Does Irrigation Size Matter for Food Security and Nutrition?
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Elizabeth Bryan SEMINAR Irrigation Investment Policy: Does Scale Matter? Co-organized by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and IFPRI MAY 24, 2022 - 9:30 TO 11:30AM EDT
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Does Irrigation Size Matter for Food Security and Nutrition?
- 1. DOES IRRIGATION SIZE MATTER FOR FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION? Elizabeth Bryan Senior Scientist, Environment and Production Technology Division International Food Policy Research Institute Washington, DC | 24 May 2022
- 2. Does Size of Irrigation Matter for Food Security and Nutrition? Irrigation plays an important role in global food security 1 Small- and large-scale irrigation support food security in different ways 2 Crops produced with large- and small-scale irrigation differ Fewer opportunities for smallholder farmers in large schemes 3 Untapped potential especially for further expansion of small-scale irrigation 4 1 Batchelor and Schnetzer 2018, WWAP 2018; 2 Dillon 2010; 3 Tatlhego and D'Odorico 2022 ; 4 Xie et al. 2021; Xie et al. 2018; Xie et al. 2014; Giordano et al. 2012; You et al. 2011
- 3. Pathways from Irrigation to Nutrition and Health Outcomes Source: Bryan, Chase, and Schulte 2019
- 4. Evidence of the Pathways from Irrigation to Nutrition Growing evidence supports the link between small- scale irrigation and nutrition along the production and income pathways: o Production pathway → production diversity, consumption nutritious crops, market availability1 o Income pathway → diet diversity, increased spending on non-food items, maternal and child nutrition2 Less evidence of a direct WASH → nutrition pathway, but some potential3 Potential benefits to women but less evidence of empowerment → nutrition pathway through irrigation4 1 Alaofè et al. 2016; Burney et al. 2013; De Fraiture and Giordano 2014; Olney et al. 2015; Kabunga, Ghosh and Griffiths 2014 2 Pasarelli et al. 2018; Mekonnen et al. 2022; Alaofè et al. 2016; Burney and Naylor 2012 3 van Biljon et al. 2022 4 Bryan and Mekonnen 2022
- 5. Source: Bryan, Chase, and Schulte 2019
Notes de l'éditeur
- Irrigation (both large and small-scale irrigation) play an important role in global food security. Forty percent of the world’s crops are produced under irrigation on only 20% of cultivated area (Batchelor and Schnetzer 2018, WWAP 2018). However, evidence suggests that large- and small-scale irrigation support food security in different ways A study from Mali showed that SSI has a larger effect on agricultural production and agricultural income than large-scale irrigation, but large-scale irrigation has a larger effect on consumption per capita (Dillon 2010). Also, the crop mix produced under large- and small-scale irrigation systems differ. Large irrigation schemes produce more staple grains as well as cash crops, like sugarcane, while a more diverse mix of nutritious crops, like fruits and vegetables, tend to be produced with SSI. In addition, food insecure smallholder producers may be less likely to benefit from large irrigation schemes and investments Results from a recent study show that recent dam projects in Africa are associated either with the establishment of large-scale farming, or a transition from small-scale to mid- or large-scale agriculture (Tatlhego and D'Odorico 2022) In terms of the future development of irrigation—several studies have pointed to the greater potential for expansion of small-scale irrigation relative to large irrigation schemes Thus, there seems to be greater untapped potential for expansion of SSI to contribute to food security objectives (Xie et al. 2021; Xie et al. 2018; Xie et al. 2014; Giordano et al. 2012; You et al. 2011)
- Because gaining access to water is one of the main challenges facing farm households, irrigation can dramatically alter agriculture to nutrition pathways We can think of several pathways from the introduction of irrigation to improved food security, nutrition and health outcomes These are a production pathway, an income pathway, a water supply pathway and a women’s empowerment pathway In terms of the production pathway, farmers who irrigate may change what crops they chose to plant—growing crops that have higher water requirements that are often more nutrient dense foods like vegetables and fruit. Irrigation also enables farmers to expand the production calendar leading to greater stability of food supply throughout the year. And supplemental irrigation can increase resilience to climate shocks, buffering households against negative impacts on food security The second pathway is the income pathway. By increasing yields and profits, irrigation can increase household spending on nutritious foods that they don’t produce themselves (such as animal source foods) and other non-food items that have positive implications for nutrition and health (such as healthcare) Irrigation can also increase availability of water for multiple purposes which can lead to improvements in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (or WASH) environment. However not all irrigation water is suitable for domestic purposes and there are some other health concerns with irrigation such as the incidence of vector borne diseases like malaria Lastly to the extent that irrigation facilitates women’s empowerment, this would have positive implications for nutrition through all of these pathways given evidence that women make different planting choices and keep foods produced on the farm for consuming at home. They also direct more of the income they control towards food purchases, and they often manage water, especially for domestic purposes
- So what does the evidence on these various pathways show? There is growing evidence that irrigation, especially small-scale irrigation, supports nutrition outcomes along the production and income pathways: In terms of the production pathway, several studies have shown that small-scale irrigation increases production diversity and consumption of nutritious foods grown with irrigation (like fruits and vegetables) (Alaofè et al. 2016; Olney et al. 2015; Kabunga, Ghosh and Griffiths 2014) Research also shows that SSI increases the availability of nutritious foods in local marketplaces, which increases access to these foods among non-irrigating households in local communities (Burney et al. 2013; De Fraiture and Giordano 2014) SSI also leads to greater dietary diversity through an income pathway (Pasarelli et al. 2018; Mekonnen et al.) and higher spending on food, healthcare and education (Alaofè et al. 2016; Burney and Naylor 2012) Ultimately, emerging evidence suggests a direct connection with nutrition outcomes—recent research in Ethiopia and Tanzania shows that SSI increases weight for height z scores in children under 5 and diet adequacy in women of reproductive age (Mekonnen et al.) While there is less evidence of the WASH pathway, emerging results show that households with SSI are also more likely to have sufficient domestic water and improved sanitation facilities However, this study suggests that not all water sources should be treated the same and that GW is safer for multiple uses (van Biljon et al.) In addition, while some studies show that women do benefit from irrigation, there less evidence that interventions for SSI lead to women’s empowerment as currently designed (Bryan and Mekonnen)
- I’ll just close by pointing out that there are several entry points to make more nutrition-sensitive irrigation and water management investments at multiple scales These include: Promoting uptake of nutrient dense crops, including in home gardens managed by women Engaging in conservation and restoration activities that increase the sustainability of irrigated production and reduce health risks Increase women’s voice in the design and implementation of irrigation interventions