Groundwater irrigation for smallholders in Sub-Saharan Africa – a synthesis of current knowledge to guide sustainable outcomes

Groundwater irrigation for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa is growing in extent and importance. This growth is primarily driven spontaneously by the farmers themselves, spurred by improved access to low-cost technologies for pumps and drilling services as well as market opportunities for p...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Villholth, Karen G.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Informa UK Limited 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40323
Description
Summary:Groundwater irrigation for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa is growing in extent and importance. This growth is primarily driven spontaneously by the farmers themselves, spurred by improved access to low-cost technologies for pumps and drilling services as well as market opportunities for produce. This paper presents a review of the current status and knowledge of the prospects and constraints for sustainable and pro-poor groundwater irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Further unlocking the potential of groundwater irrigation for smallholders will require better integrated approaches, simultaneously addressing groundwater-access constraints as well as enabling factors.