spate irrigation for rural economic growth and poverty alleviation

84 Pages·2012·1.72 MB·English

Spate irrigation for rural economic growth and poverty
alleviation
Technical Progress Report 2012

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SPATE IRRIGATION FOR RURAL ECONOMIC GROWTH AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION

Technical Progress Report
January to May, 2012

1. Introduction
The Grant for the project: Spate Irrigation for Rural Economic Growth and Poverty
Alleviation(SIREGPA)was approved by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in
November 2010. The Spate Irrigation Network (SpN), which is co-convened by MetaMeta and UNESCO-
IHE, did not wait for all the administrative arrangements and contract paper works. With strong support
from the project Task Managers at IFAD (Rudolph Cleveringa and Laura Sollazzo) and the country team
leaders and project staff in the four target countries: Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen and Pakistan, the SpN
immediately embarked on implementing a number of capacity building activities and organized its
inception workshop and steering committee meeting in January, 2011 in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.

This technical progress report, first presents the rationale and relevance, main goals and objectives and
the expected outputs of the project. It then outlines the main activities undertaken in the period January
to May, 2012.

2. Rationale and relevance to IFAD and SpN
Spate irrigation is a resource management system whereby short-duration floods in ephemeral rivers are
diverted for crop production, groundwater recharge, rangeland and local forestry improvement.

In the past few years good spate irrigation management and development practices have been
documented and training material has been prepared - a process that is still continuing. By documenting
and sharing experiences within and between countries a compendium of improved practices is evolving
on organization and governance, on water diversion and engineering, on improving agronomy, on
moisture management and non-agricultural activities.

The rationale of the project is that spate irrigation in general and the large menu of improvements
requires much more attention and should be promoted at country policy level as well as at operational
level. The combined effect of improved spate irrigation system management can vastly increase
economic productivity and improve livelihood situations considerably. The spate irrigated areas in most
countries constitute poverty pockets hence making use of the potential for improvements effectively
contributes to poverty alleviation.

IFAD has been the single-largest development organization that has supported spate irrigation. IFAD has
supported spate irrigation activities among others in Tunisia, Sudan, Yemen and Eritrea.

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The objectives and expected outputs of this project are very much akin to the central focus of the SpN
(www.spate-irrigation.org). The Network strives to improve the livelihoods of those living in the spate
irrigated areas. It exchanges experiences and good practices, initiates and supports new programs and
policies, and mainstreams education and training.

3. Overall objective
Contribute to poverty alleviation and acceleration of rural economic growth through solutions-oriented
research and capacity building programmes that address tangible practical problems and feed to policy
formulation.

4. Target countries and group
Target countries:Sudan, Ethiopia, Pakistan and Yemen
Target group: Smallholder spate farmers, farmers' and local organizations, educational institutes, relevant
IFAD-funded investment programmes, activities of SpN, UNESCO-IHE and MetaMeta.

5. Expected outputs and benefits
Output 1: Strengthened Spate Irrigation Network
 Country chapters and plans of SpN operational with at least 50 members
 Spate irrigation programmes of 12 key organizations supported through training and program
assistance
 Country spate irrigation policy notes prepared
Output 2: Solutions-oriented research activities implemented
 Eight solutions-oriented research activities implemented - covering a wide range of good practices
 Each research activity evaluated, documented and scaling up pathways identified
Output 3: Capacity built and knowledge documented and disseminated
 Six MSc studies completed with a research focus on spate irrigation
 Sixteen practical notes printed and translated; four instructional videos prepared, four modules
updated
 Spate irrigation mainstreamed in at least one university/college in each target country
 Spate irrigation practices in five ‘unknown’ places documented
Output 4: Support pool to IFAD and other related projects and programmes
 On demand support provided to projects and country programmes as budget allows
 Spate irrigation support activities and materials widely spread through IFAD projects and country
programmes

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6. Major achievements in 2012

6.1 Project Management
 Results-based work plan and budget for 2012 (annex 1) finalized in February and subsequently
approved by IFAD in March.
 Financial expenditure for 2011 and withdrawal form for 2012 was provided to IFADin April, 2012
(Annexes 2).
 Annual project meeting was conducted in Sudan in the period 28 April to 4 May. The meeting
was attended by all core project team from Ethiopia, Yemen, Pakistan, Sudan, MetaMeta and
UNESCO-IHE. Two stakeholder workshopswere undertaken - one in Kassala, where the Gash
Agricultural Scheme (focal project site) is located and the other in Khartoum, the seat for
Ministry of Water Resources, a key implementing partner. In Kassala, five MSc students
presented their findings that covered on-farm water management, optimizing water diversion
and sediment control, farming practices and cost benefit analyses. These MSc presentations
have been recorded and are available at www.thewaterchannel.tv. The meeting wasofficially
opened by the State Minister for Agriculture. In Khartoum, the Minister of Water Resources, in
his opening remarks, expressed his strong support for the project and promised that spate
irrigation will have a good representation in the UNESCO Category II Water Harvesting Centre
that is expected to soon be established under the umbrella of the Ministry of Water Resources.
Thereafter, project achievements and challenges in 2011 as well as the plans for 2012 and
beyond were presented (www.spate-irrigation.org) and discussed. Finally, the core project team
convened to strategize on how best to implement and enhance impact of the Project activities.
Annex 3 gives the extended summary of the annual project meeting.
 Updating of the website continued – with a new section on video lectures. A number of
document were uploaded – such as design manual for Eritrea and presentations from FAO
regional conference in North Africa.

6.2 Strengthening Spate Irrigation Network (SpN)
 Country network plans (chapters) finalized for Ethiopia, Sudan and Pakistan - the Yemen Chapter will
be ready by the end of June. The Chapters present the vision, mission and mandates of the networks
and outline the main activities to be accomplished.Annex 4 has the details.
 In each country, a small office has been allocated for the spate irrigation network within: the
Hydraulic Research Station (HRS) in Sudan; the Ethiopian Institute for Water Resources in Ethiopia;
the Strengthening Participating Organizations (SPO) in Pakistan and the Water and Environment
Centre (WEC) in Yemen. Each country has also allocated a part-time secretary to mainly prepare
promotional materials and make the SpN visible.
 An SpN and spate project profile posters (Annex 5) have been prepared and distributed to all target
countries - this will be translated into the respective local languages.

6.3 Solutions-oriented research
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Sudan delivers first research outputs
Three international (UNESCO-IHE, the Netherlands) and two Sudanese MSc students completed their
research and shared their recommendations with stakeholders in the Gash Agricultural Scheme (GAS).
Their recommendations are seriously being considered by the Gash Authorities. The students will spend
additional one and half month during the flood season from 1 July to 15 August to further refine their
recommendations.

The MSc studies were conducted within the research programme:Towards Productive and Profitable
Spate Irrigated Agriculture in Sudan. The background to the research, the methodology employed and
the key findings and recommendations are presented in the following sections in a summarized form.
Extensive secondary data on design and
BACKGROUND management of GAS was also consulted
The Gash Agricultural Scheme (GAS)is the
bread-basket for 480,000 Kassala state
inhabitants in Easter Sudan and beyond. The
scheme, and particularly the Fota canal and its
command area have underperformed. Only 50%
of the 100,000 ha is annually irrigated;
productivity of the major crop, sorghum
remained low at 2 ton/ha. To enhance
productivity, MSc-led research was conducted
covering the pilot site of the Fota system with
focus on sediment management, water delivery
and on-farm water management. Figure 1
presents the GAS layout and Figure 2 has details
on Fota main canal system.

METHODS

field measurements (soil moisture, canal

survey); interviews with farmers and authorities

(WUAs, GAS, Project Directorate and River

Training Unit, Ministry of Water Resources,

Agricultural Research Corporation, Gash

Sustainable Livelihood Regeneration and Gezira

University); modelling (Delft 3D, SHARC,

DUFLOW, WinSRFR, SWAM, and CropWat);
Figure 1: Gash Agricultural Scheme Layout

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Figure 2: Fota Main canal Layout
RESULTS
Existing situation
1.Intake and canal network
 Almost zero slope of the first reach of the main canal (Figure 3) and the wide river near the intake
causes:
o A maximum of 1.8 m sediment deposition at intake and main canal
o Reduction of design abstraction capacity (9.4 m3/s) by 78%
o High operation and maintenance cost (canal de-silting)
 Even if sediment problem is solved, due to lack of flow guiding bunds, the maximum diversion will be
8.1 m3/s - less than the required 9.4 m3/s
 50% of the 3,300 ha remains dry annually

Figure 3: Fotal canal:
existing conditions

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2Field level - Kasir Rabakasan
 294 ha irrigated as one field unit
o Poor distribution: over irrigation at upstream (1700 mm depth), restricted supply at mid
stream (900 mm), completely dry 80 ha at downstream (Figure 4)
o Low average yield - 1 to 2 ton/ha
 Non optimal cropping pattern: only one sorghum harvest per season

Figure 4: field water distribution under existing condition

Preliminary recommendations and outputs
Sediment management and water delivery
 Fota intake: construct 3 spurs on the right side of the river, raise intake sill level by 1.2 m, and remove the
right side wall of the intake. This could avoid sediment deposition at the intake and realize 9.4 m3/s at
medium flood.
 Fota main canal: modify the slope of the first two reaches by 0.05% and introduce settling basin with
annual/bi-annual de-silting - settling basin dimensions: 200 m x 30 m and 200 m x 25 m. This could improve
the water delivery capacity by 89%.
 Rabakasa secondary canal 2: localized cross regulator to raise water level by 0.5 m. This could increase the
discharge through off-take from nearly zero to 1.2 m3/s
 Overall output: sufficient spate flow to irrigate at least 80% of the whole 3300 ha
On-farm water management
 Divide the irrigated field longitudinally into two equal units of 150 ha
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 Elongate Kasir Rabakasa misga (tertiary) canal by 400 m
o Ensures full irrigation of the entire misga field.
o Reduces the irrigation application time from 25 to 20 days.
o Better distribution uniformity: 950, 820 and 520 mm irrigation depth at upstream, midstream and
downstream.
 Narrow the 1st and 2nd reaches of Kasir Rabakasa misga canal by 2 m and 1 m at upstream and downstream
respectively: ensures additional 30 ha of irrigable area at the upstream of Rabakasa 1 misga.
 Move from sorghum only and introduce a cropping pattern - first harvest: sorghum, millet, sunflower and
cotton; second harvest: Sorghum, millet and water melon.
Ethiopia
Two MSc students have prepared detailed proposals (Annex 6) on:
1. Optimum community-led flood water management in Boru Dodota Spate Irrigation System, Ethiopia
General Objective
The general objective of the study is to assess the flood water management at community level and
recommend best management practices for Dodota spate irrigation scheme.

Specific Objective
The Specific objectives of the study are to:
 to assess how the users manage the flood water resources throughout the scheme,
 to understand the structure, the rules and regulations in WUA and its role for managing the flood and the
infrastructure of the Dodota spate irrigation scheme,
 To suggest alternative mechanisms to have best performing scheme in terms of water diversion, flood
distribution, pond water management, moisture retention and functioning WUA, as necessary.

2. Towards better spate flow and sediment management for Billio spate irrigation scheme.
General objectives
 Describing runoff/flood potential and sediment yield and identifying best land use management
practices for the catchment of Bililo spate irrigation scheme.
Specific objectives of the study
 Estimating runoff potential of the catchment that reaches at the point of diversion
 Estimating sediment yield of the catchment that reaches at the point of diversion
 Identifying best landuse management practices for the catchment and the scheme
 Investigating alternative site for the headwork structure
 Forward best Sediment and flood water management in the main system.

The students are currently collecting primary data including flood and sediment measurement, temporary
pond storage capacity, soil moisture holding capacity as well as operation and maintenance practices. They are
expected to deliver outputs by October, 2012.
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Another three MSc students have started detailed proposal writing and will collectively undertake their studies
with the research project: Beneficial use of floods in arid lowlands of Ethiopia.

The arid lowland areas (< 400 mm rainfall annually) are among the most vulnerable and food insecure,
particularly when they are relatively densely populated as in the Horn of Africa. The project addresses food
insecurity and low economic development in the arid lowlands of Ethiopia – where most hard core food aid
recipients (3.4 Million people) are living out of total lowland population of 11 Million. The drought of 2011
highlighted the even larger vulnerability (as the earlier one of 2000, 2005, and 2008) with food aid rising to 5.7
Million and distress sales of livestock and other assets. Domestic water supply is also far more problematic in
the arid lowlands, even though some are relatively densely populated, with coverage 30% below national
average. Climate variability and even change is a main attributing factor – in addition there is also extensive
land use change, because of the widespread invasion of invasive species (prosopis in particular) and the
decimation of more useful natural wood stands (acacia and boswelia). The lowland districts (woredas) are
classified as low potential as there is no perennial water source and hence they are for instance not covered in
the Agricultural Growth Project (supported through the MASP of the Netherlands Embassy among others). The
areas however receive intense short duration floods, which is the main source of water. Far more efficient use
can be made of these floods to secure water availability in the agro-pastoralist economy.

In comparison to other arid lowlands in South Asia, East Africa or Middle East, many techniques of beneficial
use of floods in low land areas are not known in Ethiopia. There is a need to introduce new options for lowland
water resource management through an intense process of local planning and capacity building. These options
hold considerable promise for improved water supply and more secure economic growth (agriculture and
pastoralism).

The three MSc students will collectively undertake the following activities:
 Mapping the land and water resources of the Lowlands using GIS and remote sensing coupled with
extensive ground survey
 A reconnaissance plan on beneficial use of floodwater for the arid lowlands in Ethiopia - current
hydrographs, frequency and downstream use in different lowland basin areas
 Identification of beneficial flood use measures in the most promising sub-basins combined with local
planning with local stakeholders
 Designs and management for lowland spate irrigation, flood water spreading, infiltration ponds and
flood water storage

The aim is to improve water security (humans, livestock, agriculture) and work on base of sub-basin – analysing
flood patterns with cost-effective measures, capped at Euro 1500/ha or Euro 90 per capita for drinking water
provision.

The envisioned planning is as follows:
 Detailed proposal ready: September 2012
 Drive/Walk-through survey of the Lowlands - students and supervisors: October, 2012
 Pilot site selection for specific MSc studies: October 2012
 MSc field research work: November, 2012 to February, 2013: Ethiopia
 MSc report writing - first results: March to June, 2013 - at IHE, Netherlands
 Graduation: June 2013, Netherlands
 Further data gap filling and refining of key finding: July and August, 2013 - flood season - Ethiopia
 Final thesis - with some potentially implemental recommendations -September, 2013

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Yemen
Three students have been identified to undertake their MSc research within two research area:
1. Ground water artificial recharge in wadi Zabi:

The main objectives are:
 To identify different locally feasible artificial ground water recharge techniques - evaluate this from a
technical, financial and operational aspects
 To attempt for the arrival to balance aquatic budget between the groundwater recharge quantity and
the consumption.
 To limit intrusion of seawaters to the fertile agricultural areas
 Saving water for the supplementary irrigation for spate irrigation areas

2. Strengthening of WUA's in wadi Zabid reaches:
Overall objectives:
 Assess the technical, managerial and financial capacity of the WUAs
 Recommend measures for strengthening the sustainability of the WUAs
Specific objectives:
 Evaluate the technical capacity of the WUA
o Knowledge of the WUA leaders with regard to different indigenous designs of water distribution
and diversion structures
o Planning and implementation of operation and maintenance tasks
o Knowledge about the different agronomic practices

 Evaluate the managerial capacity of the WUA
o Organizing and leading meetings
o Mobilizing resources for operation and maintenance
o Solving conflicts
o Creating a good relationship with external organizations including TDA

 Evaluation financial capacity and sustainability
o Does the WUA has an financial plan
o How much of the financial requirement is covered from internal source - water fees
o What are external financial source - how reliable are they
o Does the WUA has plans strengthen its financial sustainability

 Identify a number of measures including tailored trainings that contribute to strengthening the technical,
managerial and financial sustainability of the WUAs

The detailed proposals on the above two research topics are presented in Annex 7.

In addition three students doing Diploma research on sediment management in Wadi Hadramawt have been
supported.

Pakistan
Detailed proposal preparation is underway for developing the 15,000 hectare command area of the Sanghar
Irrigation system and addressing associated water rights and land tenure issues. Following the development of
the Chasma Right Bank Canal part of the spate command areas were converted in perennial commands, leaving
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