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Solar-based irrigation systems as a game changer to improve agricultural practices in Sub-Sahara Africa: a case study from Mali

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Title Solar-based irrigation systems as a game changer to improve agricultural practices in Sub-Sahara Africa: a case study from Mali
 
Creator Birhanu, B.Z.
Sanogo, K.
Traore, S.S.
Minh, Thai
Kizito, Fred
 
Subject solar powered irrigation systems
agricultural practices
climate-smart agriculture
technology
smallholders
farmers
land suitability
land use
land cover
slope
soil types
sustainable intensification
water management
water use
groundwater
solar energy
rainfall
rural areas
households
socioeconomic aspects
case studies
 
Description Introduction: In rainfed agricultural systems, sustainable and efficient water management practices are key to improved agricultural productivity and natural resource management. The agricultural system in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) relies heavily on the availability of rainfall. With the erratic and unreliable rainfall pattern associated with poor and fragile soils, agricultural productivity has remained very low over the years. Much of the SSA agricultural land has been degraded with low fertility as a result of ongoing cultivation and wind and water erosion. This has resulted in an increased food shortage due to the ever-increasing population and land degradation. Better agricultural and nutritional security are further hampered by the lack of reliable access to the available water resources in the subsurface hydrological system.
Methods: This study used socio-economic data from 112 farm households and Boolean and Fuzzy methods to understand farmers' perceptions and identify suitable areas to implement Solar Based Irrigation Systems (SBISs) in the agro-ecologies of Bougouni and Koutiala districts of southern Mali.
Results and discussion: Results revealed that the usage of SBISs has been recent (4.5 years), majorly (77%) constructed by donor-funded projects mainly for domestic water use and livestock (88%). With regards to irrigation, vegetable production was the dominant water use (60%) enabling rural farm households to gain over 40% of extra household income during the dry season. Results further showed that 4,274 km2 (22%) of the total land area for the Bougouni district, and 1,722 km2 (18%) of the Koutiala district are suitable for solar-based irrigation. The affordability of solar panels in many places makes SBISs to be an emerging climate-smart technology for most rural Malian populations.
 
Date 2023-03-02
2023-03-14T05:52:19Z
2023-03-14T05:52:19Z
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Birhanu, B. Z.; Sanogo, K.; Traore, S. S.; Minh, Thai; Kizito, F. 2023. Solar-based irrigation systems as a game changer to improve agricultural practices in Sub-Sahara Africa: a case study from Mali. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7:1085335. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1085335]
2571-581X
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129632
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1085335/pdf
https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1085335
H051767
 
Language en
 
Rights CC-BY-4.0
Open Access
 
Format 7:1085335
 
Publisher Frontiers Media
 
Source Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems