The Nile Basin Development Challenge: a component of the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food

Alan DuncanILRI Ethiopia projects meetingAddis Ababa, 11 March 2013

• CPWF aims to increase water productivity and resilience of social and ecological systems

• Through its broad partnerships, it conducts research that leads to local impact and wider change

Phase 2, start 2009

Basin Development Challenges (BDCs)• Nile – rainwater management in landscapes

• Andes – Benefit sharing mechanisms

• Ganges – intensification in coastal areas

• Limpopo – rainwater management and water access

• Mekong – dams, reservoirs and livelihoods

• Volta – rainwater management and small reservoirs

Programme StructureLearning about rainwater management systems. This project reviews past and ongoing activities, compiles an inventory of actors, and identifies best practices for dissemination and use.

Integrating technologies, policies and institutions. This project will develop integrated rainwater management strategies - to slow down land degradation and reduce downstream siltation.

Targeting and scaling out of rainwater management systems. This project will better target or ‘match’ promising technologies with particular environments, thus overcoming the limited success and impact of many past agricultural development efforts.

Assessing and anticipating the consequences of innovation in rainwater management systems. This project will quantify the consequences of improved rainwater management, measuring downstream, cross-scale consequences of successful innovation in the Ethiopian highlands.

Catalyzing platforms for learning, communication and coordination. This project provides a multi-stakeholder platform for all the projects in support of improved communication, innovation and adaptive management.

Nile BDC scales and sites

LocalNational

Basin

ILRI inputs into NBDC

• Work on livestock water productivity

• Diagnosis of current status of local planning and implementation around NRM

• Piloting approaches to bottom up NRM: innovation platforms, participatory planning tools (Wat-a-game etc)

• Suitability mapping

8Simplified framework for assessing livestock-water productivity can help identify options to reduce water depletion associated with animal keeping and increase goods and …. (Peden et al., 2007).

Livestock water productivity

Calculating livestock water productivity

More milk per cow means less water use per litre of milk

Assessment of current NRM planning approaches

Diagnosis of current status of local planning and implementation around NRM

Preliminary findings: RWM planning & implementation

RWM planning is based on a top-down quota system... with some perverse incentives affecting woreda officials and DAs

Woreda offices have an incentive to increase woreda targets to win resources, leading to pressure on implementaters at kebele level

DAs’ performance assessment is based on how far targets are met --> limited opportunity / incentive to innovate or listen to farmers.

Farmers report that they have very little say in where and how RWM is implemented, and some feel that government imposes on them.

Joint identification of common NRM issue to ensure collective

action

Innovation platforms

Conventional approach to agricultural research for development (especially

in Ethiopia)

Technologies

Why Innovation Platforms?

Or...

Experimenting with local participatory planning tools

A lot of talk about ‘participation’ but little knowledge about how to put it into action.

WAT-A-GAME- Participatory planning for NRM(www.watagame.info)

Nile Goblet Tool

Suitability mapping of rainwater management strategies

Global OLMUsed by:

NDBC Outputs

Impact assessment of future widespread

adoption of improved RMS in the Ethiopian

Highlands

Communication, documentation and

synthesis developed and used

+

RMS Synthesis, Scenarios, Maps and

Tools for planning

Tools for RMS planning at community, national and regional level developed

and tested

Maps identifying what RMS work best and where in the basin

Networks / platforms for improved RWM in

identified and strengthened

Institutions and incentives for RMS implementation

identified and strengthened

Analysis of the best land use systems for different parts of the

basin

Evidence at the lanscape level

Practice changes

OUTCOMES

Test, adapt and adopt RMS

Use more effective tools for planning for RMS at landscape scale and to negotiate

fair use and win- win solutions for the available resources

Improve planning, decision making and resource allocation processes

Work beyond traditional institutional boundaries

Knowledge, Attitude and skills changes

Main Actor groups

Farmers and Farming

Communities

Experience RMS that actually work

Greater capacity to engage in collective action in resource use

and management

Receive better incentives to do their work, are more aware of

benefits and cumulative impacts of strategic trans- insttitutional

boundary work on RWMStengthen abil ity to use tools,

such as integrated planning and scenario analysis

RWS Planners at local, national and

regional levels

Regional and local policy makers

Evidence-based planning and decision making supportive of RWMS

Have improved access to inputs, negotiate land use policy and

can facil itate community action

IMPACT

Improved farming l ivelihoods

More resil ient social and ecological

systemsImproved food

security

Actively create market opportunities and

incentive mechanisms, facil itate institutions,

influence the investment of time and

money in RWM systems

Policy Makers and investors (scaling up)

Increased adoption, adaptation and promotion of effective RMS

Work beyond traditional institutional boundaries and employ participatory research methods, considering gender

and end user prioritiesConduct research on fundamental basin

problemsPromote more problem-oriented RWM

research in university curricula

Have an increased understanding of the benefits of RWM research approaches, of

different landscapes and of the socio-economic contexts

Have improved skil ls in spatial analysis, scenario analysis and

modeling

Researchers at national and basin

levels

http://nilebdc.org