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