Towards sustainable agricultural water management

Abstract

This chapter reviews agricultural water uses and analyses agricultural water management (AWM) technologies in the Zambezi Basin. AWM can include direct rain as well as water supplied from surface water and underground sources, for agricultural purposes. Performance of government public-financed irrigation schemes has been found to be poorer in comparison to farmer-managed schemes, which are consistent with other evidence. Government-funded projects also tend to have a weaker monitoring mechanism. River diversion is one of the most popular and oldest approaches to AWM. This is perhaps the most common approach to AWM in the three countries. River diversion, typically community-managed, usually consists of temporary or semi-permanent weirs and earthen canals that divert surface water from rivers. Treadle pumps have received considerable focus in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. They are human-powered suction pumps that sit on top of a well and are used for irrigation.