Sustainable groundwater development for improved livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa
No hay miniatura disponible
Fecha
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
Routledge
Resumen
Descripción
This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the benefits and challenges of intensifying groundwater irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for improving smallholder agrarian livelihoods. Only about 3% of the groundwater resources of Sub-Saharan Africa are used for irrigated agriculture despite the subcontinent’s relative abundance of groundwater. The majority of the region’s smallholders are highly dependent on seasonal dryland cropping, making them extremely vulnerable to uncertain weather patterns and droughts. Improved irrigation capabilities through sustainable groundwater development could unleash smallholder farming and make it a major driver of economic growth, poverty reduction, climate resilience, and improved food security. So, why is groundwater so underused? Tapping into groundwater requires a major shift in farming practices and it has its own challenges and requirements – smallholder access to land and finance for irrigation infrastructure and equipment, gendered and equitable adoption options. This whole list is framed in terms of what the smallholder farmers need. Hence, this should also be put in this context, supply chains, energy access, resource availability, and institutional support.
The chapters in this book present a picture that is not only heterogeneous across the region, but also hold some common denominators. They serve to enrich the discourse and help better understand the barriers along the pathways toward the sustainable and transformative adoption of groundwater irrigation. The scientific information provided herein would be of interest to researchers, practitioners, decision makers and planners with interest in the region. This book was originally published as a Special Issue of Water International journal.
Palabras clave
groundwater irrigation, groundwater potential, sustainability, livelihoods, water resources, water management, smallholders, farmers, small-scale irrigation, irrigated farming, rainfed farming, pumps, wells, boreholes, water availability, water balance, water use, groundwater recharge, aquifers, prediction, water table, groundwater extraction, water quality, hydrogeology, technology adoption, energy, institutions, water policies, water governance, gender, women, households, socioeconomic aspects, poverty, income, food security, land tenure, markets, investment, supply chains, cost benefit analysis, credit, financing, subsidies, evapotranspiration, river basins, dry season, livestock