Many smallholder farmers still depend on rain, but rainfall has become less reliable as the climate changes. Only about six per cent of cultivated land in Africa is irrigated, and less than one-fifth of cropland is irrigated globally. Small-scale farms produce around four fifths of the food consumed across Asia and Sub‑Saharan Africa, and about 500 million such farms will be central to meeting future demand.
With the world population projected to approach 10 billion by 2050, agricultural production must expand by around 60%. Farmer-led small-scale irrigation can help. These systems can be shared, owned, or provided as a service; they usually require lower investment, give higher returns, are easier to maintain, and give farmers more control. Precision irrigation and sensor-based systems deliver water to roots and measure soil moisture in real time. Africa also has large groundwater reserves, with water reachable by pumps in some areas.
Individual examples show benefits. A Kenyan farmer installed a small solar-powered system that collected rainwater, pumped it to an overhead tank and distributed it through buried pipes; he then grew tomatoes year‑round and earned more than KES 40,000 (about US$400) from a harvest. In Ghana a modernisation project helped some 14,000 people and boosted rice yields.
Difficult words
- smallholder — a person who farms a small area
- irrigation — the artificial watering of land and crops
- cropland — land used for growing agricultural crops
- small-scale — done by farms or businesses that are small
- precision — very accurate control, for example of water
- groundwater — water that is stored under the ground
- yield — the amount of crop produced on landyields
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Discussion questions
- Do you think small-scale irrigation could work in your area? Why or why not?
- Which benefit of small-scale irrigation (lower cost, higher returns, easier maintenance, more control) seems most important to farmers? Explain.
- How could local communities or governments support small-scale irrigation projects?
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