Investment options for integrating water management and crop and livestock

production in sub-Saharan Africa

Prepared by

D. Peden, A. Freeman, A. Astatke,

A. Notenbaert & D. Sheikh

International Livestock Research InstituteIn collaboration with the

International Water Management Institute& the

Challenge Program on Water and Food

For the CA Workshop on Community-based irrigation 14-16 March 2005,

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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Outline

• Bad press, neglect, and myths or half truth?

• Reasons to invest in water for livestock.

• Principles for investing in water for livestock.

• Where to invest in water for livestock or livestock-water development domains.

• Example investment options.

• Some technology-policy lessons learned.

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Investing in water to support livestock sector growth in sub-Saharan Africa

BBC(16 August 2004)

“… growth in demand for meat and dairy

products is unsustainable”

A widely held view:

Stockholm World Water Week:

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Investing in water to support livestock sector growth in sub-Saharan Africa

BBC(16 August 2004)

A widely held view:

Stockholm World Water Week:

but, is this true?

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Neglect• Few irrigation systems plan for livestock, but

agricultural water attracts animals.• Examples:

– Gezira’s 800 thousand hectares now supports 1,700,000 million animals, but no policy or planning for first 60 years.

– Irrigation often produces much crop residue, but potential for animal production often ignored in irrigation planning.

– Without watering facilities, animals drink from primary water sources degrading water and adjacent land and jeopardizing human health.

– Agricultural water development often marginalizes pastoralists

– Planning rare for coping with water borne and zoonotic animal diseases.

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Is overgrazing the primary cause of land degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Myth or reality?

Effect of annual cropping vs grazing on soil loss in Ethiopia

Area (%)

Soil loss (%)

Annual cropland

13 45

Grazing land

51 21

At least partly a myth!Source: Hurni, 1989

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Reasons to invest in water for livestock

• Help achieve MDGs (2015): – 50% cut in poverty– 50% cut in hunger.

• Safeguard assets: livestock are key assets.• Enable child nutrition for physical & mental growth.• Enable access to expanding urban markets for

high value animal products.• Protect water resources through better husbandry.• Support animal power: an alternative to petroleum.• Increase water productivity.• Reduce potential for conflict.

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Reasons to invest in water for livestock

Trends to 2025 Meat & Milk consumption in SSA expected to increase

Country

group

Annual growth

(%)

Per capita consumption (Kg/person)

Meat Developed 0.6 83 Developing 2.8 30

SSA 3.5 11

Milk Developed 0.2 189

Developing 3.3 62

SSA 3.8 30 Source: Delgado et al., 1999

The “Hungry” world will still eat less meat!

•Ethics•Demand

•Distribution

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Reasons to invest in water for livestock

Trends to 2025Meat & Milk consumption in SSA expected to increase

Country

group

Annual growth

(%)

Per capita consumption (Kg/person)

Meat Developed 0.6 83 Developing 2.8 30

SSA 3.5 11

Milk Developed 0.2 189

Developing 3.3 62

SSA 3.8 30 Source: Delgado et al., 1999

Need for policy and institutions to enable poor

smallholder farmers to engage in markets.

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Reasons to invest in water for livestock

We also need multi-sectoral policy and technology grounded in science to ensure that livestock production contributes to rather than prevents sustainable use of water resources.

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Principles investing for livestock sector growth

• Promote multiple benefits (Dairy, meat, wealth, power, risk avoidance, cultural values plus non-livestock outputs).

• Consider spatial variability (Pastoral, mixed crop-livestock, & urban, rainfed & irrigated production systems).

• Promote better animal management to reduce degradation of water and land.• Increase livestock water productivity.• Integrated assessment of demographic and market trends, production systems and available water to determine where best bet interventions should be made.

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Where to invest in water for livestock? 15 Water-Livestock

Development Domains

Ag. Production systems

Available Discret. water Market access

Human pop. density

Plus Urban livestockCA-March 2005

Water development domains:Example 1

• Mixed crop-livestock

• High pop. density

• Good market access

• Low availability of Discretionary water

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Mixed crop-livestockHigh pop. DensityGood market accessDiscretionary water low

SSA: No. of countries 40

Area (km2 millions) 1.4

Population 2002 (millions) 221

Population 2030 (millions) 381

TLUs (millions) 37

Example Water Development Domain(Small area, but many users compete for water)

RwandaKenyaUgandaBurundi

EthiopiaNigeria

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Example Water Development Domain

Mixed crop-livestockHigh pop. DensityGood market accessDiscretionary water low

Ethiopia

Ethiopian part of domain: Area (km2 millions) 0.13

Population 2002 (millions) 21.4

Population 2030 (millions) 43.3

TLUs (millions) 6.4 CA-March 2005

Water harvesting and livestock: Belatu’s story(Preliminary results - Sasakawa Global 2000 & ILRI collaboration)

1997: Subsistence & family income less than $50/year

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NOW:• 2 underground tanks @ 65 m3

• $1500; year round; multiple sources.• Crops: 2 or 3 per year.• Garlic, onion, tomatoes .• Milk: From <1 to 20 l/day• Up to 6 $/day with value added.

SUCCESS FACTORS:• Intensified command area agric.• Market access.• More effective use of labour.• Value added production (milk).• WH increased rainfed dairy LWP.• Household was educated.

Water harvesting and livestock: Belatu’s story(Preliminary results - Sasakawa Global 2000 & ILRI collaboration)

1997: Subsistence & family income less than $50/year

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• Main pathways out of poverty:• Securing assets, production, income

WDD: Crop-livestock, High pop. density, Good market, Little H20

• Some key Issues:• Extreme poverty & hunger• Access to quality water & feed• Drought & vulnerability• Siltation of reservoirs• Inefficient use of water• Water borne diseases

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WDD: Crop-livestock, High pop. density, Good market, Little H20

Priority water investment options:• Example technologies:

– Including drinking troughs in existing and planned dams, ponds & diversions.– Design water harvesting with feed production options by using catchment production and food-feed crops.– Piped water for smallholder dairying.

• Institutions:– Support for Community-based IWRM– Water associations could partner with livestock and other sectors in planning water infra-structure development. CA-March 2005

Complementary non-water investment options:

• Example technologies:– Conservation tillage– Zero-grazing– Control of helminthes (fasciola) & snails

• Institutions:– Support for Community-based NRM– Marketing mechanisms (eg., Dairy coops)

WDD: Crop-livestock, High pop. density, Good market, Little H20

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WDD: Crop-livestock, High pop. density, Good market, Little H20

• Example policy options– Encourage collective and joint management of water and grazing resources.– Development institutions accept legitimacy of the “livestock production option”.– Water pricing & demand management– Zoning for animal keeping.– Market development

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Example impacts:

• Conservation tillage in SSA:– reduced use of oxen could reduce water used for feed by 20 billion m3/yr assuming 50% comes from residue.

WDD: Crop-livestock, High pop. density, Good market, Little H20

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Example impacts:• Increased water productivity by

feeding crop residue to animals because no extra water is used.

WDD: Crop-livestock, High pop. density, Good market, Little H20

Teff for feed

Feed source H2O depleted

(m3/TLU/year)

Crop residue only 0

Forage crops only 450

• But, protect soil by returning some residue and manure.

Teff for FeedCA-March 2005

WDD: Crop-livestock, High pop. density, Good market, Little H20

Kenya

EthiopiaNigeria

Smallholder dairy production in Kenya increased by 60% per animal by continuous provision of drinking water

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Example impacts:• Increased water productivity

triggered by provision of drinking water for animals.

Some lessons learned

• Opportunities lost because of lack of integration of livestock into water planning and development.

• Investing in water for livestock may be effective in reducing poverty and overcome vulnerability of the poor.

• Needs:– Multi-sectoral & multi-regional approach.– Balanced mix of supply & demand management.– Effective use of existing technology and knowledge.– Effective inclusion of communities and all stakeholders.– Gender and ethnic equity.

• This does not mean simply increasing meat consumption to the level of “western diets”.

• Significant increases in water productivity possible.CA-March 2005

Final thought: Introduction of rainfed and irrigated cropping must anticipate and mitigate conflict with

pastoralists – an African-wide problem

• “Conflict … rooted in the soil.• 6 Million African farmers & Arab

herders.• Graziers migrate from arid North

to South after August rains.• Traditional tribal laws settled

conflict & people co-existed.• Persistent drought in 1980s

forced Arabs into arable land.• Competition for turf turned

violent.

4 Oct 2004

What policies and technologies are needed?CA-March 2005

Thank you

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