Pathways from irrigation to prosperity, nutrition and resilience: The case of smallholder irrigation in Mali

Irrigation is increasingly promoted in Africa south of the Sahara, but the benefit streams of small-scale irrigation in Mali remain largely unknown. This study collected detailed quantitative data of irrigators and non-irrigators in two regions of Mali: Mopti, which is in the Sahelian zone, and Sika...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nkonya, Ephraim M., Magalhaes, Marilia, Kato, Edward, Diaby, Mahamadou, Kalifa, Traore
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140822
_version_ 1855535745260847104
author Nkonya, Ephraim M.
Magalhaes, Marilia
Kato, Edward
Diaby, Mahamadou
Kalifa, Traore
author_browse Diaby, Mahamadou
Kalifa, Traore
Kato, Edward
Magalhaes, Marilia
Nkonya, Ephraim M.
author_facet Nkonya, Ephraim M.
Magalhaes, Marilia
Kato, Edward
Diaby, Mahamadou
Kalifa, Traore
author_sort Nkonya, Ephraim M.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Irrigation is increasingly promoted in Africa south of the Sahara, but the benefit streams of small-scale irrigation in Mali remain largely unknown. This study collected detailed quantitative data of irrigators and non-irrigators in two regions of Mali: Mopti, which is in the Sahelian zone, and Sikasso, the southernmost region of the country, which receives more rainfall. Econometric results show that the irrigation suitability, female household headship, proximity to markets and market participation increase the propensity to irrigate. The results suggest that small-scale irrigation investments have the potential to benefit women farmers directly. We used Two-Stage Weighted treatment effects multivariate regression to identify the impact of irrigation on selected outcomes. The impact assessment results show that crop income and diversification, market participation, employment, and dietary quality were substantially higher in irrigated farms compared to non-irrigated farms. Likewise, irrigating households had higher food security and higher dietary diversity. The results show that irrigation is a key entry point for combatting climate variability and change. However, the low adoption levels of improved water-lifting technologies are a major challenge. Limited promotion of solar and motorized pumps has contributed to the low adoption of these improved water-lifting technologies. A less profitable option, lifting water with a rope-and-bucket system, remains the most common water-lifting technology in the study areas. We find that investing in effective advisory services that target agricultural water management could increase uptake of more profitable irrigation technologies.
format Artículo preliminar
id CGSpace140822
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2022
publishDateRange 2022
publishDateSort 2022
publisher International Food Policy Research Institute
publisherStr International Food Policy Research Institute
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1408222025-12-02T21:02:41Z Pathways from irrigation to prosperity, nutrition and resilience: The case of smallholder irrigation in Mali Nkonya, Ephraim M. Magalhaes, Marilia Kato, Edward Diaby, Mahamadou Kalifa, Traore extension households living standards smallholders nutrition irrigation resilience Irrigation is increasingly promoted in Africa south of the Sahara, but the benefit streams of small-scale irrigation in Mali remain largely unknown. This study collected detailed quantitative data of irrigators and non-irrigators in two regions of Mali: Mopti, which is in the Sahelian zone, and Sikasso, the southernmost region of the country, which receives more rainfall. Econometric results show that the irrigation suitability, female household headship, proximity to markets and market participation increase the propensity to irrigate. The results suggest that small-scale irrigation investments have the potential to benefit women farmers directly. We used Two-Stage Weighted treatment effects multivariate regression to identify the impact of irrigation on selected outcomes. The impact assessment results show that crop income and diversification, market participation, employment, and dietary quality were substantially higher in irrigated farms compared to non-irrigated farms. Likewise, irrigating households had higher food security and higher dietary diversity. The results show that irrigation is a key entry point for combatting climate variability and change. However, the low adoption levels of improved water-lifting technologies are a major challenge. Limited promotion of solar and motorized pumps has contributed to the low adoption of these improved water-lifting technologies. A less profitable option, lifting water with a rope-and-bucket system, remains the most common water-lifting technology in the study areas. We find that investing in effective advisory services that target agricultural water management could increase uptake of more profitable irrigation technologies. 2022-07-01 2024-04-12T13:36:42Z 2024-04-12T13:36:42Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140822 en https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133713 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Nkonya, Ephraim M.; Magalhaes, Marilia; Kato, Edward; Diaby, Mahamadou; and Kalifa, Traore. 2022. Pathways from irrigation to prosperity, nutrition and resilience: The case of smallholder irrigation in Mali. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2129. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.135962.
spellingShingle extension
households
living standards
smallholders
nutrition
irrigation
resilience
Nkonya, Ephraim M.
Magalhaes, Marilia
Kato, Edward
Diaby, Mahamadou
Kalifa, Traore
Pathways from irrigation to prosperity, nutrition and resilience: The case of smallholder irrigation in Mali
title Pathways from irrigation to prosperity, nutrition and resilience: The case of smallholder irrigation in Mali
title_full Pathways from irrigation to prosperity, nutrition and resilience: The case of smallholder irrigation in Mali
title_fullStr Pathways from irrigation to prosperity, nutrition and resilience: The case of smallholder irrigation in Mali
title_full_unstemmed Pathways from irrigation to prosperity, nutrition and resilience: The case of smallholder irrigation in Mali
title_short Pathways from irrigation to prosperity, nutrition and resilience: The case of smallholder irrigation in Mali
title_sort pathways from irrigation to prosperity nutrition and resilience the case of smallholder irrigation in mali
topic extension
households
living standards
smallholders
nutrition
irrigation
resilience
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140822
work_keys_str_mv AT nkonyaephraimm pathwaysfromirrigationtoprosperitynutritionandresiliencethecaseofsmallholderirrigationinmali
AT magalhaesmarilia pathwaysfromirrigationtoprosperitynutritionandresiliencethecaseofsmallholderirrigationinmali
AT katoedward pathwaysfromirrigationtoprosperitynutritionandresiliencethecaseofsmallholderirrigationinmali
AT diabymahamadou pathwaysfromirrigationtoprosperitynutritionandresiliencethecaseofsmallholderirrigationinmali
AT kalifatraore pathwaysfromirrigationtoprosperitynutritionandresiliencethecaseofsmallholderirrigationinmali