Water and the Rural Poor

Water and the Rural Poor

Interventions for improving livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa

 

Edited by:

Jean-Marc Faurès and Guido Santini
FAO Land and Water Division


FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome, 2008

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Reprinted 2009

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ISBN 978-92-5-105982-1

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword pdf [290 KB]
Acknowledgements
List of acronyms
List of tables
List of figures
List of boxes

Part I [49 KB]
Introduction

Goals of the report
Organization of the report

Part 2  [166 KB]
Water, agriculture and rural livelihoods

The livelihoods perspective
   Rural livelihoods in transition
   New dynamics related to rural livelihoods
Implications for rural water strategies
Increasing agricultural productivity and impact on rural households
Water: access, control and management
The debate about irrigation and poverty reduction
The critical role of institutional reforms
Agriculture and rural poverty in sub-Saharan Africa
   Performance of agriculture in the region
   Adopting a broader approach to water control in agriculture
   Key challenges and issues for the region: a long-term perspective

Part 3  [3,941 KB]
Mapping poverty, water and agriculture In sub-Saharan Africa

[Section 1:  566 Kb] 
 [Section 2: 778 KB] [Section 3: 1,465 KB] – [Section 4:  1,248 KB]

Population, natural resources and agriculture
Overview of agricultural water management in the region
Mapping rural poverty in sub-Saharan Africa
    Context
    Child malnutrition as an indicator of poverty
    Measuring and mapping rural poverty
Mapping livelihoods in rural areas
    From farming system mapping to livelihood zoning
    Main livelihood zones and their relation to water in sub-Saharan Africa
Analysing poverty, water and agriculture across livelihood zones
    Rural poverty
    Agriculture and water
    Irrigation and water resources
Assessing the potential for poverty reduction through water interventions
    Prevalence of poverty
    Water as a limiting factor for rural livelihoods
    Potential for water intervention
    Priority for action

Part 4  [396 Kb] 
Interventions in water to improve livelihoods in rural areas

Matching the specific needs of different groups
Options for interventions in water
    Managing soil moisture at field level in rainfed areas
    Investing in small-scale water harvesting infrastructure
    Promoting community-based small-scale irrigation
    Improving existing irrigation systems
    Improving water control for peri-urban producers
    Investing in water for livestock production
    Facilitating multiple use of water
Essential conditions for success
    Ensuring enabling governance and policies
    Securing access to markets
    Physical infrastructure
    Land tenure and water rights
    Preventing soil degradation and restoring fertility
    Providing targeted subsidies and adapted financial packages
    Investing in human capital
Adapting interventions to local conditions
Assessing investment potential
Concluding note


References  [53 Kb] 

Annex 1. Description of the livelihood zones used in the report [54 Kb] 

Annex 2. Methodology to assess investment potential  [64 Kb] 

Glossary [159 Kb] 

     


© FAO 2008