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This report investigates the dynamics of one of the most common agricultural water management practices of sub-Saharan Africa, i.e., small reservoirs. Small reservoirs dam permanent or temporary river flows and support multiple livelihood activities (livestock watering, crop cultivation, fisheries, small handicrafts, etc.) while providing water-related ecosystem services (soil and water conservation, flood and drought mitigation, etc.). Gathering evidence from four sub-Saharan countries, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ethiopia and Zambia, this report calls for revisiting our understanding and assessment of the costs, performance and institutions for the management of small reservoirs. A more holistic analytical approach is the first step towards an integrative governance framework. This, in turn, holds the promise of sustainable management of small reservoirs.
Rainfed agriculture is generally overlooked by development investors, researchers and policy makers due to limited confidence in its ability to increase agricultural production and development. However, research undertaken by a team of leading scientists from global organizations demonstrates its potential in achieving food security, improving livelihoods and most importantly addressing issues of equity and poverty reduction in dryland areas - the hot spots of poverty. On the basis of case studies from varied agricultural and ecological regions in Asia and Africa, chapters discuss the need for adopting new paradigms between rainfed and irrigated agriculture, catchment/micro-watershed managem...
India is a large country with regional differences in per-capita water supply and demand. Attempts to describe the water situation in India at a national level are often misleading due to the tremendous diversity in the water situation across the country. This Report analyzes the spatial variation of water supply and demand across river basins in India. The study identifies basins that are water-scarce because of inadequate water availability to meet the effective demand. It also identifies issues that are important for estimating the future water demand and for the formation of policy for future water-resources development and management.
After publishing the famous “Fluvial Processes in Geomorphology” in the early 1960s, the work of Luna Leopold, Gordon Wolman, and John Miller became a key for opening the door to understanding rivers and streams. They first illustrated the problem to geomorphologists and geographers. Later, Chang, in his “Fluvial Processes in River Engineering”, provided a basis for engineers, showing this group of professionals how to deal with rivers and how to understand them. Since then, more informative studies have been published. Many of the authors started to combine fluvial geomorphology knowledge and river engineering needs, such as “Tools in Fluvial Geomorphology” by G. Mathias Kondolf...
This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Water Policy, Productivity and Economic Efficiency" that was published in Water
Because of the major opportunities and risks associated with it, and the complexity of the subject, bioenergy policy has in a short time become a challenging political task for regulators and planners – a task that can only be accomplished through worldwide cooperation and the creation of an international framework. This book's central message is that the sustainable potential of bioenergy, which can be tapped all over the world, should be utilized – provided that threats to sustainability are avoided. In particular, the use of bioenergy must not endanger food security or the goals of nature conservation and climate change mitigation.
Biofuels are currently in the middle of a heated academic and public policy debate. Biofuel production has increased fivefold in the past decade and is expected to further double by 2020. Most of this expansion will happen in developing nations. This volume is the first of its kind, providing a comprehensive overview of the biofuel debate in developing countries. The chapters are written by a multidisciplinary team of experts, exposing the key drivers and impacts of biofuel production and use. The book covers impacts as diverse as air pollution, biodiversity loss, deforestation, energy security, food security, greenhouse gas emissions, land use change, rural development, water consumption and other socioeconomic issues. Its wide focus accommodates examples from countries in Africa, America and Asia. As such, this book will become an indispensable companion to academics, practitioners and policy makers who wish to know more about biofuel issues in the developing world.
Based on a case study in Ethiopia, this paper shows that while farmers understand the social nature of community-managed irrigation, they share a narrow understanding of pump irrigation with policymakers as being primarily ‘technical’. They perceive pumps as liberating them from the ‘social’ limitations of traditional communal irrigation. However, the rapid expansion of pump irrigation is leading to increasing competition and conflict over limited water resources. We analyze the wider implications for Africa of this lack of visibility of the social dimension of pump irrigation, and offer suggestions for future policy and applied research to address the problem before it becomes a widespread crisis.
Sub-Saharan Africa has an irrigation potential of about 42 million hectares of which only 17% is developed. Despite several investments in irrigation the growth is slow. This study aims at helping to achieve sustainable irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa, through gaining a better understanding of productive irrigation water use and effective manageme
The globally escalating population necessitates production of more goods and services to fulfil the expanding demands of human beings which resulted in urbanization and industrialization. Uncontrolled industrialization caused two major problems – energy crisis and accelerated environmental pollution throughout the world. Presently, there are technologies which have been proposed or shown to tackle both the problems. Researchers continue to seek more cost effective and environmentally beneficial pathways for problem solving. Plant kingdom comprises of species which have the potential to resolve the couple problem of pollution and energy. Plants are considered as a potential feedstock for de...