Rainwater-Smart Agriculture in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas: Fostering the Use of Rainwater for Food Security, Poverty Alleviation, Landscape Restoration and Climate Resilience

385 Pages·2018·13.892 MB·English

by  Walter Leal Filho,Josep de Trincheria Gomez (eds.)

Walter Leal Filho
Josep de Trincheria Gomez Editors
Rainwater-Smart
Agriculture in
Arid and Semi-
Arid Areas
Fostering the Use of Rainwater for Food
Security, Poverty Alleviation, Landscape
Restoration and Climate Resilience
Rainwater-Smart Agriculture in Arid
and Semi-Arid Areas
Walter Leal Filho Josep de Trincheria Gomez
(cid:129)
Editors
Rainwater-Smart Agriculture
in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas
Fostering the Use of Rainwater for Food
Security, Poverty Alleviation, Landscape
Restoration and Climate Resilience
123
Editors
Walter LealFilho Josep deTrincheria Gomez
Faculty of LifeSciences Faculty of LifeSciences
Hamburg University of AppliedSciences Hamburg University of AppliedSciences
Hamburg Hamburg
Germany Germany
ISBN978-3-319-66238-1 ISBN978-3-319-66239-8 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66239-8
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017958556
©SpringerInternationalPublishingAG2018
Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpart
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
orinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilar
methodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publicationdoesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfrom
therelevantprotectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authorsortheeditorsgiveawarranty,expressorimplied,withrespecttothematerialcontainedhereinor
for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to
jurisdictionalclaimsinpublishedmapsandinstitutionalaffiliations.
Printedonacid-freepaper
ThisSpringerimprintispublishedbySpringerNature
TheregisteredcompanyisSpringerInternationalPublishingAG
Theregisteredcompanyaddressis:Gewerbestrasse11,6330Cham,Switzerland
Contents
Preface: Rainwater-Smart Agriculture in Arid and Semi-arid Areas. . . 1
Walter Leal Filho and Josep de Trincheria Gomez
Part I General Approaches and Methods
Using Rainwater for Off-Season Small-Scale Irrigation in Arid and
Semi-aridAreasofSub-SaharanAfrica:Key Working Principles and
Best Practices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Josep de Trincheria Gomez, Desalegn Dawit, Sebastiao Famba,
Walter Leal Filho, Maimbo Malesu, Paula Viola Mussera, Stephen Ngigi,
Celma Niquice, Rumbidzai Nyawasha, Alex Oduor, Nicholas Oguge,
Francis Oremo, Belay Simane and Menas Wuta
Fostering Food Security and Climate Resilience Through Integrated
Landscape Restoration Practices and Rainwater Harvesting/
Management in Arid and Semi-arid Areas of Ethiopia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Kifle Woldearegay, Lulseged Tamene, Kindu Mekonnen, Fred Kizito
and Deborah Bossio
Towards Optimizing the Performance and Cost-Effectiveness
of Farm Pond Technology for Small-Scale Irrigation
in Semi-arid Farming Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Stephen N. Ngigi
The Promise of Flood-Based Farming Systems in Arid
and Semi-arid Areas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Matthijs Kool, Frank van Steenbergen, Abraham Mehari Haile,
Yasir Mohamed Abbas and Eyasu Hagos
v
vi Contents
Adaptations in Water Harvesting Technologies for Enhancing
Food Security and Livelihood: A Multi-country
Study in Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
D. Snelder, F. Kahimba, O. Korodjouma, A. Abebe, E. Oughton,
L. Bunclark and R. Lasage
Roads: Instruments for Rainwater Harvesting, Food Security
and Climate Resilience in Arid and Semi-arid Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Frank van Steenbergen, Kifle Woldearegay, Marta Agujetas Perez,
Kebede Manjur and Mohammed Abdullah Al-Abyadh
Part II Case Studies and Field Experiences
Fostering the Use of Rainwater for Off-Season Small-Scale
Irrigation in Arid and Semi-arid Areas of Ethiopia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Belay Simane, Taffa Tulu, Amare Lantideru and Desalegn Dawit
Fostering the Use of Rainwater for Off-Season Small-Scale
Irrigation in Arid and Semi-arid Areas of Kenya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Nicholas Oguge and Francis Oremo
Rainwater Harvesting Options to Support Off-Season Small-Scale
Irrigation in Arid and Semi-arid Areas of Zimbabwe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Menas Wuta, George Nyamadzawo, Blessing Nyamasoka,
Rumbidzai Nyawasha, Grace Matayaya, Raymond Nazare,
Simon Madyiwa and Jonathan Tsoka
Improving the Efficiency of Runoff Pond System for Supplementary
Irrigation in Arid and Semi-arid Areas of Kenya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Alex Raymonds Oduor and Maimbo Malesu Mabanga
Low-Tech Irrigation Strategies for Smallholder Vegetable
Farmers in Kenya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Silke Stöber, Caroline Moraza, Lucas Zahl and Esther Kagai
Rainwater Harvesting Irrigation—A Strategic Measure
for Integrated Rural Development in the Dry Mountainous
Areas of Gansu Province, China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Qiang Zhu and John Gould
Benefits and Challenges of Dugout Rainwater Harvesting
Ponds in Tigray Region, Ethiopia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Gebremedhin Berhane
Innovative Rainwater Harvesting Technologies for Pastoralists
in Arid and Semi-arid Areas: A Case Study
in Oromiya Region, Ethiopia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Alemayehu Haddis
Contents vii
The ‘Majaluba’ Rice Production System: A Rainwater Harvesting
‘Bright Spot’ in Tanzania. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
John Gowing, Lisa Bunclark, Henry Mahoo and Frederick Kahimba
Fostering the Adoption of In Situ Rainwater Harvesting
for Food Security in Rwenzori Region, Uganda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
James W. Kisekka, Nasser Kinaalwa, Evelyne Busingye
and Maarten Onneweer
Management of Rainwater Resources for Rehabilitation of Degraded
Lands in Arid and Semi-arid Region of Southern Pakistan . . . . . . . . . . 343
Sahibzada Irfanullah Khan
Rainwater Management to Restore Ecosystems and Foster Food
Production: A Case Study in the Semiarid Region
of Minas Gerais in Brazil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
Norma Angélica Hernández-Bernal
Lessons Learned in the Replication and Scaling-up of Rainwater
Harvesting Technologies in Arid and Semi-arid Areas:
A Case Study of Kilifi County, Kenya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
CharlesKipkorirSongok,PaulKimeu,JamesKamunge,RaphaelNgumbi,
Lotome Chammah, Christine Adiema and Christine Omondi
Preface: Rainwater-Smart Agriculture
in Arid and Semi-arid Areas
Walter Leal Filho and Josep de Trincheria Gomez
Food insecurity has negative economic impacts, exacerbates poverty and poses
todayaproblemtohundredsofmillionsintheAfricancontinent,especiallyinrural
communitiesofaridandsemi-aridregions(UN2015).Bymid-century,ninebillion
people will require an increase in food production as per today. Inevitably, com-
petitionforenergy,landandwaterwillrisewithgrowingfooddemand(Park2016).
Much of this production will be derived from rural production systems, placing
thesesystemsattheheartofthesustainabledevelopmentagenda(Nicoletal.2015).
However,rainfallvariabilityandinsufficientcapacitytomanagethatvariabilitylies
behind much of the prevailing poverty and food insecurity in arid and semi-arid
areasofsub-SaharanAfrica(IWMI2015)rathertocumulativeannualandseasonal
rainfall (Nicol et al. 2015; Rockström and Falkenmark 2015). Such irregular pat-
ternsresultinhighriskofdroughtandintra-seasonaldryspells,whichinturnlead
to unpredictable and depressed crop yields, perennial food shortages, rampant
poverty levels and disruptive conflicts over use and access to existing water sup-
plies (Ngigi 2003). Today, half a billion people in the world face severe water
scarcity all year round, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (Park 2016).
The soil is a non-renewable resource, and functional soils are crucial for food
productionandtheresiliencetodryspellsanddroughtsinaridandsemi-aridareas
(FAO 2015a, b, c). In addition, the soil is the foundation for feed, fibre, fuel and
medicinal products (FAO 2015b, c). Soil moisture is directly related to food
security (FAO 2015b, c), and therefore, improved soil moisture management is
W.LealFilho(&)
FacultyofLifeSciences,HamburgUniversityofAppliedSciences
FacultyofLifeSciences,Hamburg,Germany
e-mail:[email protected]
J.deTrincheriaGomez
FacultyofLifeSciences,HamburgUniversityofAppliedSciences
FacultyofLifeSciences,Bergedorf,Hamburg,Germany
e-mail:[email protected]
©SpringerInternationalPublishingAG2018 1
W.LealFilhoandJ.deTrincheriaGomez(eds.),Rainwater-SmartAgriculture
inAridandSemi-AridAreas,https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66239-8_1
2 W.LealFilhoandJ.deTrincheriaGomez
critical for the development of sustainable agriculture in arid and semi-arid areas
(FAO 2015a, b, c). However, the current rate of soil and land degradation in these
regions severely threatens the capacity to meet the food and livelihood needs of
currentandfuturegenerations(FAO2015b,c).Soilmanagementisanintegralpart
oflandmanagementandfocusesondifferencesinsoiltypesandsoilcharacteristics
todefinespecificinterventionsthatareaimedtoenhancethesoilqualityfortheland
use selected (FAO 2015c).
This situation is currently being aggravated by the ensuing climate change and
variability(Pachaurietal.2014),whichincreaseswaterstress,soildegradationand
food insecurity in arid and semi-arid areas (Nicol et al. 2015). It is widely known
that Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate variability and
change, which is expected to have widespread impacts on African societies and
their interaction with their natural environment (Pachauri et al. 2014). Smallholder
farmers in arid and semi-arid areas of sub-Saharan Africa often experience total
crop failure once every ten years and drastically reduced yields from two to four
times during the same time period (Fischer et al. 2009).
The above-mentioned challenges are directly or indirectly water- and
soil-related,especiallyintermsofcapturingandstoringrainwaterwhenandwhere
it falls, and being able to sustainably preserve and use locally available soil
resources(Nicoletal.2015).Inthisregard,meetingcurrentandfutureglobalfood
needs requires upgrading agriculture by adopting cost-effective strategies for
managing rainwater and soil fertility at a small-scale farmer level (Rockström and
Falkenmark 2015).
Rainfed and off-season irrigated agriculture in arid and semi-arid areas of
sub-Saharan Africa can be significantly upgraded by means of the implementation
of rainwater harvesting and soil management practices (Awulachew et al. 2005;
Mutabazi et al. 2005; Mati 2007; Malesu et al. 2012). Thus, a wide variety of
traditional and modern technologies and practices for collecting, storing and using
rainfallforrainfedandoff-seasonirrigatedagriculture(i.e.crops,livestock,fodder,
tree production, wood, fibre, oil, medicines) have gained worldwide momentum
(Biazinetal.2012).Inaddition,numerousanddiversefarmingapproachespromote
the sustainable management of soils with the goal of improving soil fertility and
agriculturalproductivity,amongothers,landscapemanagement,smartagroforestry,
agroecology, conservation agriculture and zero tillage farming (Ngigi 2003; FAO
2015b, c). These practices, when coupled with rainwater harvesting management
for food security, not only have the potential to eradicate hunger but also to alle-
viate poverty, restore degraded lands and decrease the vulnerability to climate
variabilityandchange(Pachaurietal.2014;FAO2015a;Nicoletal.2015).These
set of technologies range from collecting and storing rainwater (i.e. earth dams,
groundwater dams, on-farm ponds, road, rock and roof catchment systems), con-
serving and maximising soil moisture (e.g. mulching, digging pits, terraces, tren-
ches.), to off-season small-scale rainwater irrigation systems (i.e. linking rainwater
harvesting and small-scale irrigation by means of low-cost water pumping and
water application systems) (De Trincheria et al. 2016).
Preface:Rainwater-SmartAgricultureinAridandSemi-aridAreas 3
Due to the immense transformative potential related to the optimisation and
maximisation of the natural biophysical capacity of arid and semi-arid areas by
meansofthecollection,storageandreuseofrainfallcoupledwithsoilmanagement,
rainwater-smart agriculture places a specific emphasis on the integrated manage-
ment of rainwater and soil resources coupled with, among others, small-scale
off-season irrigation, integrated landscape restoration practices, agroforestry, and
prior- and post-harvest and agronomic management practices. It is precisely the
innovativeandspecificuseoftheserainwaterharvestingtechnologiesandpractices
in an integrated manner in order to foster food security, poverty alleviation and
climate resilience which is defined as rainwater-smart agriculture. As a set of
practical approaches focusing not only on the optimisation of locally available
rainwaterandsoilresourcesinaridandsemi-aridareasbutalsotheirenhancement,
this concept integrates the approaches ofwater- and climate-smart agriculture (e.g.
sustainableintensificationpractices,endogenousdroughttolerantcrops,sustainable
land management, agroforestry, agroadvisory services) (Nicol et al. 2015) but
addresses the specific challenges surrounding rainwater and soil resources in arid
and semi-arid areas.
Rainwater-smart technologies and practices, as a key component of locally
adapted integrated climate-smart agricultural water management strategies espe-
cially suited to arid and semi-arid areas, could contribute increasing global pro-
duction by 41% and close the water-related yield gap by 62% (Jägermeyr et al.
2016; Park 2016). Thus, supplemental and off-season irrigation during dry spells
can trigger important positive production shifts (Oweis et al. 1999; Biazin et al.
2012), and rainwater harvesting and soil moisture conservation techniques can
double smallholder yields in drought-prone regions while at the same time
improving resilience to climate risks (Oweis et al. 1999; Dile et al. 2013). This
would be coupled to a diversification of the income-generation activities which
wouldimprovethelivelihoodpotentialinruralareasandalleviatepoverty.Among
otherpositiveimpacts,thismaynotonlyreduceforcedruralmigrationtoruralareas
but reverse back previous rural migrants. Moreover, this would also offer the
opportunity to buffer potential negative climate change and variability impacts in
arid and semi-arid regions during the next century (Bacha et al. 2011).
Yet, despite the seriousness of the problems posed by water scarcity and the
needforagreatuseofrainwater-smartagricultureinaridandsemi-aridareas,there
is a paucity of publications in this field. Therefore, this book is an attempt to
contribute towards addressing this gap. It contains a set of papers on
rainwater-smart technologies and practices, and serves the purpose of showcasing
experiences from research, field projects and best practices in rainwater-smart
agriculture, which may be useful or implemented in many regions and countries
suffering from water shortages and food insecurity.
Consistentwiththeneedfor more cross-sectoral interactions among thevarious
stakeholders working in the field of rainwater management, this book aims to: