(Source: Global Trade Review)
This post will be the final one for this blog and I wanted
to use this post to look back on all the topics that I have covered so far.
The first few posts focused on different methods of
irrigation: groundwater, solar powered drip irrigation and flood based farming.
All the different types of irrigation have their own benefits and are more
compatible with some areas than other irrigation methods would be.
I found that groundwater truly has potential to be the
solution for smallholder farmers in areas where there is sufficient
groundwater. Motor pumps were found to be the most efficient way to extract the
groundwater but they can be a rather large and expensive investment for
farmers. I concluded that the promotion of groundwater irrigation is needed and
the cost of motor pumps should be reduced to make it accessible for all smallholder
farmers.
The following week, I explored solar powered drip irrigation,
which is becoming a more popular method of irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa. It
is an efficient irrigation method and minimises its impact on the environment,
but the upfront cost is an immense drawback.
Flood based farming was a very interesting method of
irrigation that I researched and it was unfortunate to find that the implementation
of this method is becoming rarer due to dam construction. The potential for
flood based farming is huge, especially since it is a very low-cost method of
irrigation.
I briefly explored the amazing invention of windmills for
irrigation and energy by William Kamkwamba. His story is extremely inspiring
and shows that solutions do not have to be very expensive to be effective. The
cost issue has been a recurring theme in the irrigation methods as it is either
too expensive for smallholder farmers to afford by themselves or it has a low
cost but the method is no longer viable. It is clear that the local governments
should find a way to lower the costs of the irrigation methods to make it more
affordable for smallholder farmers to maximise their yields.
In the latter half of my blog, the posts focus more on
economic and political issues related to agriculture. The posts reflected that again,
there are economic issues regarding smallholder farmers in Africa. Landgrabbing is very much still a prevalent issue and is threatening food security.
However, NGOs working in African countries such as World Vision can help to turn
around the lives of those experiencing famine and poverty. The penultimate post
explored the potential for integrated water resource management and the
benefits it has on both locals and the outcome of the projects.
Partly through the blog, I realised the importance of
integrating a case study in to illustrate the idea I had been writing about. I
recognised that with an example, it is much easier to see the theory in context
and allowed me to explore agriculture and water in different countries. I tried
to cover as many countries as I could throughout this blog, touching on Tanzania,
Ethiopia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Malawi and Zimbabwe, although I am aware that
this by no means is representative of the African continent as a whole.
Through writing this blog, it has opened my eyes to the
issues that agriculture faces and that Africa is a very diverse continent,
particularly when it comes to water. I enjoyed researching topics to write for
this blog and it has been a good but challenging experience as it is different
from writing essays as the topic choice is up to me!
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!
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