Following a three year research programme, the SAFI research project gathered a group of researchers, policy-makers and irrigation specialists to define the characteristics of farmer-led irrigation development in Africa, and identify potential interventions by government and development agencies to support and expand, or regulate farmers’ irrigation initiatives.
The resulting brief explores the benefits and risks of interventions, and identifies four potential areas of policy response:
- Integrating farmer-led irrigation with broader economic and social security strategies.
- Promoting context specific understanding of existing farmer-led irrigation and encourage learning.
- Informing irrigation policy thorough more accurate irrigation data.
- Developing a supportive and accessible regulatory framework for small scale irrigators.