Improving Water Sustainability and Food Security through Increased Crop Water Productivity in Malawi

Agriculture accounts for most of the renewable freshwater resource withdrawals in Malawi, yet food insecurity and water scarcity remain as major challenges. Despite Malawi’s vast water resources, climate change, coupled with increasing population and urbanisation are contributing to increasing water scarcity. Improving crop water productivity has been identified as a possible solution to water and food insecurity, by producing more food with less water, that is, to produce “more crop per drop”. This study evaluated crop water productivity from 2000 to 2013 by assessing crop evapotranspiration, crop production and agricultural gross domestic product (Ag GDP) contribution for Malawi. Improvements in crop water productivity were evidenced through improved crop production and productivity. These improvements were supported by increased irrigated area, along with improved agronomic practices. Crop water productivity increased by 33% overall from 2000 to 2013, resulting in an increase in maize production from 1.2 million metric tons to 3.6 million metric tons, translating to an average food surplus of 1.1 million metric tons. These developments have contributed to sustainable improved food and nutrition security in Malawi, which also avails more water for ecosystem functions and other competing economic sectors.

[1]  J. Passioura,et al.  Increasing crop productivity when water is scarce--from breeding to field management , 2006 .

[2]  David Seckler,et al.  The new era of water resources management: from "dry" to "wet" water , 1996 .

[3]  Simon E. Cook,et al.  Water use efficiency in agriculture: measurement, current situation and trends , 2015 .

[4]  M. H. Ali,et al.  Increasing water productivity in crop production : A synthesis , 2008 .

[5]  L. Nhamo,et al.  The impact of investment in smallholder irrigation schemes on irrigation expansion and crop productivity in Malawi , 2016 .

[6]  E. Fereres,et al.  On the conservative behavior of biomass water productivity , 2007, Irrigation Science.

[7]  L. Nhamo Trends and Outlook: Agricultural Water Management in southern Africa. SADC AgWater profiles. [Project report submitted to United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Feed the Future Program]. , 2015 .

[8]  Maosheng Zhao,et al.  Improvements to a MODIS global terrestrial evapotranspiration algorithm , 2011 .

[9]  WATER PRODUCTIVITY : Estimation at Plot , Farm and Basin Scale Basin Focal Project Working , 2006 .

[10]  E. Chirwa Agricultural growth and poverty reduction in Malawi: past performance and recent trends , 2008 .

[11]  R. Barker,et al.  Water Productivity in Agriculture: Limits and Opportunities for Improvement , 2003 .

[12]  M. Rosegrant,et al.  Water for Agriculture: Maintaining Food Security Under Growing Scarcity , 2009 .

[13]  S. Cook,et al.  Agricultural water productivity: estimation at plot, farm and basin scale , 2006 .

[14]  Charles M. Burt,et al.  Increasing productivity in irrigated agriculture: Agronomic constraints and hydrological realities , 2009 .

[15]  Frank R. Rijsberman,et al.  Water scarcity: Fact or fiction? , 2006 .

[16]  Prem S. Bindraban,et al.  Improving agricultural water productivity: Between optimism and caution , 2010 .

[17]  A. Dorward,et al.  The Malawi agricultural input subsidy programme: 2005/06 to 2008/09 , 2011 .

[18]  D. Molden,et al.  Increasing water productivity in Agriculture , 2013 .

[19]  D. Wichelns,et al.  Managing water and fertilizer for sustainable agricultural intensification , 2015 .

[20]  Prem S. Bindraban,et al.  Pathways for increasing agricultural water productivity , 2007 .

[21]  Water productivity of irrigated agriculture in India: potential areas for improvement , 2008 .

[22]  Stefan Siebert,et al.  Improvements in crop water productivity increase water sustainability and food security—a global analysis , 2013 .

[23]  Charlotte de Fraiture,et al.  Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture , 2010 .

[24]  Dennis Wichelns,et al.  Investing in water for food, ecosystems, and livelihoods: an overview of the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. , 2010 .

[25]  W. Wallender,et al.  Nutritional water productivity and diets , 2000 .

[26]  G. V. Halsema,et al.  Efficiency and productivity terms for water management: A matter of contextual relativism versus general absolutism , 2012 .

[27]  Wim G.M. Bastiaanssen,et al.  Review of measured crop water productivity values for irrigated wheat, rice, cotton and maize , 2004 .

[28]  Morris Fanadzo,et al.  Crop production management practices as a cause for low water productivity at Zanyokwe Irrigation Scheme , 2010 .

[29]  Xiaomeng Yu Water Scarcity: Fact or Fiction? , 2016 .

[30]  Bas A. M. Bouman,et al.  A conceptual framework for the improvement of crop water productivity at different spatial scales , 2007 .

[31]  R. Ragab,et al.  Coping with water scarcity: water saving and increasing water productivity , 2003 .

[32]  S. Postel Securing water for people, crops, and ecosystems: New mindset and new priorities , 2003 .

[33]  Jennie Barron,et al.  Water productivity in rainfed systems: overview of challenges and analysis of opportunities in water scarcity prone savannahs , 2007, Irrigation Science.

[34]  Eric Viala,et al.  Water for food, water for life a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture , 2008 .

[35]  Vladimir U. Smakhtin,et al.  Water productivity and water footprint: misguided concepts or useful tools in water management and policy? , 2014 .

[36]  Richard E. Howitt,et al.  Water Productivity in Agriculture: Limits and Opportunities for Improvement , 2008 .