Opportunities to increase water productivity in agriculture with special reference to Africa and South Asia

The report argues that increasing water productivity—defined as the value or benefit derived from a volume of water used—is essential to meet the food demands of a growing global population while managing increasing water scarcity. It emphasizes that the greatest potential for gains lies in low-productivity rainfed areas, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The document advocates for a shift from focusing solely on 'blue water' (rivers, lakes, aquifers) to integrating 'green water' (soil moisture) management at the watershed scale. Key strategies include closing yield gaps through improved agronomy, adopting micro-irrigation and water harvesting, and enhancing livestock water productivity. The report concludes that these technical improvements must be supported by targeted policy actions, capacity building, and the removal of market constraints to be effective for the rural poor.

• Water productivity improvements could save up to 2,200 km3/yr, which is more than the current total global consumption of water in irrigated agriculture, thereby reducing the additional water needed to feed the world in 2050 to approximately 2,300 km3/yr.
• The highest potential for increasing yields and water productivity is in regions where productivity is currently low, such as low-input rainfed agriculture in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
• Significant yield gaps exist between actual farmer yields and achievable yields in Africa and Asia, often by a factor of two to four; closing these gaps can lead to water productivity gains of 500-1000 m3 per ton of grain produced when moving from 1 t ha-1 to 2-3 t ha-1.
• Water productivity gains are achieved not only through water management but also via non-water interventions such as the selection of crop varieties, fertilizer investment, and pest and weed management.
• Integrated watershed management in India has demonstrated multiple benefits, including an average benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 2, an internal rate of return (IRR) of 27.4 per cent, and a 45 per cent reduction in runoff.
• Livestock production accounts for an estimated 15 to 20 per cent of global water use in agriculture.
• In South Asia, ground-level ozone is estimated to cause substantial yield losses, commonly reaching 30 per cent, which negatively impacts water productivity in the Indo-Gangetic plains.
• Climate change is expected to make rainfall more erratic in Africa, with 600,000 km2 of land currently classified as moderately water constrained likely to become severely water limited.
• Investment costs for irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa are significantly higher than in South Asia, with some World Bank funded projects in Ethiopia averaging US$18,000 per ha, compared to a South Asia average that is roughly 50 per cent of that cost.
• The adoption of improved crop varieties is lower in sub-Saharan Africa than in South Asia; for example, improved rice varieties are used by 23 per cent of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa compared to 75 per cent in South Asia.

APA

Kijne, J., Barron, J., Hoff, H., Rockström, J., Karlberg, L., Gowing, J., Wani, S. P., & Wichelns, D. (2009). Opportunities to increase water productivity in agriculture with special reference to Africa and South Asia. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Water-sanitation/opportunitiestoincreasewaterprod2009.pdf

Chicago

Kijne, Jacob, Jennie Barron, Holger Hoff, Johan Rockström, Louise Karlberg, John Gowing, Suhas P. Wani, and Dennis Wichelns. Opportunities to increase water productivity in agriculture with special reference to Africa and South Asia. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2009. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Water-sanitation/opportunitiestoincreasewaterprod2009.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kijne |first1=Jacob |last2=Barron |first2=Jennie |last3=Hoff |first3=Holger |last4=Rockström |first4=Johan |last5=Karlberg |first5=Louise |last6=Gowing |first6=John |last7=Wani |first7=Suhas P. |last8=Wichelns |first8=Dennis |title=Opportunities to increase water productivity in agriculture with special reference to Africa and South Asia |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=14 May 2009 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Water-sanitation/opportunitiestoincreasewaterprod2009.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kijne2009opportunities, author = {Kijne, Jacob and Barron, Jennie and Hoff, Holger and Rockström, Johan and Karlberg, Louise and Gowing, John and Wani, Suhas P. and Wichelns, Dennis}, title = {{Opportunities to increase water productivity in agriculture with special reference to Africa and South Asia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2009}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Water-sanitation/opportunitiestoincreasewaterprod2009.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }