Informal Irrigation in Urban West Africa

Informal Irrigation in Urban West Africa PDF

Author: Pay Drechsel

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 43

ISBN-13: 9290906421

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This report tries to provide a state-of-the-art overview on irrigated urban agriculture in the West African subregion based on a comprehensive literature review supported by the results of three IWMI FAO projects.

Characteristics of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in West Africa

Characteristics of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in West Africa PDF

Author: Imogen Bellwood-Howard

Publisher: International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Published: 2015-10-06

Total Pages: 42

ISBN-13: 9290908211

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The report summarizes key results from surveys carried out on urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in Tamale (Ghana) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) in 2013. The aim was to provide a broad overview of the state of UPA in the study cities and a basis for future research endeavors. The randomized sampling approach used aerial photography to identify 10 sites in different categories of farm in each city. Farmers provided information on their cropping and livestock-rearing activities. There were similarities between the cities, but the differences in the expression of UPA in Tamale and Ouagadougou were more intriguing, as in farm sizes, crops grown and livestock ownership. Farmers were particularly concerned about diminishing access to land in Tamale, where sales by chiefs to private investors were accelerating. In Ouagadougou, formal reallocation of land to homeowners by the state had similarly decreased available farmland. Water availability was a universal concern, and the quality of water used for irrigation was potentially more questionable in Ouagadougou than in Tamale. The results point to the need for further work on uncontaminated, perennial water sources and soil fertility management, alongside focuses on commercialization of animal production, and the legal, political and institutional context of UPA in different West African cities.

Rural-urban food, nutrient and virtual water flows in selected West African cities

Rural-urban food, nutrient and virtual water flows in selected West African cities PDF

Author: Drechsel, Pay, Graefe, S., Fink, M.

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 39

ISBN-13: 9290906693

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Impacts of increasing population pressure on food demand and land and water resources have sparked interest in nutrient and water balances and flows at a range of scales. In IWMI Research Report 115, it was tried for the first time to quantify rural-urban food flows for selected cities in Ghana and Burkina Faso to analyse their dependency on food supplied from rural vs. peri-urban vs. urban farming. Both, the urban nutrient and water footprints are closely interlinked. Currently, 80-95 percent of the domestic water used and the nutrients consumed go to waste without treatment or resource recovery. The economic dimensions are significant. Options to reduce the environmental burden by closing the rural-urban water and nutrient cycles are discussed.

Urban Agriculture

Urban Agriculture PDF

Author: Craig Pearson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2011-05-17

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13: 1136543139

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Most of us live in cities. These are becoming increasingly complex and removed from broad-scale agriculture. Yet within cities there are many examples of greenspaces and local food production that bring multiple benefits that often go unnoticed. This book presents a collection of the latest thinking on the multiple dimensions of sustainable greenspace and food production within cities. It describes the diversity of 'urban agriculture' and seeks a balanced representation between the biophysical and the social. It deals with urban agriculture across scales - from indoor plants to farm-scale filtration of greywater. A range of examples and initiatives from both developed and developing countries is described and evaluated.

Typology of irrigation systems in Ghana

Typology of irrigation systems in Ghana PDF

Author: Namara, Regassa E.

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2011-06-27

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 9290907398

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Interest in African irrigation investment is growing. However, irrigation is not a monolithic concept, and the opportunities and risks can vary substantially by approach. To help provide an understanding of the variation, this paper builds on previous work to provide a detailed typology of irrigation systems as currently used in Ghana.

Urban Water Security: Managing Risks

Urban Water Security: Managing Risks PDF

Author: Blanca Jimenez Cisneros

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2009-03-24

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 1134011938

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Understanding the impacts of urbanization on the urban water cycle and managing the associated health risks demand adequate strategies and measures. Health risks associated with urban water systems and services include the microbiological and chemical contamination of urban waters and outbreak of water-borne diseases, mainly due to poor water and s

Profitability and sustainability of urban and periurban agriculture

Profitability and sustainability of urban and periurban agriculture PDF

Author: René van Veenhuizen

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 112

ISBN-13: 9789251058817

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Urban agriculture (UA) is a dynamic concept that comprises a variety of livelihood systems ranging from subsistence production and processing at the household level to more commercialized agriculture. It takes place in different locations and under varying socio-economic conditions and political regimes. The diversity of UA is one of its main attributes, as it can be adapted to a wide range of urban situations and to the needs of diverse stakeholders. This paper aims to provide pertinent information on profitability and sustainability of UA to a wide audience of managers and policymakers from municipalities, ministries of agriculture, local government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), donor organizations and university research institutions. It aims to highlight the benefits of linkages between agriculture and the urban environment, leading to a more balanced understanding of the conflicts and synergies. It examines how UA can contribute substantially to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly in reducing urban poverty and hunger (MDG 1) and ensuring environmental sustainability (MDG 7).

Adaptation to Climate Change and Variability in Rural West Africa

Adaptation to Climate Change and Variability in Rural West Africa PDF

Author: Joseph A. Yaro

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-04-12

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 3319314998

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This book presents conceptual and empirical discussions of adaptation to climate change/variability in West Africa. Highlighting different countries’ experiences in adaptation by different socio-economic groups and efforts at building their adaptive capacity, it offers readers a holistic understanding of adaptation on the basis of contextual and generic sources of adaptive capacity. Focusing on adaptation to climate change/variability is critical because the developmental challenges West Africa faces are increasingly intertwined with its climate history. Today, climate change is a major developmental issue for agrarian rural communities with high percentages of the population earning a living directly or indirectly from the natural environment. This makes them highly vulnerable to climate-driven ecological change, in addition to threats in the broader political economic context. It is imperative that rural people adapt to climate change, but their ability to successfully do so may be limited by competing risks and vulnerabilities. As such, elucidating those vulnerabilities and sources of strength with regard to the adaptive capacities needed to support successful adaptation and avoid maladaptation is critical for future policy formulation. Though the empirical discussion is geographically based on West Africa, its applicability in terms of the processes, structures, needs, strategies, and recommendations for policy transcends the region and provides useful lessons for understanding adaptation broadly in the developing world.