Like in many parts of the world, water resources in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have been pivotal for human survival, economic growth, social development, and practicing certain religion and cultural ethos. However, in spite of the intrinsic values of water, its use and management in sub-Saharan Africa has not been without limitations. The demand for water resources is increasing mainly due to rapid population growth, industrialization and urbanization and dealing with water-related issues has been complex and challenging for sustainable growth. Whilst there are various efforts by national governments, non-government organizations and communities to effectively and efficiently utilize and manage water resources, there are few comprehensive studies in sub- Saharan Africa that show the impact of the efforts on poverty reduction. Although certain reports indicate that many SSA countries lack clear vision on how water use can be harnessed with pro-poor growth and how poor communities can be capacitated to use water for poverty reduction, there are little exhaustive studies that clearly show familiar and innovative water use and management interventions followed by communities, national governments and other stakeholders, and demonstrate the challenges and successes of the same. Cognizant of the knowledge gap, in 2012 OSSREA launched a research project on ordinary and innovative water use and management patterns and practices in SSA, with a view to generate new knowledge on unexploited opportunities that could enhance the contribution of water resources to poverty reduction. This anthology documents various issues including water use and management in agriculture especially in irrigation projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe; water harvesting in Kenya and Uganda; the role of local water use institutions in Ethiopia; and water source maintenance and protection in Uganda.

Local government can be the pivot to make this happen.

Good management of water resources - universally identified as a key aspect of poverty reduction, agriculture and food security - has proven, in practice, as difficult to achieve as it is eagerly sought. This book, edited and authored by leading authorities on water resource management, examines the recent changes in governance, institutions, economics and policies of water, covering developing, transitional and developed countries, with special emphasis on southern African case studies. The book examines how water policies, institutions and governance have shifted in recent years from supply-driven, quantitative, centrally controlled management to more demand-sensitive, decentralized, participatory approaches. Such a move often also implies cost recovery principles, resource allocation among competing sectors, and privatization. The case studies demonstrate that the new policies and legal frameworks have been difficult to implement and often fall short of initial expectations. Using an accessible multidisciplinary approach that integrates economics, sociology, geography and policy analysis, the book untangles the issues and presents best practices for policy- and decision-makers, governments and regulators, NGOs and user groups, service providers, and researchers. The overall aim is to show how good water governance structures can be developed and implemented for the benefit of all.

This thesis investigates the linkages between water supply and economic inequalities within smallholder irrigation schemes, with particular focus on Tanzania, as a key example of a developing, agrarian economy in sub-Saharan Africa. In developing countries, income inequalities are critical for poverty reduction as they determine how economic growth is distributed and, thus, to which extent the poor benefit relative to everyone else. On a global scale, and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular, poverty is most prevalent in rural areas where agriculture is the main source of livelihoods. Irrigation development is recognised as a key strategy for rural poverty reduction, although a growing body of literature questions its implications for equity and social justice. While this topic is addressed from various perspectives in the literature, there is a gap among empirical studies. Specifically, the linkages between irrigation water supply and economic inequalities at small scales have received limited attention. To research this need, this thesis carries out quantitative, qualitative and policy investigations on two smallholder irrigation schemes in southern Tanzania. The data originates from structured household surveys, semi-structured interviews with key informants, direct infrastructure observations, maps of the irrigation schemes and documentary sources. The thesis is organised as follows: First, inequality analyses using the Gini coefficient and the Theil index are used to calculate the level and decomposition of income inequalities within six smallholder irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa. Next, qualitative investigations uncover irrigators' perspectives about the association between water supply and economic inequalities within the two Tanzanian schemes. Third, multiple regression analyses evaluate the relative impact of water supply and farm location (as well as other variables) on irrigated crop income and production within smallholder irrigation schemes. Finally, an investigation of Tanzania's water and irrigation institutional framework highlights current policy shortfalls and possible strategies targeting greater equity of irrigation water supply. This thesis' findings show that high levels of income inequality exist within agricultural communities in Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Mozambique, and that such disparities are not properly considered by development polices based upon national statistics. In particular, within smallholder irrigation schemes, inequities in water supply affect economic inequalities in multiple ways, some of which - for example erosion of human capital and social stratification - are not adequately noted in previous literature. Household characteristics and farm location are also shown to be important for irrigated crop incomes and yields. While typically regarded as a good water management practice, the transfer of responsibilities to the local level is shown in this study to be problematic for traditional irrigators. Instead, in the pursuit of greater equity of water supply, participatory process should be considered based on six key equity aspects: quantity; reliability; obligations; benefits/externalities; decision-making; and land rights. Overall, this thesis contributes the international development and inequality literature by providing a deeper understanding of: a) the effect of irrigation water supply on economic inequalities; and b) which water policies might be changed to reduce water supply inequities within traditional irrigation systems. These findings are important to respond to rural poverty in Africa, as it is at the local scale that poverty, growth and inequality interventions can be most effective. Importantly, because a large part of the world's rural population seeks pathways out of poverty, it is critical to ensure that income-enhancing strategies, such as irrigation, do not result in aggravated economic disparities and a barrier to sustainable human development.

The overall goal of the Collaborative Program on ‘Investments in Agricultural Water Management in Sub-Saharan Africa’ is to contribute to broad-based sustainable poverty reduction and smallholder agricultural growth. The component on ‘Poverty considerations in investments in agricultural water management’ focuses in more detail on poverty and gender dimensions. It consists of two parts. The first part is thematic and elaborates poverty and gender issues emerging from the literature that complement the other components of the Collaborative Program. Part two is empirical. Acknowledging the lack of empirical data on poverty impacts of investments in agricultural water management, the Collaborative Program initiated case studies throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Eight case studies on ‘Agricultural Water Development for Poverty Reduction in Eastern and Southern Africa’, for which the field research was conducted in 2003/2004, were supported by IFAD (Peacock,2005). Further, the African Development Bank supported three case studies in West Africa in 2004, two by Kamara et al. (2004), and one by Babatunde Omilola (2005). Part two synthesizes the empirical findings of these case studies.