CORAF/WECARD funded project:

 

Combining Water Harvesting Techniques and Nutrient Management to Sustain Food Production in the Dry Lands of West Africa

Project Coordinator: Ramadjita Tabo, ICRISAT, Niamey, Niger

Background

In the dry lands of West Africa, traditional soil, water, and nutrient management practices are inadequate for sustainable food production. Although in the past, production increases were met through increased cropped land, land scarcity is currently such that increased production can only be met through identification of higher output per unit land. High inter-annual variability and erratic rainfall distribution in space and time result in water-limiting conditions during the cropping season. In areas with inadequate rainfall or runoff-susceptible land, water conservation and harvesting techniques offer the potential to secure agricultural production and reduce the financial risks associated with the use of purchased fertilizer. The donor community has put in a lot of efforts on the development of water harvesting techniques ( eg, Zai system, stone bounds and ridges) in the drier areas of the West African region. However, results have clearly depicted high yields with combined water harvesting techniques and integrated nutrient management.

Overall objective

The overall objective is to transfer water harvesting and nutrient management technologies in order to increase food production in the dry lands of West Africa.

Specific objectives

• To refine and demonstrate the combined use of water harvesting technologies and integrated nutrient management to enhance food production at selected benchmark sites.
• To enhance adoption of systems that optimize interactions between water and nutrients through farmer participatory approaches
• Build human and institutions' capacity within local communities and their partners (NARS, NGO, extension services, and private sector) to implement support to smallholder agricultural intensification and to ensure continuity after the project ends

Expected Outputs

This project will contribute to increase in agricultural productivity through efficient use of the available soil, water and nutrient resources. This increase in productivity will enhance household food security and reduce over exploitation of fragile ecosystem of the dry lands.

This will be achieved through the following outputs:

• Water and nutrient interaction technologies adapted to farmers' socio-economic conditions and policy environments refined and demonstrated
• Adoption of technological packages on the interaction of water and nutrients enhanced
• Enhancement of capacity of stakeholders for the adoption of water harvesting and soil fertility management technologies

Partners

• AfNet/TSBF-CIAT
• Centre d'Etude Régional pour l'Amélioration de l'Adaptation à la Sécheresse (CERAAS/ISRA), Sénégal 
• Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA); Ouagadougou/Burkina Faso;
• Institut National de Recherches Agronomiques du Niger (INRAN); Niamey/Niger;
• Institut d'Economie Rurale (IER), Mali
• Groupement Nabonswendé de Tougouri / Burkina Faso;
• Entente des Groupements Associés de Toubacouta (EGAT) / Senegal
• Caritas-Kaolack/Senegal;
• Projet Intrants/Niger