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 calculation of irrigation potential; The demand for water; The supply of water; The economics of water storage; Analysing the economic structure of a river basin; Assessing production potential and social returns; The economics of smallholder irrigation; Irrigation and integrated rural development; Economics and technology.

First issued in 2009, Water is celebrating our 10th anniversary this year. Thanks to all the dedicated researchers, reviewers, and editors, Water has become a popular outlet for cutting-edge research in the broad field of water science, technology, management, and governance. The open access format has proven to be attractive, and authors highly value the quick handling of papers, higher visibility and citations, as well as free and unlimited access to the new papers. After 10 years, Water has become an established journal in the field. This Special Issue is set up to mark the 10th anniversary of Water. It is devoted to the publication of comprehensive reviews encompassing the most significant developments in the realm of water sciences in the last decade.

Water Management in Africa and the Middle East: Challenges and Opportunities

A joint FAO and World Bank study which shows how the farming systems approach can be used to identify priorities for the reduction of hunger and poverty in the main farming systems of the six major developing regions of the world.

The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture is FAO's first flagship publication on the global status of land and water resources. It is an 'advocacy' report, to be published every three to five years, and targeted at senior level decision makers in agriculture as well as in other sectors. SOLAW is aimed at sensitizing its target audience on the status of land resources at global and regional levels and FAO's viewpoint on appropriate recommendations for policy formulation. SOLAW focuses on these key dimensions of analysis: (i) quantity, quality of land and water resources, (ii) the rate of use and sustainable management of these resources in the context of relevant socio-economic driving factors and concerns, including food security and poverty, and climate change. This is the first time that a global, baseline status report on land and water resources has been made. It is based on several global spatial databases (e.g. land suitability for agriculture, land use and management, land and water degradation and depletion) for which FAO is the world-recognized data source. Topical and emerging issues on land and water are dealt with in an integrated rather than sectoral manner. The implications of the status and trends are used to advocate remedial interventions which are tailored to major farming systems within different geographic regions.

Ending poverty and stabilizing climate change will be two unprecedented global achievements and two major steps toward sustainable development. But the two objectives cannot be considered in isolation: they need to be jointly tackled through an integrated strategy. This report brings together those two objectives and explores how they can more easily be achieved if considered together. It examines the potential impact of climate change and climate policies on poverty reduction. It also provides guidance on how to create a “win-win†? situation so that climate change policies contribute to poverty reduction and poverty-reduction policies contribute to climate change mitigation and resilience building. The key finding of the report is that climate change represents a significant obstacle to the sustained eradication of poverty, but future impacts on poverty are determined by policy choices: rapid, inclusive, and climate-informed development can prevent most short-term impacts whereas immediate pro-poor, emissions-reduction policies can drastically limit long-term ones.

The United Nations World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) is hosted and led by UNESCO. WWAP brings together the work of 31 UN-Water Members as well as 37 Partners to publish the United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) series. Under the theme Water for Sustainable Development, the WWDR 2015 has been prepared as a contribution from UN-Water to the discussions surrounding the post-2015 framework for global sustainable development. Highlighting water's unique and often complex role in achieving various sustainable development objectives, the WWDR 2015 is addressed to policy- and decision-makers inside and outside the water community, as well as to anyone with an interest in freshwater and its many life-giving benefits. The report sets an aspirational yet achievable vision for the future of water towards 2050 by describing how water supports healthy and prosperous human communities, maintains well functioning ecosystems and ecological services, and provides a cornerstone for short and long-term economic development. It provides an overview of the challenges, issues and trends in terms of water resources, their use and water-related services like water supply and sanitation. The report also offers, in a rigorous yet accessible manner, guidance about how to address these challenges and to seize the opportunities that sound water management provides in order to achieve and maintain economic, social and environmental sustainability.