Sustainable agricultural development in inland valleys Sander Zwart

Sander Zwart Currently (and since 2017): Faculty of Geo-information and Earth Observation (ITC) University of Twente, the Netherlands Before (2010-2017) Africa Rice Center Cotonou, Benin And before (2002-2010) WaterWatch Wageningen, the Netherlands PhD (Delft University) MSc Irrigation and water engineering (Wageningen Univ) MSc Geoinformation Science (Wageningen Univ) Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

The coming ½ hour: The importance of inland valley landscapes in Africa Functions, products, services Sustainable development framework Example: participatory rice development, Smart-valleys Discussion Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Inland valleys and food security Considered future ‘bread baskets’ of Africa Inland valley landscapes cover some 190 million ha in Africa Higher water availability and fertility than surrounding uplands Valley bottoms are highly suitable for rice-based systems 10% inland valleys developed to reach self-sufficiency Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Inland valleys functions What are the functions of the inland valleys What are their ecosystems services What are the products that they deliver Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Inland valleys functions What are the functions of the inland valleys? What are their ecosystems services? What are the products that they deliver? Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Inland valleys functions Exercise: Go again to the same link as yesterday on your phone or better laptop Answer the questions by entering short answers or keywords Use hyphens to connect two words that belong together: South Africa should be entered as South-Africa Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Inland valleys functions What are the functions of the inland valleys? What are their ecosystems services? What are the products that they deliver? pollev.com/sanderzwart481 Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Inland valleys functions What are the functions of the inland valleys? What are their ecosystems services? What are the products that they deliver? pollev.com/sanderzwart481 Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Regional potentials, local action! Multi-functional character Interest for exploitation, but vulnerable for degradation Farmer-centered agricultural development (Or participatory approaches) Development and production constraints Difficult to manage, water-borne diseases, weed pressure, soil fertility, etc. Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Regional potentials, local action! Sustainable agricultural development. Essential steps and some tools: Selecting suitable inland valleys Geospatial analysis and monitoring, surveys and machine learning Participatory land use planning Multi-Stakeholder platforms, Working Wetland Potentials (WWP) Designing and implementing best-fit land and water management Rapid Pre-development Diagnostics (DIARPA), Smart-valleys Optimizing crop management practices Participatory Learning and Action Research (PLAR), farm household models Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Regional potentials, local action! Sustainable agricultural development. Essential steps and some tools: Selecting suitable inland valleys Geospatial analysis and monitoring, surveys and machine learning Participatory land use planning Multi-Stakeholder platforms, Working Wetland Potentials (WWP) Designing and implementing best-fit land and water management Rapid Pre-development Diagnostics (DIARPA), Smart-valleys Optimizing crop management practices Participatory Learning and Action Research (PLAR), farm household models Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Smart–valleys ‘Traditional’ investments project develop: Concrete structures including canals, weirs, divers, etc. Stone dams Bottlenecks Short project period Slow process (tenders) Low quality of works No ownership = no maintenance Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Smart–valleys Requirements for sustainable implementation: Strong farmers organization Continued support (from extension agencies) Land tenure arrangements Access to credits and markets Stakeholder participation Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Smart–valleys Requirements for sustainable implementation: Strong farmers organization Continued support (from extension agencies) Land tenure arrangements Access to credits and markets Stakeholder participation Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Smart–valleys Smart-valleys development approach Simple Participatory Low-cost Easy to replicate 5 steps approach in which farmers are participating fully Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Smart–valleys Sensitization of farmers Land clearing Design of the system System implementation Rice cultivation Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Smart–valleys Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Smart–valleys Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Smart–valleys Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Smart–valleys Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Smart–valleys Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda

Take home messages Loads of functions, products, multiple services and users There is place for agriculture in the inland valleys Sustainable development must be participatory/farmer-centered in consultation with the stakeholders Sustainable Agricultural Development in Inland Valleys SDG summer school, March 12–18, 2018 Kampala, Uganda