CPWF research in the Volta - Volta Basin Development Challenge - a summary

A Partner of

CPWF Research in the VoltaVolta Basin Development Challenge

Olufunke Cofie Basin Leader

VBDC Final Science Workshop 19 September, 2013 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Andes • Ganges • Limpopo • Mekong • Nile • Volta

CPWF set out to find ways to strengthen integrated management of rainwater

and small reservoirs, so they can be used equitably and for multiple purposes.


Improving management of rainwater and small reservoirs is

a complex problem.It requires:•Continuous engagement with stakeholders•Consideration of multiple views, capacity devt•Finding the lever of change


CPWF has used the research for development approach

− a new way of doing research


Research-based evidence from CPWF indicates that there are still opportunities to support further AWM adoption and adaptation in the Volta basin

for improved income and livelihoods

Replicating successful agricultural water management interventions in new locations requires consideration of economic, biophysical,

institutional, and cultural factors.

Key Message (wsr. AWM)


Multi-pronged Evidence

• AWM review shows up to 40% of crop area is under SWC

• The TAGMI tool offers one way to consider different factors, when targeting agricultural water management interventions.

• TAGMI shows areas of high potential for successful out scaling using both social human and biophysical indicators

•


Evidence (contd)

• The PGIS synthesis in Volta and supported by findings from Limpopo shows that bottom-up analyses are key to the success of AWM interventions:

– Technical support including extension /knowledge, material /input and financial

– Clear demand from end users– A sense of ownership of intervention


Evidence (contd)

• Water modeling in Ghana and Burkina Faso show that small reservoir development will have marginal impact on water flows at the basin level


• Small reservoirs do clearly promote diversification of activities at local scale. Technical options may increase productivity but access to market constitutes the main bottle-neck in terms of improvement. Policy incentives are equally needed.

Message 2 (wsr. AWM)


Message 3 (wsr. AWM)

• Trade-offs between agricultural intensification and the health status of aquatic ecosystems have to be thoroughly considered in order to ensure the sustainability of these socio-eco-agro- ecosystems.


Message 4 (wsr. Water governance)• Successful integrated water resources

management depends on interactions between multiple actors at different scales, which is often beyond every-day considerations. – The companion modeling-approach is a good

framework to highlight interactions between actors and allows for a collective decision-making process to unfold.


• Collaboration with existing integrated water resources management institutions, such as local water committees, ensures that research can inform national and basin-level knowledge and thinking and encourages sharing of experiences between institutions, development practitioners, researchers, and local stakeholders.

Message 4 (wsr. Water governance)


Message 5 (wsr IP)• Innovation platforms provide space for a wide

range of stakeholders to exchange knowledge, learn, and develop joint initiatives to solve agricultural development challenges. Successful innovation can only happen when stakeholders have a sustained interest in working together to acquire new knowledge and find solutions; the research community cannot bring about innovation on its own.


Message 5 (wsr IP)

• Livelihood options and indigenous experiences shape the ways farmers manage rainwater. Changing water management practices, and making them more productive, requires joint learning as well as technical, institutional, and policy support.


Message 6 (wsr R4D)Decrease in influence by the research team

Impacts and consequences

Changes in practice (outcomes)

Influence on decision maker KAS

Other information sources and influences

Strategies for engagement

Strategies for innovation

Strategies for Problem definition

Learning & re-design of innovation

Learning & problem re-

definition

limit

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infl

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flu

ence

R4D takes time and resources and must be supported long enough for innovations to emerge and be evaluated


How can CPWF research be used in the Volta River Basin?

What concrete opportunities to use VBDC research?

What could be the next steps?

In conclusion


Thankswww.volta.waterandfood.org

CPWF research in the Volta - Volta Basin Development Challenge - a summary

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