Investments in agricultural water management for poverty reduction in Africa: Case studies of Limpopo, Nile, and Volta river basins
Investments in agricultural water management for poverty reduction in Africa: Case studies of Limpopo, Nile, and Volta river basins
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1477-8947.2008.00191.x
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发表时间：
2008-08-01
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Gichuki, Francis
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hanjra, Munir A.;Gichuki, Francis
撒哈拉以南非洲的大部分地区都面临着水资源短缺和贫困的问题。在非洲大陆，只有不到4%的可再生水资源用于农业和其他用途。对农业用水管理的投资可以通过多种方式促进实现消除极端贫困和饥饿以及确保环境可持续性的千年发展目标。增加产量和种植面积以及转向价值更高的作物可以帮助提高农村家庭的收入，创造更多的就业机会，并降低消费食品价格。这些投资还可以稳定产出、收入和就业，并对教育、营养和保健以及社会公平产生有利影响。对农业用水管理的投资可以通过提高穷人的权利和改变穷人的机会结构来减少贫穷。对农业用水管理投资在消除饥饿和贫困方面的总体作用进行了分析。本文件有助于目前的辩论和努力，以确定可有效促进非洲减贫的战略和干预措施。它概述了三个案例研究河流流域-林波波河、尼罗河和沃尔特河-各国的人口增长、营养不良、收入分配和贫穷情况。本文件讨论了农业对国民收入和创造就业的贡献，探讨了水资源投资、农业增长、就业和减贫之间的联系。它审查了扩大灌溉的潜力，通过提高产量和种植面积来提高农业产量，从而促进农业生产力的纵向和横向增长。报告还概述了限制这种潜力的因素，如土地和水资源的稀缺和退化、治理不善和机构薄弱。该文件认为，增加对土地和水资源及相关农村基础设施的投资是提高农业生产力和促进农业和经济增长以有效减贫的关键途径。
Much of Sub-Saharan Africa is burdened with water scarcity and poverty. Continentally, less than four percent of Africa's renewable water resources are withdrawn for agriculture and other uses. Investments in agricultural water management can contribute in several ways to achieving the Millennium Development Goals of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and ensuring environmental sustainability. Increased yield and cropping area and shifts to higher valued crops could help boost the income of rural households, generate more employment, and lower consumer food prices. These investments can also stabilize output, income and employment, and have favourable impacts on education, nutrition and health, and social equity. Investments in agricultural water management can cut poverty by uplifting the entitlements and transforming the opportunity structure for the poor. The overall role of investments in agricultural water management in eradicating hunger and poverty is analyzed. This paper contributes to the present debate and efforts to identify strategies and interventions that can effectively contribute to poverty reduction in Africa. It provides an overview of population growth, malnutrition, income distribution and poverty for countries in three case study river basins - Limpopo, Nile, and Volta. With discussions on the contribution of agriculture to national income and employment generation, the paper explores the linkages among water resources investments, agricultural growth, employment, and poverty alleviation. It examines the potential for expansion in irrigation for vertical and horizontal growth in agricultural productivity, via gains in yield and cropping area to boost the agricultural output. Factors constraining such potential, in terms of scarcity and degradation of land and water resources, and poor governance and weak institutions, are also outlined. The paper argues that increased investments in land and water resources and related rural infrastructure are a key pathway to enhance agricultural productivity and to catalyze agricultural and economic growth for effective poverty alleviation.