Access to water resources is a key adaptation solution to the increased episodes of climate-related shocks in achieving sustainable livelihoods in Africa. This is so as access to water is critical to furnishing resilient livelihoods, enhancing food and energy security, and improving households’ welfare as well as their health and sanitation outcomes. The Africa Union’s Framework for Irrigation development and agricultural water management (IDAWM) contributes to the African Water Vision (AWV) 2025, with the goal of an Africa where there is equitable and sustainable use and management of water resources for poverty alleviation and socio-economic development, regional cooperation, and the environment. A key outcome of the IDAWM Framework domestication is the call to develop the scope, opportunities, and challenges status of agricultural water management (AWM) practices in Africa.
Between 17-19th March 2022, AU-SAFGRAD organized a 3day experts’ validation workshop of the draft report on the Scope, Opportunities, and Challenges of different agricultural water management (AWM) practices in Africa. The workshop was held at Rysara Hotel, Dakar, Senegal. The report is a product of a scoping survey that was conducted in 8 selected countries spread across the 5 regions of the Continent. The objectives of the workshop were to review and update the draft with status data from countries and for experts to access the detailed technical and policy dimensions of the challenges based on their experiences and lessons learned for sustainable implementation of AWM across the Continent. A total of seven AWM experts drawn from the Member States across the 5 regions, representative of the FAO-Regional Office for Africa (RAF) and AU-SAFGRAD’s Production and marketing Officer (Dr. Mure Agbonlahor) participated in the validation workshop. The outcome of the workshop is an improved (technical and policy-related content and structure) and representative report with requisite quality as a working document for the Stakeholders’ validation.
