Is irrigation fit for purpose? A review of the relationships between scheme size and performance of irrigation systems

Irrigation is increasingly being called upon to help stabilize and grow food and water security in the face of multiple crises; these crises include climate change, but also recent global food and energy price crises, including the 2007/08 food and energy price crises, and the more recent crises tri...

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Autores principales: McCarthy, Nancy, Ringler, Claudia, Agbonlahor, Mure Uhunamure, Pandya, A. B., Iyob, Biniam, Pérez, Nicostrato D.
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131499
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author McCarthy, Nancy
Ringler, Claudia
Agbonlahor, Mure Uhunamure
Pandya, A. B.
Iyob, Biniam
Pérez, Nicostrato D.
author_browse Agbonlahor, Mure Uhunamure
Iyob, Biniam
McCarthy, Nancy
Pandya, A. B.
Pérez, Nicostrato D.
Ringler, Claudia
author_facet McCarthy, Nancy
Ringler, Claudia
Agbonlahor, Mure Uhunamure
Pandya, A. B.
Iyob, Biniam
Pérez, Nicostrato D.
author_sort McCarthy, Nancy
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Irrigation is increasingly being called upon to help stabilize and grow food and water security in the face of multiple crises; these crises include climate change, but also recent global food and energy price crises, including the 2007/08 food and energy price crises, and the more recent crises triggered by the COVID 19 pandemic and the war on Ukraine. While irrigation development used to focus on public, large-scale, surface- and reservoir-fed systems, over the last several decades, private small-scale investments in groundwater irrigation have grown in importance and are expected to see rapid future growth, particularly in connection with solar-powered pumping systems. But is irrigation ‘fit-for-purpose’ to support population growth, economic development, and multiple food, energy and climate crises? This paper reviews how fit-for-purpose irrigation is with a focus on economies of scale of surface and groundwater systems, and a particular examination of systems in Sub-Saharan Africa where the need for expansion is largest. The review finds challenges for both larger surface and smaller groundwater systems in the face of growing demand for irrigated agriculture and dwindling and less reliable water supplies. To support resilience of the sector, we propose both a holistic design and management improvement agenda for larger surface systems, and a series of suggestions to improve sustainability concerns of groundwater systems
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language Inglés
publishDate 2023
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spelling CGSpace1314992025-12-02T21:03:14Z Is irrigation fit for purpose? A review of the relationships between scheme size and performance of irrigation systems McCarthy, Nancy Ringler, Claudia Agbonlahor, Mure Uhunamure Pandya, A. B. Iyob, Biniam Pérez, Nicostrato D. irrigation agriculture food security water security crises climate change coronavirus coronavirus disease coronavirinae covid-19 ukraine development scaling solar energy economics groundwater Irrigation is increasingly being called upon to help stabilize and grow food and water security in the face of multiple crises; these crises include climate change, but also recent global food and energy price crises, including the 2007/08 food and energy price crises, and the more recent crises triggered by the COVID 19 pandemic and the war on Ukraine. While irrigation development used to focus on public, large-scale, surface- and reservoir-fed systems, over the last several decades, private small-scale investments in groundwater irrigation have grown in importance and are expected to see rapid future growth, particularly in connection with solar-powered pumping systems. But is irrigation ‘fit-for-purpose’ to support population growth, economic development, and multiple food, energy and climate crises? This paper reviews how fit-for-purpose irrigation is with a focus on economies of scale of surface and groundwater systems, and a particular examination of systems in Sub-Saharan Africa where the need for expansion is largest. The review finds challenges for both larger surface and smaller groundwater systems in the face of growing demand for irrigated agriculture and dwindling and less reliable water supplies. To support resilience of the sector, we propose both a holistic design and management improvement agenda for larger surface systems, and a series of suggestions to improve sustainability concerns of groundwater systems 2023-04-10 2023-08-08T09:33:15Z 2023-08-08T09:33:15Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131499 en https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2022.103492 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-resource-101620-081102 https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136517 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute McCarthy, Nancy; Ringler, Claudia; Agbonlahor, Mure Uhunamure; Pandya, A. B.; Iyob, Biniam; and Perez, Nicostrato. 2023. Is irrigation fit for purpose? A review of the relationships between scheme size and performance of irrigation systems. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2178. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136651.
spellingShingle irrigation
agriculture
food security
water security
crises
climate change
coronavirus
coronavirus disease
coronavirinae
covid-19
ukraine
development
scaling
solar energy
economics
groundwater
McCarthy, Nancy
Ringler, Claudia
Agbonlahor, Mure Uhunamure
Pandya, A. B.
Iyob, Biniam
Pérez, Nicostrato D.
Is irrigation fit for purpose? A review of the relationships between scheme size and performance of irrigation systems
title Is irrigation fit for purpose? A review of the relationships between scheme size and performance of irrigation systems
title_full Is irrigation fit for purpose? A review of the relationships between scheme size and performance of irrigation systems
title_fullStr Is irrigation fit for purpose? A review of the relationships between scheme size and performance of irrigation systems
title_full_unstemmed Is irrigation fit for purpose? A review of the relationships between scheme size and performance of irrigation systems
title_short Is irrigation fit for purpose? A review of the relationships between scheme size and performance of irrigation systems
title_sort is irrigation fit for purpose a review of the relationships between scheme size and performance of irrigation systems
topic irrigation
agriculture
food security
water security
crises
climate change
coronavirus
coronavirus disease
coronavirinae
covid-19
ukraine
development
scaling
solar energy
economics
groundwater
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131499
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