In the framework of the AgWater Solutions project, FAO, in collaboration with national institutions of Tanzania, coordinated a participatory mapping process. The aim was to map and assess the potential of water investments for poverty reduction. Participants included a large number of national experts from different fields (agriculture, water, social sciences) and institutions (government, universities, NGOs, farmer associations and the private sector). The approach, developed by FAO, assessed the needs of poor rural people and the role that water plays in their livelihoods together with the availability of natural resources and other economic aspects of agricultural production such as market and credit access.

This process was organized in two phases:

1. A first workshop set up the basis for the analysis and started depicting the relationships between rural livelihoods and agricultural water management.
2. A second series of events were organized to review the maps and refine the criteria used to define the potential for agricultural water management and the suitability of different technologies. The outputs were successfully enhanced through consultation with national and international experts and through data analysis.

Read more about the results of the mapping...