Africa
Agricultural water management in Africa
by Felix Reinders, Agricultural Research Council-Institute for Agricultural Engineering, South Africa
The 4th African Regional Conference on Irrigation and Drainage –“ Agricultural Land and Water Management for Sustainability under Climate Variability” – took place recently in Aswan City, Egypt. Felix Reinders was a keynote speaker, presenting a paper:“ Improving agricultural water management in Africa”, speaking just after the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Egypt, Prof Mohamed Abdel Ati. The Conference touched on vital matters, with pundits generally accepting that additional attention to agricultural water management in Africa will pay dividends, as agricultural growth is the key to reducing poverty in Africa and a driver of economic development. The irrigation potential of the African continent is more than 42, 5 million ha and although only 13, 4 million ha is under irrigation, it is by far the most widespread
form of water management.
Felix Reinders delivering the keynote
A total of 250 participants from 31 countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA attended the Conference. The Conference was a platform for irrigation and drainage professionals to share advances in research and education related to agricultural land and water management under climate vulnerability. It was also a place to discuss new opportunities and developments in the integrated management of our scarce fresh water resources. Three sub-topics covered were, namely: Water Use Management; Food Security; and Research, Extension Services and Capacity Development
Apart from the Conference, there was also an opportunity to visit the Aswan High dam, which is the 2nd biggest dam in the world with a capacity of 162 million cubic metres. It receives water from nine African countries and supplies 98 % of Egypt’ s water. The Aswan High Dam is 3,830 metres long, 980 m wide at the base, 40 m wide at the crest and 111 m high. It contains 43 000 000 cubic metres of material. At a maximum, 11 000 cubic metres per second of water can pass through the dam. There are further emergency spillways for an extra 5 000 cubic metres per second. The reservoir, named Lake Nasser, is 550 km long and 35km at its widest, with a surface area of 5 250 square kilometres. It forms the lifeline of secure water in Egypt as Egypt only receives 51mm of rain per annum.
Africa in figures
A study by the FAO( FAO, Aquastat 2005) showed that the total area of Africa is 30 million km 2, or 22 % of the world’ s emerged landmass. The five largest countries( Sudan, Algeria, Democratic Republic of
International gathering … 250 delegates from 31 countries attended the Conference
Congo, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, and Chad in decreasing order) represent 34 % of this territory, while the smallest five countries constitute little more than 3 %. The cultivated area is estimated at 211 million ha, or 27 % of the cultivable land on the continent.
The equator, the two tropics and two large deserts( the Sahara in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Kalahari in the Southern Hemisphere) influence the climate of Africa. Very different climates are in juxtaposition, ranging from very dry to wet equatorial by way of more moderate climate.
Africa’ s population is estimated at 1 216 129 815 inhabitants, representing about 15 % of the world’ s population.
In Africa, only 7 % of arable land is irrigated, with an even lower 4 % in sub-Saharan Africa, compared to 38 % in Asia. The irrigation
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SABI | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2016