Rainwater-Smart Agriculture in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas

This book introduces state-of-the-art approaches, methods and research, focusing on smart management of rainwater. In addition, it provides an overview of projects from across the world, illustrating how rainwater-smart management has been implemented in drylands. Focusing on the scientific perspective it demonstrates how rural dryland agriculture can be improved. It also documents the wealth of rainwater-smart know-how available today, and replicates and transfers results to other countries and regions, to encourage cross-sector interactions among various stakeholders, such as practitioners from governmental and public organisations, policy- and decision-makers, and teaching staff from academic scientific institutions. The contributors showcase vital lessons learned from research, field projects and best-practice examples. They address the integrated use of rainwater harvesting management with landscape restoration practices and water-, and climate-smart agriculturefor food security and poverty alleviation in arid and semi-arid areas. Original research, combined with the contributors' synthetic approach, lays a foundation for new concepts and ideas. Through case studies and research reports, the book discusses all the relevant issues necessary for the comprehensive analysis and successful implementation of the technologies in rainwater management.

Highlighting the working principles and technical recommendations with regard to cost-efficient rainwater-smart solutions, it is of interest to practitioners. It is also a valuable resource for academic specialists, professionals and students, since many development agencies are funding rainwater harvesting for irrigation purposes.

Contenu

Preface: Rainwater-smart concept, goals and objectives, structure.- Using rainwater for off-season small-scale irrigation in arid and semi-arid areas of sub-Saharan Africa: Key working principles and best practices.- Fostering food security and climate resilience through integrated landscape restoration practices and rainwater harvesting management in arid and semi-arid areas of Ethiopia.- Towards Optimizing the Performance and Cost-effectiveness of Farm Pond Technology for Small-scale Irrigation in Semi-arid Farming Systems of Kenya.- The promise of developing flood based farming systems in arid and semi-arid areas.- Adaptations in water harvesting technologies for enhancing food security and livelihood: A multi-country study in Sub-Saharan Africa.- Roads: instruments for water harvesting and resilience.- Fostering the use of rainwater for off-season small-scale irrigation in arid and semi-arid areas of Ethiopia.- Fostering the adoption of in -situ rainwater harvesting for foodsecurity in Rwenzori region, Uganda.- Rainwater management to restore ecosystems and foster food production: A case study in the semi-arid region of Minas Gerais in Brazil.- Innovative rainwater harvesting technologies for pastoralists in arid and semi-arid areas: a case study in Borena zone, Oromiya region, Ethiopia.- Rainwater harvesting options to support off-season small-scale irrigation in arid and semi-arid areas of Zimbabwe.- Fostering the use of rainwater for off-season small-scale irrigation in arid and semi-arid areas of Kenya.- Benefits and challenges of dugout rainwater harvesting ponds in Tigray, Ethiopia.- Rainwater harvesting irrigation - a strategic measure for integrated rural development in the dry mountainous areas of Gansu Province, China.- Improving the Efficiency of runoff pond system for supplementary Irrigation in Kenya: The case of Masongaleni Village, Makueni County..- The 'majaluba' rice production system: A rainwater harvesting 'bright spot' in Tanzania.- Management of rainwater resources for rehabilitation of degraded lands in arid and semi-arid region of southern Pakistan.- Low-tech irrigation strategies for smallholder vegetable farmers in Kenya.- Lessons learned in the replication and scaling-up of rainwater harvesting technologies in arid and semi-arid areas: A case study of Kilifi County, Kenya.