气候变化领域集成服务门户(CCPortal): Performance of large-scale irrigation projects in sub-Saharan Africa

CCPortal

DOI	10.1038/s41893-020-00670-7
	Performance of large-scale irrigation projects in sub-Saharan Africa
	Higginbottom T.P.; Adhikari R.; Dimova R.; Redicker S.; Foster T.
发表日期	2021
ISSN	2398-9629
起始页码	501
结束页码	508
卷号	4 期号:6
英文摘要	After a 30-year hiatus, large-scale irrigation projects have returned to the development agenda in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the magnitude and drivers of past schemes’ performance remains poorly understood. We quantify the performance, measured as the proportion of proposed irrigated area delivered, of 79 irrigation schemes from across SSA by comparing planning documents with estimates of current scheme size from satellite-derived land-cover maps. We find overwhelming evidence that investments have failed to deliver promised benefits, with schemes supporting a median 16% of proposed area, only 20 (25%) delivering >80% and 16 (20%) completely inactive. Performance has not improved over six decades and we find limited relationships with commonly stated causes of failure such as scheme size and climate. We attribute these findings to political and management frameworks underpinning irrigation development in SSA. First, an emphasis on national food security promotes low-value crops, reducing economic viability. Second, proposals are unrealistically large, driven by optimism bias and political incentives. Finally, centralized bureaucracies lack the technical expertise, local knowledge and financial resources to ensure long-term maintenance. Our findings highlight the need for greater learning from past investments’ outcomes if improvements in agricultural productivity and water security across SSA are to be realized. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.
语种	英语
scopus关键词	Agricultural robots; Food supply; Irrigation canals; Productivity; Agricultural productivity; Economic viability; Financial resources; Irrigation development; Irrigation projects; Long-term maintenances; Management frameworks; Technical expertise; Irrigation
来源期刊	Nature Sustainability
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/249791
作者单位	Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; Global Development Institute, School of Environment, Education and Development, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Higginbottom T.P.,Adhikari R.,Dimova R.,et al. Performance of large-scale irrigation projects in sub-Saharan Africa[J],2021,4(6).
APA	Higginbottom T.P.,Adhikari R.,Dimova R.,Redicker S.,&Foster T..(2021).Performance of large-scale irrigation projects in sub-Saharan Africa.Nature Sustainability,4(6).
MLA	Higginbottom T.P.,et al."Performance of large-scale irrigation projects in sub-Saharan Africa".Nature Sustainability 4.6(2021).