Nile Basin Development Challenge: Rainwater Management Systems

Tilahun Amede, CPWF Nile Basin Coordinator

Nile Basin Development Challenge Launch Workshop, Addis Ababa, 29 September 2010

The Blue Nile Basin

Significant land and water resources potential but under utilized:

Lack of know how & technologies

Low per capita storage facility

High spatial and temporal variations

Complexity due to trans-boundary nature of rivers

Problems related to supporting institutions, capacity, water use rights, management …etc

• The impact of drought costs 1/3rd of growth potential of Ethiopian economy

Importance of AWM in Ethiopia

Impact of rainfall variability on GDP and Agricultural GDP growth

-80

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

19

82

19

83

19

84

19

85

19

86

19

87

19

88

19

89

19

90

19

91

19

92

19

93

19

94

19

95

19

96

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

year

%

-30

-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

rainfall variability

GDP growth

Ag GDP growth

-GDP Growth: 2002/3 GDP was -3.3%; 2004/5 was 11.9%; 2005/6 was 10.6%

6.4% average growth

Communities in Ethiopian highlands not been able to deal with recurrent drought or flood; ravaged by both. They are ill-equipped to prevent both, loosing precious topsoil and nutrients.

Rain Water Management Options

Baskets of Interventions for Rainwater Management

SWC

WH Pond

Micro damDiversion

Pits

Hand dug wells

Blue Nile basin harbors considerable untapped potential for irrigation but inefficient schemes.

Deforestation in ‘water towers’ allows limited water infiltration and increased runoff rates, decrease soil water availability for crops, and reduce recharge of groundwater;

Protecting water towers of Blue Nile

• Identifying Incentive mechanisms for upper watershed communities

• Develop models to integrate value-adding enterprises (bee farming, dairy, fattening , medicinal…)

• Analysing and improving various local watershed protection policies (area enclosure- not enough)

• Developing less-labour intensive water harvesting structures like half moons, ditches, zai pits..

Amede, 2004

Soil Erosion and land degradation costing the country about USD 7 billion in the last 10 years; ‘Took away history & pride’.

Treatments OM (%)

Control (no conservation) 1.5

6-yrs soil bund + lucerne 2.4

9-yrs soil bund + lucerne 5.0

9-yrs soil bund + vetiver 3.3

9-yrs soil bund 5.5

CV (%) 12.8

SEX 0.23

Nitrogen (%)

0.12

0.17

0.28

0.22

0.28

14.17

0.03 (Yihenew etal, 2008)

Grain Kg/ha

561.3

1284.3

1878.7

1187.5

1712.5

8.1

53.89

So

il l

os

s/R

un

off

(%

Co

ntr

ol)

0

20

40

60

80

100 Run-off Soil loss

Col 1

La

bo

ur

de

ma

nd

(W

ork

da

ys

/ha

)

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200Labour at 5% Labour at 20% Labour at 50%

Soil erosion loss, Run-off and Labour Requirement for Conservation of Highland Soils.

Sources: SCRP (1996) and Bekele S & S. Holden, 2001

Micro dose

Zai T

ub

er

yie

ld (

t/h

a)

0

4

8

124050607080

Control With ZaiWithout Zai

Tu

ber

yie

ld (

t/h

a)

0123430

4050607080

Tu

ber

yie

ld (

t/h

a)

01234

1215182124

Farm A

Farm B

Farm C

February 2004 October 2005

19

May 2003 October 2005

Photo: Gete Zeleke

Hay production in exclosures (t DM ha-1) Scenario

Depleted water (106 m3)

Biomass production (ton)

Energy production (106 MJ ME)

Energy WP (MJ m-3)

Milk production (1000 kg)

Change in milk WP (%)

1.2 all grazing 2.3 867 7.93 3.5 1454 (measured) exclosure 1.7 784 6.88 4.0 1263 13

2.5 all grazing 2.3 867 7.93 3.5 1454

(maximum) exclosure 1.8 1054 9.04 4.9 1660 40

1

WATER HARVESTING – LIVESTOCK PRODUCTIVITY• Water for livestock drinking in the dry period• Reduction of walking distance to access water: from 9 km to 2 km

• Energy for walking is reduced from 1956 MJ ME / TLU to 584 MJ ME / TLU per year

• (Milk equivalent of 252 litre), water productivity improves by 35%- 75%

Large number of institutions (government, NGOs, CGIAR centres, bilateral and multilateral donor) working on NRM in

the basin; institutional mandates than aligning bigger national agenda.

Major institutional constraints

• Overlaps in mandates; • Inter-sectoral and inter-departmental

communication and coordination;• Lack of clarity and even some conflict

regarding lead responsibilities ; • Ineffective enforcement of regulations; • Lack of systematic monitoring and

evaluation systems; • Continuing de facto reliance on command

and control from the top; and • Constant disruptive re-organizations.

Nile Basin Development Challenge (NBDC)

• NBDC research will focus on the Ethiopian highlands and will examine the interrelated issues of rainwater management;

• Understanding causes and its consequences of low rainwater productivity;

• Innovations for improving rainwater management systems; addressing poverty, vulnerability and resources degradation in the basin.

Contributing to the efforts i) Crop and livestock water productivity;ii) Managing rainfall variability, iii)Minimizing land degradation and downstream siltation of water

storage infrastructure;iv)Enhancing capacity of institutions communities manage climatic

and market shocks

Improvement through well-targeted combinations of technologies, up-scaling ‘best bets’, policies and institutions, understanding of downstream & cross-scale consequences, facilitating learning, collective action, commitment to change • Nile 1: On learning from the past;• Nile 2: On integrated rainwater

management strategies – technologies, institutions and policies;

• Nile 3: On targeting and scaling out• Nile 4: On assessing and anticipating

consequences of innovation• Nile 5: Nile Coordination and platforms

Nile Basin Leaderi. Managing and leading the Coordination Project

ii. Oversees and coordinates the implementation of the four CPWF-supported research programs designed to tackle pressing BDC; RMS

iii. Ensure coherence and integration of the overall BDC research;

iv. Linking, complementing with and motivating a wider movement, initiatives and organizations who are also working towards addressing the BDC agenda;

v. Together with CPWF M&E team managing M&E and impact assessment of NBDC;

vi. Enabling learning, partnerships and impact;

vii.Facilitating cross-scale innovation and knowledge

Nile 1

• Review and Synthesis of historical perspectives of land, water, NRM research in Ethiopia and progress to date; experiences of programs and projects on rainwater management (RWM) in Ethiopia

• Inventory and characterization of

actors

Nile 2. RMS for Landscape scale (Technologies, policies and institutions;

innovations)

Nile 3. Targeting and up-scaling

Mapping, targeting, up-scaling of bio-physical and institutional interventions affecting RWM strategies

Blanket approaches

Evaluation of scenario’s of best-bet practices

Tools for dissemination / adoption / modification / useof Best Practices for Improved Rainwater systems in Ethiopian highlands

Nile 4: On assessing and anticipating consequences of innovation

Evidence Impact at various levels Downstream effects Upstream effects Policy and institutional shift Economic and social consequences

4. Innovation Capacity Building and Dissemination4.1 Capacity Building4.2 Dissemination

3. Analysis of water productivity savings3.1Green Blue Water Accounting3.2 Analysis of productivity savings3.2 Analysis of waterlogged savings

2. Analysis of best land use systems2.1 Crop and livestock productivity through RMS2.3 LLH analysis2.4 Economic analysis

1. Information on the likely cross-scale consequences1.1 Synthesis of existing knowledge1.2 Develop tools and methods for biophysical1.3 Policy and institutional consequences

Nile 5 objectives 1. Ensure that synergies, lessons and

interactions between the other four Nile BDC projects are fully exploited so that the whole is greater than the sum;

2. Contributing to wider efforts to improve rural livelihoods and their resilience through facilitating rainwater management systems in the Blue Nile basin

Linkages

Sub-regional

Landscape

Farm level

ImpactLearning

Communication

Nile 5.Coordinati

on, platforms

Nile 4. Consequences, impact, tradeoffs

Nile 2. Innovatio

ns, technologi

es , practices

Nile 3. Mapping, targeting. Up-scaling

Nile 1. Inventory

and synthesis

Linkages

Link

ages

Rainwater management is a function of interaction across scales

Level 3… … ……National/regional scales

Creating linkages, capacity building, facilitating learning, up scaling good practices, communication, sharing

evidence for policy, cross-boundary linkages

Level 2… … …… Landscape scalesIntegrating landscape components, minimizing land and water degradation, capacitating local actors, identifying niches and integrating good practices

Level 1… … …… Field plots Producing evidence, quantifying effects,

characterizing impact and facilitating learning

part-of

part-of

Objects

CPWF working principles

• Strong partnership; range of partners, larger network and linkages

• Interdisciplinary research; disciplines and institutions

• Capacity building; mentoring, facilitating • Gender and diversity; ability to participate

in and derive benefit from water • Learning, documentation and

communication • Innovation for action

Innovation for action

• Capitalizing on past and current knowledge

• Strengthen Partnership and networking across scales: to share, to debate, to learn – Identifying existing actors and networks,

characterize them and link with them for collective action;

– Planning in alignment with government initiatives

Effective Communication

BDC level and individual project level ‘internal’ communication and uptake strategies (Wikis, Yammers, blogs, teleconferences);

Capitalizing on existing communication strategies, extension and scaling-up approaches and identifying success cases, where, how and which RWM interventions were effectively adopted and promoted (workshops, publications, media, blogs, platforms, advisory groups));

Outreaching the unreachable: Develop tools and methods for up scaling RWM products, identify channels required and the mechanisms of delivery for specific stakeholder groups

Functional partnership We will have two different types of

partners:1) directly engaged in the project

and share the responsibilities and funds;

2) form the wider network, for whom partnership adds value to what they are already doing will participate in consultations and as targets for influence

NBI / ASARECA/ CRS, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural

Development, and BoARDMinistry of Water Resources of

Ethiopia, BoWR Bahir Dar, Wollega and Ambo

Universities, Cornell University, EIAR, ARAR, OARI, TARIOther implementing agencies such as

SWISHA, RRHN, GTZ, IFAD, ENTRO, etc

Targets Changing practices

Our strategy

Farmers and communities

• Increased innovation and uptake of RWMs / Adoption

• Participatory action research• Incentives for implementations

Development actors(extension, NGOs)

• Tailor interventions to specific niches• Motivation and engagement• Promoting effective RWMs

• Building on existing knowledge• Tools for targeting• Communication materials• Platforms• Distilling lessons

Planners • Use evidence-based tools• Integrated approaches• Recognize trade-offs

• Co-developing agenda• Roundtable discussion• Dissemination workshops

Target clients

Changing practices Our strategy

Policy makers

Increased interest and investment RWMs Functional water policies Institutionalize good practices, institutional arrangements

Improved linkages with technicians Improved communication, policy messages Dissemination tools, media

Regional organizations

Using scaling out methods Evidence based resource allocation Beyond traditional boundaries Commitment to RWMS

Regular updating/ sharing Co-developing policy messages Evidence on targeting Broader Platforms

Investors Invest on demand-driven and high impactCommitment to RWMS

Engaging them Platforms / forums Co-developing the agenda Dissemination tools

Target clients

Changing practices Our strategy

Research-ers

• Broader the scope, beyond specialization• Move towards targeted interventions• Link research to development• Develop Demand-driven interventions

• Co-developing methods and tools• Provide intermediate results• Scientific workshops• Capacity building• Publications• Co-authorship

Issues for Discussion

Moving into non-conventional frontiers, Rainwater

Maintaining & forming unusual partnership

Dealing with diversity & complexity

Farm communities taking charge slowly

Institutional arrangements are complex

Capacity to scale-up complex NRM agenda limited

Non-coherent approaches, institutional mandate

Well come to NBDC!