Actual crop water use in project countries : a synthesis at the regional level

This report aims to synthesize the results of a crop water use study conducted by country teams of the GEF/World Bank project, Regional Climate, Water, and Agriculture: Impacts on and Adaptation of Agro-ecological Systems in Africa. It also presents the results of the second phase of the study based on climate change scenarios, conducted by the South Africa country team. The actual evapotranspiration of five commonly grown crops-maize, millet, sorghum, groundnuts, and beans-in two selected districts were analyzed by six country teams. In addition, two country teams also analyzed other crops grown in the districts. The regional analysis shows that the actual yield of the different crops-specifically of maize and groundnuts-improves with an increase in actual evapotranspiration, although the gap remains wide between actual and potential yield and actual and maximum evapotranspiration, especially for the rainfed crops. This highlights the importance of improved water management if agriculture is to play an important role as a source of food security and better livelihoods. The report highlights the vulnerability of maize to water stress and the increased risks to the viability of rainfed farming systems based on this crop. The results of the second phase of analysis show that a 2°C increase in the temperature and a doubling of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere will shorten the growing period of maize, which will result in decreased crop water requirement and use. The authors recommend extending this type of analysis to other crops as well as to other countries to developa clearer picture of the changing pattern in crop water use of the major crops grown in the project countries.Water Supply and Sanitation Governance and Institutions,Crops&Crop Management Systems,Water Conservation,Water Supply and Systems,Town Water Supply and Sanitation

Climate trends and extremes in the Indus River Basin, Pakistan: implications for agricultural production

ABSTRACT: Historical and future projected changes in climatic patterns over the largest irrigated basin in the world, the Indus River Basin (IRB), threaten agricultural production and food security in Pakistan, in particular for vulnerable farming communities. To build a more detailed understanding of the impacts of climate change on agricultures in the IRB, the present study analyzes (1) observed trends in average temperature, precipitation and related extreme indicators, as well as seasonal shifts over a recent historical period (1997-2016); and (2) statistically downscaled future projections (up to 2100) from a set of climate models in conjunction with crop-specific information for the four main crops of the IRB: wheat, cotton, rice and sugarcane. Key findings show an increasing trend of about over 0.1ºC/year in observed minimum temperature across the study area over the historical period, but no significant trend in maximum temperature. Historical precipitation shows a positive annual increase driven mainly by changes in August and September. Future projections highlight continued warming resulting in critical heat thresholds for the four crops analyzed being increasingly exceeded into the future, in particular in the Kharif season. Concurrently, inter-annual rainfall variability is projected to increase up to 10-20% by the end of the 21st century, augmenting uncertainty of water availability in the basin. These findings provide insight into the nature of recent climatic shifts in the IRB and emphasize the importance of using climate impact assessments to develop targeted investments and efficient adaptation measures to ensure resilience of agriculture in Pakistan into the futur

USCID fourth international conference

Presented at the Role of irrigation and drainage in a sustainable future: USCID fourth international conference on irrigation and drainage on October 3-6, 2007 in Sacramento, California.Includes bibliographical references.On the basis of previous tools and approaches widely used in Asia by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in its modernization program (Rapid Appraisal Procedure (RAP) & Benchmarking), FAO has developed a systematic approach for canal operation improvement from the diagnosis up to the formulation of operational units and planning of a service objective agreed upon with the users. The proposed comprehensive methodology for analyzing canal operation modernization, is based on a systematic mapping exercise: MApping System and Services for Canal Operation TEchniques — MASSCOTE (FAO, 2007). It consists of successively mapping: • Performance, through a Rapid Appraisal Procedure (RAP): to diagnose the processes and assess performance, increase knowledge about the constraints and opportunities which the system management has to consider. • System Capacity and Behaviour (Sensitivity): to assess the capacity of a canal network with regards to its various function (transport, diversion, control, etc.), as well as its behaviour through the sensitivity analysis. • Perturbations: which describes the disturbances (occurrences, magnitudes) that are likely to occur along the irrigation canal systems. • Water Networks and Water Balance: which influence the way water resources circulate, are managed and monitored. • Service to Users: to determine service objective characteristics tailored to the users' needs and willingness to pay. • Partitioning of Sub-Management Units: many large systems should be split into small (but not too small) manageable units. In the context of management transfer, users associations should be large enough to be able to recruit a professional to properly operate their sub-system. • Demand for Canal Operation, which depends on the service requirements, the perturbations, the opportunities for water management, and the capacity and sensitivity of the irrigation structures. • Options for Canal Operation Improvements, which are determined by the local conditions, availability of resources and capacity in mastering upgraded techniques. • Consolidation of a System Management Plan, with the goal to ensure consistency among the management units at the upper level. This paper describes the MASSCOTE methodology for developing a strategy for improvements in canal operation and the lessons learned from its application in several countries of Asia

Water availability, use and challenges in Pakistan: Water sector challenges in the Indus Basin and impact of climate change

This working paper takes stock of Pakistan's water resource availability, delineating water supply system and its sources including precipitation and river flows, and the impact of increasing climatic variability on the water supply system. In particular, the paper focuses on the current water usage and requirements in the agricultural sector, and how changing climatic conditions will affect the consumption patterns. With inflows expected to become more variable in the coming years, the severity of climatic extremities will become more pronounced, driving up water demands in addition to the demand increase from a rising population and urbanization. Over extraction of groundwater resources is also disturbing the water calculus and pushing the country towards a critical demand-supply gap.Non-PRIFPRI5DSG