• better yields from irrigated crops
grown.
Water Sewage & Effluent May/June 2019
15
• a reduction in the seasonal
variability in productivity; and
Ethiopia’s growth has been propelled by at least two factors:
the prioritisation of agriculture as a key contributor to
development and the fast-paced adoption of new technologies
to boost the sector.
www.waterafrica.co.za
These include:
• more efficient use of fertilisers;
The report identifies a number of
common factors in countries where
significant progress has been made to
expand irrigation, including key policy
and institutional innovations.
In the case of Ethiopia, one of the
main reasons for its success is that
agriculture and irrigation have been
featured on the Ethiopian policy agenda
since 1991. In addition, specialised
institutions have been set up with clear
commitment to maximising the benefits
of water control and irrigation systems.
In addition, the government has
invested in the sector and plans to
continue doing so. It aims to allocate
USD15-billion to irrigation development
by 2020 and the investment is expected
to deliver a number of returns.
Reasons for success
innovations
Montpellier
Panel.
The
panel
convenes experts in agriculture,
ecology, nutrition and food security
to guide policy choices by African
governments. The aim is to help
the continent accelerate progress
towards food security and improved
nutrition.
The panel’s latest report analyses
progress – and highlights best practice
– of irrigation in six countries: Ethiopia,
Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Niger and South
Africa. Other African countries can
draw lessons from the report’s insights.
T
here are no signs that Ethiopia’s
ambitions for further economic
growth are fading, indeed it is a
force to be reckoned with. This
is clear from the government’s blueprint
to achieve middle-income status–
or gross national income of at least
USD1006 per capita–by 2025. This
will see a rapid increase in per capita
income in Ethiopia, which is currently at
USD783, according to the World Bank.
Ethiopia’s growth has been propelled
by at least two factors: the prioritisation
of agriculture as a key contributor
to development and the fast-paced
adoption of new technologies to boost
the sector.
A third of Ethiopia’s GDP is generated
through agriculture with more than
12 million households relying on small-
scale farming for their livelihoods.
One of the drivers of growth in the
agricultural sector is the expansion
of irrigation; the country has seen
the fastest growth in irrigation of
any African country. Its area under
irrigation increased by almost 52%
between 2002 and 2014. This was
achieved by investing in the sector and
by harnessing technology to expand
irrigation to farmers who traditionally
relied on rainfall to water their crops.
This boosted productivity and income
for farmers by helping them extend
the growing season and become more
consistent in their production.
Meanwhile, only 6% of arable land
is currently irrigated across the whole
of Africa. This means that there’s huge
potential to expand irrigation and
unlock economic growth.
These factors are highlighted
by a new report from the Malabo