Framework for Irrigation Development and Agricultural Water Management in Africa

A series of Decisions and Declarations of African Heads of States and Government on the need to adopt and out-scale sustainable irrigation and agricultural water management as well as the widespread and rapid expansion of irrigation, especially, among market-oriented smallholder farmers were push factors that birthed the IDAWM Framework. [...] The challenge for national policymakers is to use institutional reform to facilitate and enable the process that supports farmer- led irrigation development, technology, financial and agro-market access, and secure land and water tenure, particularly for private-sector and community partnerships. [...] In the same vein, the African Union, through a number of decisions and declarations made by the heads of states and governments, has always put water resource management (WRM) and irrigation on the front burner of its development agenda. [...] In addition, the Sirte Declaration supported the African Ministerial Council on Water (AMCOW) in its role of preparing plans and policies related to WRM; c) the Abuja Summit on food security in Africa, held in Nigeria in 2006 emphasised the promotion of public sector investment in agricultural related infrastructure including water and irrigation among others; d) The heads of state and government. [...] A scheme requires collective investment and infrastructure/assets are state-owned; management of the shared irrigation system.4 and Management, Operations and Maintenance (MOM) of the bulk-supply and distribution system Water harvesting: The collection and concentration of involves an Irrigation and Drainage Agency (I&DA), rainfall and surface runoff on the farm and into the soil- government depar.