Projects

Building climate-smart farming systems through integrated water storage and crop-livestock interventions

Completed
Photo: A. Habtamu (IWMI)

Project description

This project combines a focus on crop-livestock interventions with water retention techniques and infrastructure. In doing so, it identifies synergies that exist between water retention interventions such as Zaï, contour ridges, dugouts, small reservoirs; and crop-livestock interventions such as trees and legumes, fodder production, crop residue management. Combined, these techniques will increase resilience of farming systems by:

  • Improving water availability for crops, livestock and humans throughout the year;
  • Stabilizing cash flow from crops and livestock over time; and
  • Establishing a reliable value chain for crops and livestock.

This project aims to help 500 farmers in Climate-Smart Villages (CSVs) implement additional water storage options on their farms to improve their climate resilience. Farmers are able to afford these water storage options by accessing one of the credit schemes specifically relating to water storage options. Ultimately, this project will reach beyond CSVs. In total, 20,000 farmers have access to credit schemes to implement water storage options.

Partners

The project is led by International Water Management Institute (IWMI) closely with International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and CCAFS West Africa, and is implemented in Burkina Faso, Mali and Ghana.

The credit scehemes have been developed in collaboration with numerous NGOs including FNGN, SNV, GARY, DRGR, IFAD – rural micro-finance programme, AgriBusiness.

Further information

For further information, please contact Project Leader, Marloes Mul (IWMI) at m.mul@cgiar.org and Augustine Ayantunde (ILRI) at a.ayantunde@cgiar.org.