Project summary:
The WHaTeR project aimed to contribute to the development of appropriate water harvesting techniques (WHTs).These WHTs should be sustainable under dynamic global and regional pressure, and strengthen rainfedagriculture, improve rural livelihood and increase food production and security in Sub-Saharan Africa. In total 3 European and 5 African organisations were involved; namely VU University Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Newcastle University (United Kingdom), Stockholm Resilience Centre (Sweden), University of Kwazulu Natal (South Africa), Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania), Southern and Eastern Africa Rainwater Network (Kenya), National Institute for Environment and Agricultural Research (Burkina Faso) and Arba Minch University in Ethiopian. SUA was responsible in implementing Work Package WP12. The case study area was Makanya sub-catchment in the Pangani river basin
Objectives (WP12):
- Carry out technological improvements on the existing WHTs in the study catchment
- Provide inputs into Work Packages 4 and 11 on the impacts and potential trade-offs of WHTs based onupstream- downstream interactions
- Provide inputs into the Work Packages 2, 3, and 8
Key findings:
- A total of 600 m of lined main canal, division boxes and water gates have been constructed in Bangalala village as part of technological improvements to minimize water losses to the fields.
- Canal headwork and five water distribution structures each about 10 m long trapezoidal canal, and gates were constructed for field water distributions on spate irrigation system in Makanya village
- A book chapter has been published:Mahoo, H.F., F.C. Kahimba, K.D. Mutabazi,S.D. Tumbo, F.B. Rwehumbiza, P. Reuben,B.P. Mbilinyi, and J.W. Gowing. 2012. Adoption and up scaling of water harvesting technologies in Tanzania. Chapter 6. In: Eds. W. Christley and J. Gowing. Water Harvesting Technologies in SSA: State of the Art. Earth Scan Publishers.
