Rapid urban growth in sub-Saharan Africa challenges food supply of cities. As food and other organic matter are transported from production areas to consumption points, water, which has been used for their production, is transported virtually. This study aimed at determining the magnitude and sources of virtual water flows in food trade of two West African cities, in order to better assess food provisioning risks and water resource use and planning. To this end, flows of unprocessed food from local, regional, national and international sources were systematically recorded at all roads leading to Tamale, Ghana and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The survey was conducted within two years covering the peak (November - December) and lean season (March - April), respectively, for six days in a row. Virtual water flows were computed by multiplying the flow quantities (t yr⁻¹) by their respective virtual water contents (m³ t⁻¹). Results showed that virtual water of all food commodities imported to Tamale and Ouagadougou were 514 and 2105 million m³ yr⁻¹ respectively, out of which 68% and 40% were re-exported to other regions of the country. The data also showed major seasonal variation in virtual water flows across the year. Reflecting their dominating role in local diets, cereals contributed most to the total virtual water inflows in both cities. Southern Ghana is the major net virtual water importer from Tamale through cereals, legumes, vegetables, and livestock. The Northern Region of Ghana, on the other hand, is a net exporter of virtual water in all food groups apart from fruits. In Ouagadougou, large flows of virtual water were imported in cereals, specifically rice from Asian countries, via Ivory Coast.

The current phase (2010-2013) of the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) research is addressing the Volta Basin Development Challenge (VBDC) which has been defined as “integrated management of rainwater and small reservoirs for multiple purposes”. The research-for-development program is designed to explore the institutional, socio-economic and technical aspects of small reservoir development and maintenance within a wider rainwater management system in the Volta Basin to maximize water for food and ecosystem services. The purpose of the inception workshop was to review and assess all VBDC projects for coherence and integration towards achieving the overall goal. Secondly it provided an opportunity to launch the research agenda, share our plans and approaches with a wider, relevant stakeholder group, and to obtain important feedback which can be fed into the research process. The key question to address during the workshop was: “what are the lessons learned in the inception phase of VBDC research and how would these lessons shape project implementation in the next phase?”. It was expected that the workshop would contribute to ensuring relevance of the research agenda, as well as strengthening the integration of the five VBDC projects and their teams.

West Africa's rice imports currently satisfy 70% of the soaring local demand, worsening the food vulnerability of an increasingly urbanized population. Despite considerable rice-growing potential, lack of water control systems, access to improved seeds, agrochemicals and appropriate mechanization have resulted in modest production growth rates, unable to alter the region's dependency on imported rice. Governments aim to boost production with import duties and input subsidies. However, questions remain as to whether these policies enable the rice sector to respond to changing consumers preferences for high grade rice and to contribute to national economic growth. We present the results from a Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) on rice production in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Niger and under three water management systems: irrigation (public scheme), supplemented rain-fed (rainfall aided by autonomously-sourced water supplies) and purely rain-fed. Our results show that policy interventions in these West African countries (i.e., input subsidies and import taxes) did not significantly enhance the profitability of rice production to farmers due to the effect of market failures (limited capital access and non-competitive market for rice) and the low quality of local milled rice. The PAM results point strongly to the importance of improving rice quality and yields through more efficient water management and post-harvest handling/processing and targeted breeding to match consumers' preferences.

Food insecurity is a major challenge facing the rapidly growing population in the sub-Saharan Africa and it is a common feature in the northern region of Burkina Faso. The focus of this study was to investigate the prevalence of food insecurity in the northern region of Burkina Faso after many years of implementation of water and soil conservation techniques. A survey was carried out in six villages in the Northern Region of Burkina Faso involving 300 households to assess water and soil conservation techniques, and to examine the prevalence of food insecurity. The study was conducted between June and July 2015. Data collected was analyzed using logistic regression to identify factors influencing food insecurity in the study areas. The results also showed a high level of food insecurity affecting a large proportion of the population even during the post-harvest period when food was supposed to be available. Results showed that water and soil conservation techniques and household head education level were important factors in determining household food insecurity status. Despite the application of these techniques, food insecurity is still persistent, which raised questions about the efficiency of current agricultural production systems. In addressing food insecurity in the study area, it is necessary to reinforce the practice of combining stone bunds and inter-row ridges techniques along with proper use of fertilizer and manure. Given the persistent problem of water scarcity in Burkina Faso, and the relationship between water and food security, there is need to increase investment in water management infrastructures.

As befits a CGIAR Challenge Program , the CPWF has welcomed a wide range of stake holders and partners in accord with their ability to achieve program goals. Decision on research investments (project selection) have been based on a competitive grants in which proposal quality was evaluated by an interdependent external panel. The usual weakness of a competitive grants approach - lack of coherence in research agenda has been address by Basin Focal Projects and synthesis research.

1.5 billion people live in fragility and conflict-affected settings (FCAS) and they face an increased risk of food insecurity and poverty trap. A systems approach in collaboration with innovators in FCAS is needed to produce practical and inclusive solutions that can improve the resilience of food, land, and water systems (FLWS). CGIAR is in the unique position to produce transformative policies, programming, and market strategies to bring science-driven innovation to improve resilience among FCA communities and create a bridge between the humanitarian, development, and peace (HDP) nexus. This market report conducts a market assessment across 14 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia to inform a science-driven acceleration programme to scale CGIAR innovations in FCAS. The analysis in the report is from a newly developed database on FLWS-HDP innovation ecosystem actors, which includes 600+ innovator data covering 90+ solution types and 200+ funding supporters, including investors, governments, NGOs, hubs, and other collaborative ecosystem enablers. Additionally, the report draws insights from consultations with experts in the ecosystem ranging from CGIAR practitioners to innovation hubs and innovators (Chapter 1). The ecosystem mapping shows that the FLWS-HDP innovation ecosystem is still nascent in many FCA countries, and is largely concentrated on food production. Water resources, migration, and anticipatory action innovations only take up 20% of all innovations. Financial support to enable private innovators has been rising and 25% of the innovators mapped in the selected countries have raised funding amounting to over $330M as of November 2023, with investors from the private sector paving the way and with public-private partnerships (PPPs) increasingly playing an important role. Funding support from private investors and PPPs support early-stage innovation development by creating hubs, de-risking funding by co-investing with the private sector, and directly providing financial support to the innovators. International donors, governments and investors from the Global North are also prevalent in the ecosystem as 90% of actors supporting innovators are from outside the FCA countries. Local actors often work with international actors to implement programmes, co-invest, and help source high-impact innovators. There is little evidence of international research organisations’ activities in the FCAS so far (Chapter 2). Developing a sustainable FLWS-HDP innovation ecosystem in FCAS is met with challenges related to limited infrastructural resources, value chain disruptions, and heightened security risks. However, opportunities also exist, especially when innovators flexibly adapt innovations to address local challenges, and in settings where the solutions become tools to better facilitate and coordinate humanitarian, government, and private sector initiatives. Hence, supporting private sector innovation should prioritise localising solutions for the specific context to increase longerterm sustainability. Research organisations should support by developing systems to bring science to sector value chains and becoming expert support for innovators. Lastly, partnerships with governments, local actors, and international NGOs should be leveraged to bring innovations to tackle local challenges (Chapter 3). Finally, he report provides an overview of the macroeconomic and FCA context and an analysis of the FLW-HDP innovation ecosystem for each of the 14 countries The country overviews highlight that each country has a unique set of challenges and opportunities for developing a resilient innovation ecosystem, yet there are strong signals that innovators, support initiatives, and actors are making an impact in improving the conditions for FLW and HDP systems in FCA contexts (Chapter 4).

This reports summarizes and synthesizes activities and achievements of the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) through the end of 2007. The CPWF is an intiative of the CGIAR designed to take on the global challenge of water scarcity and food security. It is an international, multi-institutional researchfor- development initiative that brings together scientists, development specialists and river basin communities, and seeks to create and disseminate international public goods (IPGs) helpful in achieving food security, reducing poverty, improving livelihoods, reducing agriculture–related pollution, and enhancing environmental security. The CPWF conducts its research on water and food in nine ‘benchmark’ river basins, organized around five different themes. This work is being implemented through competitive-call projects, Basin Focal Projects (BFPs), small grant projects and synthesis research. This report is one example of the latter. Projects and outputs Part of the CPWF’s work has focused on increasing water productivity in rainfed environments. Achievements include the further development of conservation agriculture for no-till sowing into crop residues; “slash and mulch” to replace “slash and burn” practices in hillside agriculture; water harvesting systems for dryland locations; understanding livelihood vulnerability and farmers’ coping strategies; and developing and encouraging the distribution—through community ‘participatory’ varietal selection and seed schemes—of drought-tolerant sorghum, wheat, and other crops. Progress has also been made in increasing water productivity in irrigated and salt-affected environments, especially where water is scarce and there are opportunities to increase its productivity. Examples include the development and testing of salt-tolerant germplasm for rice and other crops to make more effective use of salt-affected areas; understanding how to use wastewater in irrigated peri-urban agriculture to produce safe and nutritious vegetables; and developing aerobic rice germplasm and management practices to produce more rice with less water.

This work was carried out under the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA), with financial support from the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. | This research examines the relationship between semi-arid lands and national economic development, and the potential of food/agricultural trade to buffer semi-arid land vulnerability and mitigate water scarcity. It investigates a key assumption in development thinking – that water limits in semi-arid areas constrain economic growth. The research findings question whether future investment should be targeted at semi-arid lands directly, or whether wider national institutional and capacity considerations, including food trade, should be given more attention as a means of mitigating the vulnerability of people, land and economies to climate change.

As a program designed for bridging research to development outcome, the CPWF considers regular reflection, learning and adaptive management as crucial elements in the implementation of the basin programs. Reflection implies that the project teams and key stakeholders take stock of what is going on in the project in terms of the science and the process and revisit basic assumptions that underpinned their research. Such reflection provides opportunities for the learning which directs adaptive management. In 2012, basin level reflection took the form of a Field Tour, Learning Events, and a Science Workshop, held between 29 June and 5 July.