Paper 993. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152638
dc.subjectreturn on investment
dc.subjectinvestment
dc.subjectirrigation
dc.titleWhat is the irrigation potential for Africa? A combined biophysical and socioeconomic approach
dc.typeWorking Paper

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Instituto Internacional de Investigación sobre Políticas Alimentarias (IFPRI)