Farmer-led irrigation development
Research conducted in collaboration with Wageningen University pioneered the concept of farmer-led irrigation development (FLID) to describe a process in which farmers lead their own development, making use of opportunities around them. The research demonstrated that, over the past 20 years, smallholder farmers have developed hundreds of thousands of hectares of irrigated commercial production with little outside support. It is important, therefore, to strengthen this bottom-up process to reduce the impact of climate change to protect sustainable livelihoods. Farmer-led irrigation development has been now taken up by the World Bank and the African Union as a valuable approach for agricultural development in Africa.
At Resilience, we work hand-in-hand with farmers, providing them with tools, knowledge and access to resources. Our approach to facilitating and catalysing FLID processes further is by:
We piloted these elements in the APSAN-Vale project in Mozambique by scaling up and accelerating FLID. In the project, farmers innovated, became self-reliant, and developed sustainable agricultural practices that enhanced productivity and strengthened their ability to recover from shocks and adapt to a changing environment. Farmers doubled their irrigated production area, diversified their crops, and increased their income. We are currently implementing FLID in the Sustainable Livelihood Development Programme, supporting farmers in the buffer zone of the Goronogsa National Park and in the Mangwana project.
In addition to our direct engagement with farmers, we support remote sensing, hydrological, and social research in order to provide national policy makers with data so that they can expand irrigation and make better estimates about water use and food production. We also provide hydrological advice on flood risk assessments, contributing to the resilience of vulnerable communities. Through capacity building, knowledge development and advocacy, we provide tools and expand understanding of FLID and participatory design in Africa among practitioners, decision makers and project implementers. We also design and facilitate access to irrigation technologies, including low-cost soil humidity sensors.
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Focusing on increasing smallholder farmers’ agricultural, irrigation, market and business knowledge (e.g. through extension services and farmer-to-farmer training).
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Identifying and addressing production system needs, including the introduction of locally embedded innovations and technologies (e.g. improved seeds, irrigation techniques and production methods).
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Strengthening the enabling environment (e.g. through digital innovations that improve access to information, policy advocacy).
