Rainfed agriculture

• Farmers decide what technologies to use to extract water, be it manual lifting or solar water pumps.
• Farmers purchase, run and maintain the operation themselves on their own farms or as part of small groups of farmers.
• Small-scale irrigation can help smallholder farmers to increase agricultural productivity and incomes.
• For these reasons, it can contribute more rapidly to the achievement of national agricultural and development goals, compared to large irrigation schemes.
• Small-scale irrigation contributes to the resilience of smallholder producers by preserving their food security and nutrition during times of drought.

What we found

• Women’s dietary diversity is a measure of quality of food access, defined as the consumption of different food groups over the previous 24 hours.
• We found that women’s diets in that region were generally poor and identified high seasonal fluctuations in diet quality.
• We used standard measures like weight-for-height deviations, also known as wasting, which is a measure of acute malnutrition.
• It is challenging to address through a single intervention such as irrigation.

Boosting the impact

• Irrigation should, therefore, be promoted as a nutrition intervention, in addition to its potential for higher yields, incomes and employment.
• They should have greater input into decisions about technology and crop choice, and control over irrigated output.
• Addressing nutritional deficiencies: Policy makers should promote irrigated foods that not only generate income but also address local nutrient deficiencies.
• The International Food Policy Research Institute, where Elizabeth Bryan works, receives funding from a large number of donors.