Rainwater management Systems

NBDC Project N2:

- technologies, institutions and policies- Where are we, where are we going?

- a personal view

Partners: (international) ILRI, ICRAF, ODI and IWMI; (national) ARARI, OMARI and BSGARI

Project Background- Research Questions (1)1. What RMS work best for which and in which parts of the

Ethiopian highlands, given soil, topography and rainfall levels? (with Nile Project 3)

2. In terms of rainwater productivity, what are the most suitable land use systems for the basin in terms of sustainability and income generation?

3. What additional soil and water conservation systems are needed in the study sites to maximize water productivity?

4. What are the economic, livelihood and agricultural productivity potential of integrated water, nutrient, fertility and seed technology management?

Project Background- Research Questions (2)5. What sort of RMS would work best for the Ethiopian

Highlands, and what kinds of institutions are needed to support them?

6. What social, institutional and political factors contribute to the development, implementation and maintenance of rainwater management systems?

7. What kind of administrative and policy support do rainwater harvesting agricultural systems need in order to improve adoption potential?

8. How can the positive benefits of improved RMS be successfully scaled up? (with Nile Project 3)

Project Background- Expected Outputs (1)

1. Rainwater management strategies appropriate for well-defined areas of the Ethiopian highlands which maximize water productivity, economic and livelihood benefits, and ecosystem services.

2. An analysis of local and formal (government, NGO or international development agencies) institutions to contribute to the development of RMS, and to collaborate in their implementation

Project Background- Expected Outputs (2)

3. Systems for integrating livestock into broader RMS, and demonstrating how these can improve water productivity across high, intermediate and low rainfall landscapes in the Ethiopian Highlands.

4. Economic analyses of a variety of economically useful soil and water conserving tree species to complement livestock systems in dryland areas of the Ethiopian Highlands

Location and Key approaches

Location• Landscape based approach• Three area focus- Fogera, Jeldu and DigaApproach• Emphasis on generation of primary data:

biophysical, social and economic• Evolved to include novel approaches- e.g.

Innovation platforms, participatory video

Major outputs in 2011Papers/Reports• 3 peer review, 3 book chapters, 4 reports, 2

briefsMeetings• multiple presentations @2 international, 3

national meetings plus less formal workshopsCapacity building• 6 Msc students plus local catchment assistants

Evidence• Biophysical- spatial surveys and time series

(soil, land use, trees, meteorology, groundwater, river flow) data form baseline

• Socio-economic -surveys and participatory video- farming systems, livelihoods, NRM issues

• Innovation platforms- opportunities and constraints for NRM at landscape scale. Issues to be tackled: Fodder all sites, Fogera- grazing, Diga & Jeldu soil erosion

Gaps / Challenges

• Pursue participatory learning and involvement without inducing stakeholder fatigue

• Be seen to get research into action• Better two way engagement with national

partners and implementation agencies• Improve cross basin learning

Priorities /Adjustments to 2013

1. Consolidate and prioritise what is novel that will have a large impact regionally, nationally and internationally, for both R & D

2. Engage with wider range of implementation partners –NGO’s, GIZ/SLM, (ATA) ?

3. Establish inter basin secondments4. Simplify NBDC/N2 around outcomes and

match to CRP5 basins SRP