Investment options for integrating water-livestock-crop 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

For the AfDB meeting

in Tunis 18 April 2005,

AfDB April 2005

Outline

• Development context for agricultural water and livestock.

• Spatial analyses of SSA.

• Investment options for integrating water, crop and livestock development

AfDB April 2005

DEVELEOPMENT CONTEXT

SSA History of livestock in and around irrigation

• Plans to accommodate animals in irrigation planning rare. • Gezira: supports 1.7 million animals that make up 30% of

income, 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, drinking animals degrade water

and adjacent land and jeopardize human health.• Agricultural water development often marginalizes herders.• Lack of planning for water borne & zoonotic diseases.• Lack of assessment of market potential for livestock.• Lack of planning for integration of manure production and

animal power into irrigated crop production.AfDB April 2005

DEVELEOPMENT CONTEXT

Demand water for animal products to 2005

Meat & Milk consumption in SSA is increasing rapidly!

Country

group

Annual growth

(%)

Per capita consumption (Kg/person)

Meat Developed 0.6 83

SSA 3.5 11

Milk Developed 0.2 189

SSA 3.8 30 Source: Delgado et al., 1999

• Similar forces drive demand for irrigation and animal products.

• Meeting this demand can help poor people generate income

AfDB April 2005

DEVELEOPMENT CONTEXT

Livestock densities in SSA (TLU/km2)

Production system Criteria Irrigated Rainfed Grazing

Mean

Good 39 23 17 22 Market access Bad 14 14 10 11

High 45 31 39 33 Human density Low 26 14 11 12

High 55 15 10 14 Available water Low 16 22 12 16 Mean 32 20 11

• Agricultural intensification attracts livestock production• Irrigation is associated with highest livestock densities

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DEVELEOPMENT CONTEXT

Livestock, annual cropping & sedimentation

•Annual croplands contribute greatly to siltation of water resources• Improved INRM including livestock is needed

Source: Hurni, 1989

Sources of soil loss and sedimentation in Ethiopia

Area (%)

Soil loss (%)

Annual cropland

13 45

Grazing land

51 21

AfDB April 2005

DEVELEOPMENT CONTEXT

Livestock, annual cropping & sedimentation

• Annual croplands contribute greatly to siltation of water resources• Improved INRM with livestock needed

• Areas in Africa with greatest risk to agricultural water caused by poor livestock keeping practices.

• Includes the most important livestock countries: Sudan, Ethiopia and Nigeria.

• Risky areas usually associated with mixed crop-livestock production rather than grazing.

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DEVELEOPMENT CONTEXTPoorly planned expansion of irrigation and rainfed

farming sparks conflict with herders

• “Conflict … rooted in the soil.• 6 Million … farmers & herders.• Graziers migrate from arid North

to South after August rains.• Traditional tribal laws settled

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

forced herders into arable land.• Competition for resources turned

violent.

4 Oct 2004

An SSA-wide problem!!! AfDB April 2005

DEVELEOPMENT CONTEXT

Reasons to integrate investments in agricultural water livestock livestock

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

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

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

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Ag. Production systems

Available Discret. water Market accessPlus Urban livestock

Spatial Analyses of SSA

Where to invest in water for livestock?

15 Water-Livestock Development Domains

Human pop. density

Spatial Analyses of SSAWater-livestock investment domains

• WLDs highly diversified and specific interventions for each are needed.

• Cover 16.3 million km2 – 54% of Africa• Contain 625 million people – 78% of Africa• 139 million poor livestock keepers• 249 million Livestock TLU• Feed production requires about 112 million m3 of water

for maintenance only– About double this for profitable animal production– Associated evaporation uses up to six times more H20– Increasing demand for animal production will also

increase demand for agricultural water needed for irrigation.

AfDB April 2005

Selected investment optionsImprove irrigation system design

• Livestock are closely associated with irrigation.• Include pastoralists in irrigation planning processes:

– Historically, marginalized and loss of access to water.– Provide grazing & watering corridors in irrigation systems.– Offset losses from reduced dry season grazing through

increased access to residues from irrigated crops.– Use crop residues in chain linking herders to markets.

• Consider market potential for livestock and animal products as one option for optimizing irrigation systems outputs.– Use of dual purpose food-feed crops.– Near markets, use of water for irrigated feed production may

be profitable.AfDB April 2005

Selected investment options

Provide drinking water in irrigation systems

• Less than 5 % of animal water used but it is very important• Provide continuous supply to increase animal and milk

production: – Reduces heat stress on animals.– Increase efficiency of feed conversion.

• Prevents damage to canals. • Prevents water contamination.• Helps control helminthic and other water-borne diseases.• Support for livestock that farmers and labourers acquire as they step out of poverty: (Animals need a place to live)

Selected investment optionsEffective feed sourcing strategies

• Increase water productivity by feeding crop residues to animals because no extra water is used.

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

• Added value of animal production with little use of water increases profitability and provides farm power.

Teff for feed

Feed source H2O depleted

(m3/TLU/year)

Crop residue only 0

Forage crops only 450

Teff for Feed

Selected investment optionsReduce negative impact of livestock on water resources

• Keep animals away from irrigation canals and reservoirs– Providing drinking troughs & protect riparian vegetation.– Expand mandate of water users associations to include

common property grazing land in catchments.• Introduce livestock keeping practices that help protect

upslope soil and reduce sedimentation– Conservation tillage.– Zero grazing.– Increasing per animal productivity through better health,

nutrition breeding and husbandry to enable de-stocking.– Develop markets to farmers need to build up herd sizes.– Encourage alternative forms of wealth savings.

AfDB April 2005

Summary

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

• Integrating investments ag. water & livestock may help reduce 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.

• Diverse water development domains require specific solutions

• Significant increases in water productivity in SSA possible.

AfDB April 2005

Thank you