Agricultural Water Management Scenarios in the Mkindo Watershed Wami Basin, Tanzania

The report evaluates three AWM scenarios in Tanzania's Mkindo watershed: expanding small-scale irrigation and livestock storage, intensifying agriculture via pumps and drainage channels, and large-scale cash crop expansion. It finds that while technological interventions can increase yields and incomes, they often introduce conflicts between farmers and livestock keepers, environmental pollution, and social displacement.

• Scenario 1, focusing on expanding irrigation and small-scale rainwater storage, could increase yields per harvest by 75% and double the number of annual harvests from one to two for small-scale farmers.
• In Scenario 1, the introduction of rainwater harvesting ponds for livestock could reduce cattle migration, thereby decreasing crop losses and conflicts between crop producers and livestock keepers.
• Scenario 2, which utilizes diesel and treadle pumps, may lead to a temporary increase in yields and income, but is threatened by long-term sustainability issues as pumps may be abandoned due to maintenance costs and technical difficulties.
• The intensification of agriculture through pumping in Scenario 2 is associated with negative environmental and health outcomes, including diesel spillage, pesticide pollution, and an increase in waterborne diseases such as malaria, bilharzia, and typhoid.
• Scenario 3, involving large-scale cash crop expansion by elite investors, could lead to a fundamental shift where small-scale farmers lose their land and identity, becoming labourers for private investors.
• Large-scale cash crop production in Scenario 3 is predicted to reduce local food security, making the area a net importer of food and increasing the cost of living for residents.
• Across scenarios, the report emphasizes that participatory land use planning and the establishment of user associations are critical factors for maximizing benefits and mitigating conflicts between agriculturalists and pastoralists.

APA

de Bruin, A., Cinderby, S., Mbilinyi, B., Mahoo, H., & Barron, J. (2012). Agricultural Water Management Scenarios in the Mkindo Watershed Wami Basin, Tanzania. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/agwater/awm-scenarious.pdf

Chicago

de Bruin, Annemarieke, Steve Cinderby, Boniface Mbilinyi, Henry Mahoo, and Jennie Barron. Agricultural Water Management Scenarios in the Mkindo Watershed Wami Basin, Tanzania. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2012. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/agwater/awm-scenarious.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=de Bruin |first1=Annemarieke |last2=Cinderby |first2=Steve |last3=Mbilinyi |first3=Boniface |last4=Mahoo |first4=Henry |last5=Barron |first5=Jennie |title=Agricultural Water Management Scenarios in the Mkindo Watershed Wami Basin, Tanzania |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2012 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/agwater/awm-scenarious.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{debruin2012agricultural, author = {de Bruin, Annemarieke and Cinderby, Steve and Mbilinyi, Boniface and Mahoo, Henry and Barron, Jennie}, title = {{Agricultural Water Management Scenarios in the Mkindo Watershed Wami Basin, Tanzania}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2012}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/agwater/awm-scenarious.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }