2025 ReSAKSS - Integrating Emerging Irrigation Technologies to Advance Agricultural Production and Resilience in Africa: Dr. Greenwell Matchaya

Dr. Greenwell Matchaya, Senior Researcher, Economics, ReSAKSS Coordinator, and Deputy Country Representative, South Africa, International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Transcript

1. ReSAKSSANNUAL CONFERENCE Moving the Technology Frontiers in African Agrifood Systems. Integrating Emerging Irrigation Technologies to Advance Agricultural Production and Resilience in Africa • Greenwell C. Matchaya** Adebayo Oke Manuel S. Magombeyi Tinashe Dirwai ** Deputy Representative, IWMI, Pretoria January 20, 2026
2. Why Irrigation Matters in Africa’s Technology Frontier • Agriculture employs over 60% of Africa’s population • Less than 6% of cultivated land in SSA is irrigated • Climate variability increases yield instability and import dependence ATOR premise: irrigation delivers impact when embedded in supportive institutions, finance, and governance
3. Key Analytical Questions 1. Which irrigation and agricultural water management (AWM) technologies are used across Africa? 2. How does adoption vary by region and farm typology? 3. What multidimensional impacts are associated with different technologies? Focus: evidence synthesis, not technology promotion
4. Evidence Base and Scope • Africa-focused peer-reviewed studies • Period: 2000–2025 • Databases: Scopus and Web of Science • 1,585 studies included after duplicate removal and relevance screening One of the largest systematic reviews of irrigation technologies in Africa
5. Methodological Frameworks PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses): • Transparent identification → screening → eligibility → inclusion • Ensures reproducibility and credibility of evidence SPIDER (Sample–Phenomenon–Design–Evaluation–Research type): • Structures search across farm types, irrigation technologies, and impact domains • Captures both quantitative and qualitative evidence
6. Irrigation Technologies Identified Across Africa Most frequently reported technologies: • Drip irrigation (~45%) • Furrow irrigation (~13%) • Sprinkler irrigation (~9%) • Solar-powered pumps (~7%) • Flood irrigation (~6%) Traditional systems dominate numerically, but modern systems are expanding
7. Emerging and Digital Irrigation Technologies • Solar-powered irrigation systems • Remote sensing and GIS applications • Soil-moisture and climate sensors • Weather-based irrigation scheduling • Decision-support systems (DSS) These technologies define the current irrigation technology frontier
8. Regional Patterns and Uneven Adoption Distribution of documented cases: • Eastern Africa (~47%) • Northern Africa (~23%) • Western Africa (~17%) • Southern Africa (~9%) • Central Africa (~4%) Adoption remains uneven across regions and farm types
9. Impact Evidence: Why Bundling Matters Integrated irrigation systems consistently outperform single technologies: • Solar pumps + drip irrigation • Irrigation hardware + digital decision tools Observed outcomes: • Higher productivity • Improved water- use efficiency • Stronger climate resilience • More stable economic returns
10. Key Takeaways for Policy and Investment • Africa’s challenge is scaling and adoption, not lack of technology • Bundled, small-scale, digitally enabled systems deliver the strongest results • Uneven adoption reflects weak complementary investments and high transaction costs • Irrigation must be embedded in finance, institutions, and governance Conclusion: deploy the right combinations, in the right contexts, at scale
11. ReSAKSSANNUAL CONFERENCE Moving the Technology Frontiers in African Agrifood Systems. THANK YOU