Co-innovations across scales to enhance sustainable intensification, resilience, and food and nutritional security in water-managed agricultural systems in West Africa – WAGRINNOVA

This project offers a methodology that leads to Sustainable Intensification (SI) of smallholders’ water-managed agricultural systems in West Africa (WA). Land and water are multidimensional in their connections and functions. Thus, we propose to work simultaneously at different scales (plot, farm, scheme/regulated water system), alongside local management bodies, and taking into account land and market environments and opportunities for integration of systems (e.g. fodder production for livestock). Additionally, we will follow a consensus frame to allow comparable results.

We will focus on the two most common water-managed agroecologies for smallholders in WA: community-managed irrigation schemes and regulated lowland valleys. The latter has partial control of the water and combines rainfed/flooded rice (wet season) with irrigated vegetables (dry season). Rice is the most common crop in both agro- ecosystems, but other crops will be considered since diversification is crucial for sustainability. We will develop local innovation hubs to lead the participatory activities, one per agroecology and African country (Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ghana): community- managed irrigation schemes (IRRI-SN; IRRI-BF; IRRI-GH) and regulated lowland valleys (LLV-SN; LLV-BF; LLV-GH). Additionally, we will develop a hub in irrigated rice systems in Spain (IRRI-SP) focused on eco-hydrology and environmental indicators for sustainable production.

To ensure results uptake and major impact, a Working Piloting Platform (WPP) will be created with key stakeholders' groups, i.e. from farmers associations on to regional institutions (e.g. CILSS) or international developers promoting irrigated agriculture in the region (e.g. AECID). WPP will supervise the participatory action research (PAR) plan and it will be shaped with the knowledge management system to be set up with CILSS. Furthermore, this proposal has been formulated to be aligned with the recent Strategic Framework for Agriculture Water in the Sahel.

The consortium, integrated by five African institutions (SARI and UDS, in Ghana, ISRA and UGB in Senegal, and INERA in Burkina Faso), five European institutions (IRD and CIRAD in France, WUR in The Netherlands, CIHEAM-Bari in Italy, and CSIC in Spain, the coordinator), and five associate partners (CILSS, AECID and three companies), envisions SI as the springboard that will transform irrigation and lowland communities into resilient, food-secure communities improving their wellbeing through economic growth. The project aspires to change the development paradigm for irrigated and other water-managed agricultures in WA and identify environmental-friendly systems in WA and Spain. The identification of current performance gaps and benchmarks and of a new set of SI solutions will be followed by co-innovation within the project innovation hubs, working simultaneously at different scales (from plot to scheme/improved lowland system). These hubs, where women and youth will be preferred target adopters, will catalyze the change in their respective areas of influence, with a multiplier effect supported by an ICT platform.

Expected results are:
- Operational WPP platform for the implementation of the SI process.
- Tested methodology for determining performance baselines and benchmarks characterizing gender and youth roles.
- On-farm technologies and irrigation scheme/lowland valley organizational models for sustainable and economically viable use of land, water, energy and inputs, identified and disseminated.
- Increased environment-friendly crop productivity and diversification.
- Characterized enabling environment for SI.
- Enhanced capacity of relevant actors (especially women and youth) and networks to support outscaling.

Expected impacts include:
a) Improved wellbeing and more resilient small farmer households and communities by identifying the enabling environment, training and adopting technologies leading to SI, and by women and youth profiting from new opportunities offered by SI, including market- oriented crop diversification and use of ICT tools;
b) Improved sustainable use of agricultural water and soil resources, and increased awareness of environmental issues, by improving organizational models in irrigation schemes and lowland production groups, applying tools to improve crop, nitrogen and water management, capacity building and adopting technologies leading to SI;
c) Enhanced capacity for SI by on-site training, short specialized training and postgraduate education, tested guidelines and tools to support SI, network to support upscaling through an ICT platform and knowledge-based policy recommendations

Hub teams and participating actors (farmers, technicians, researchers and water users associations) will be trained on-site before and during field activities. Field guides will be validated. Three young African researchers (at least two females), one per African participating country, will benefit from CIHEAM-Bari grants to do the Master «Land and Water Resources Management: Irrigated agriculture«.

Rural youth will be trained in the use of ICT tools and females/youth on opportunities triggered by new crops. Young graduates will be trained in 2-week-specialized courses at the two African universities: in English at the University for Development Studies (UDS), and in French at Gaston Berger University (UGB). Partners will teach and fund students.
Additionally, young researchers within African and WUR partners will be part of PhD programs: 7 PhDs are expected to be trained within the framework of the project.

The coordinator (CSIC) and leaders of UDS, AECID and TEPRO partners are women.

To be updated during project

The irrigated and improved lowland agricultural systems are not resulting neither in a significant increase in resilience and food security for smallholders nor in a motor for economic growth in West Africa (WA). However, the potential benefits of water-managed agricultural systems are enormous in WA. Irrigated agriculture increases cropping intensity, diversity and productivity; contributes to develop food markets and agroindustry; and generates employment; conversely, it has environmental implications. It is hypothesized here that Sustainable Intensification (SI) of watermanaged
agricultural systems is the pathway to a new, dynamic, inclusive, market-oriented, technology-based agriculture. SI is not achieved through stand-alone technology but by combining technologies and governance to design productions systems that are best adapted to local conditions.
The consortium, integrated by five African institutions (SARI and UDS, in Ghana, ISRA and UGB in Senegal, and INERA in Burkina Faso), five European institutions (IRD and CIRAD in France, WUR in The Netherlands, CIHEAM-Bari in Italy, and CSIC in Spain, the coordinator), and five associate partners (CILSS, AECID and three companies), envisions SI as the springboard that will transform irrigation and lowland communities into resilient, food-secure communities improving their wellbeing through economic growth. The project aspires to change the development paradigm for irrigated and other water-managed agricultures in WA and identify environmental-friendly systems in WA and Spain. The identification of current performance gaps and benchmarks and of a new set of SI solutions will be followed by co-innovation within the project innovation hubs, working simultaneously at different scales (from plot to scheme/improved lowland system). These hubs, where women and youth will be preferred target adopters, will catalyze the change in their respective areas of influence, with a multiplier effect supported by an ICT platform.