IRWI: a phone app gives smallholders farmers the opportunity to improve water productivity in Egypt

IWMI's Office in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region led the development of IRWI phone app in partnership with SWERI (Soil, Water and Environmental institute –Agricultural Research Centre) and Modern Science and Art University. This project offered a co-design and co-create opportunity to the farmers and public institutions on the farm level to design and develop ”IRWI App”. IRWI-IRrigation Water Information Application developed and in the process of field trials with smallholders farmers with great feedbacks and uptake by farmers in three governorates (Kafer-ElShiekh, Dakahlia, Beheira). In Egypt, capacity building activities are focusing on increasing water productivity and yields in these three governorates for five key crops (rice, cotton, soybean, maize and potatoes) through improved timing of water application in irrigation schemes, using ICT (phone application) and crop health evolution and predicted yield. IRWI App, providing farmers with information customized to their plots, weather conditions and crop types and integrate geo-specific weather data, extract crop evapotranspiration values and net primary productivity from WaPOR (for main crops in the Delta), and translate that technical data into readable irrigation schedules and crop health. The app is specifying the amount of water required based on crop type, irrigation system, farm size, time of planting, water pump types and source of power and soil type.