What is the irrigation potential for Africa?: a combined biophysical and socioeconomic approach

Irrigation in Africa has the potential to boost agricultural productiviy by at least 50 percent, but at the moment, food production is almost entirely rainfed. This paper analyses large, dam-based and small-scale irrigation investment needs in Africa based on agronomic, hydrologic, and economic factors. The authors reveal that Africa&rsquo;s agricultural productivity is the lowest in the world, in part because of the under-use of irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa. <br />The study introduces the following findings:&nbsp; in Africa, adding large-scale irrigation to dams in need of rehabilitation appears more profitable than either operational or planned reservoirs the average internal return rate (IRR) for large-scale irrigation is 6.6%, versus an average IRR of 28% for small-scale irrigation, yet the potential for area expansion is small in terms of small-scale irrigation the Gulf of Guinea area has the largest potential for area expansion for both operational and planned dams within Africa however, Nigeria stands out as having particularly great potential for both large- and small-scale schemes market access conditions have been shown to be critical for irrigation development to succeed <br />The document notes that Sub-Saharan Africa in particular faces large challenges to implementing irrigation. In this regard, it recommends ensuring that planned investments do not surpass a country&rsquo;s financial capacity there, and investments are proportional to other agricultural expenditures and value added. <br />The paper concludes that strengthening African countries&rsquo; capacity to address institutional and strategic challenges for irrigation will be just as important as accelerated investments in irrigation infrastructure. <br />