Africa region : irrigation business plan (English)

Growth in agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa is vital to poverty reduction and to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as emphasized in the World Development Report 2008: agriculture for development. The April 2007 update...  See More + Growth in agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa is vital to poverty reduction and to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as emphasized in the World Development Report 2008: agriculture for development. The April 2007 update of the World Bank's Africa Action Plan (AAP) targets irrigation as a key to improving agricultural productivity and so reducing poverty, and an increase in the percentage of cropland under irrigation is an anticipated outcome of the AAP. The objective of the Africa region irrigation business plan is to operationalize the irrigation component of the AAP in terms of strategic approaches, investment and advisory work, and resource allocation and staffing. The range of possible investments in agricultural water is vast and has to be determined by the country situation. Based on experience, the Business Plan identifies five building blocks that will be used to construct effective irrigation development: (1) market oriented irrigation on a public private partnership basis; (2) individual smallholder irrigation for high value markets; (3) small scale community-managed irrigation for local markets; (4) reform and modernization of existing large scale irrigation; and (5) improved water control and watershed management in a rain fed environment. Each of these building blocks will be implemented within a comprehensive approach to agricultural water development, covering marketing, agricultural service provision, environmental sustainability, private sector involvement, as well as institutional reforms and capacity strengthening.  See Less -