Water and Food in Africa

Before exploring present-day and possible future water and food management strategies in Africa, it is essential to examine the past. Immanent challenges such as climate change and population growth can only be effectively mitigated by acknowledging previous successes and failures of management.  Origins in the Nile The earliest signs of water management in Africa are found at the River Nile. With the use of radiocarbon dating , the appearance of agriculture in Northern Egypt can be traced back to 6000BC . Water storage and irrigation strategies were first recorded at 5100BC. Nilometers are some of the earliest gauging stations. These large columns allowed future and current water levels to be predicted and measured. Crop failure due to drought or flooding could be expected and mitigated. The necessity to manage these water resources led to hydraulic civilizations  as these projects were planned and built by large labour forces. This highlights the link between water man...

The development challenge In 2015 the United Nations member states adopted 17  Sustainable Development Goals  (SDGs). These aimed to promote action in improving conditions for all life while tackling climate change. When looking at water and development in Africa, SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger) and 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) are critical in improving quality of life. As discussed in the last post water resources are highly variable. Food production per capita rates are also some of the lowest in the world. Africa's current population of 1.4 billion is projected to increase to 4.2 billion by 2100. Therefore, different farming practices and new resources of water are essential to improve agricultural production and resilience to climate change. Figure 1 : The 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Rain-fed and irrigated agriculture Smallholder farmers are vital making up 80% of all African farms and accounting for 90% of the agricultural production in many countries. The vast majority o...