REVIEW OF IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA - Sustainable Irrigation Development in the White Volta Sub-Basin - page 62

for the identification of the factors that enable productive and sustainable
irrigation development across sub-Saharan Africa.
By definition (Molden et al., 2003), irrigation productivity relates to the net
socioeconomic and environmental benefits achieved through the use of water
for irrigation. One of the reasons necessary for increasing irrigation
productivity is the need to meet rising food demand of a growing, wealthier
and increasingly urbanized population. Improved irrigation productivity will
contribute to poverty reduction, productive employment and economic
growth.

The achievement of productive and sustainable irrigation development hinges
on vital requirements or enabling factors. Penning De Vries et al. (2005)
suggest five 'capitals' as being required for socio-economic development
including irrigation:
 Human capital (skills and knowledge, labour, health)
 Natural capital (water, land, genetic resources)
 Social capital (organization, regulations, policies, trust and security,
gender equity)
 Financial capital (savings, loans, markets)
 Physical capital (infrastructure, technology, equipment)
Penning De Vries et al. (2005) argue that all the above five types of capitals
are required, and that in a given situation the smallest capital has to be
strengthened first. This implies that the strength of the successful irrigation
development is equal to the weakest factor. However, these capitals are far
too broadly defined to be of much conceptual help - so what is required is to
define relevant aspects of these capitals much sharper. Another issue is that
‚capitals‛ are like stocks, and what seems to drive irrigation development is
demand for products - which seem to behave more like fluxes.

3.5.2 Success Factors for Sustainable Irrigation

Development

Looking at the challenges discussed above and comparing with suggestions
proposed in the literature, the following success factors are identified as
being vital for sustainable irrigation development in sub-Saharan Africa:
secure access to land and water, appropriate technologies, predictable and
stable input/output markets, favourable policies and effective institutions,
reliable farmer support environment. A suitable relationship between these
five factors is a chain of shackles, the chain being as strong as the weakest
shackle (adopted from Penning De Vries et al., 2005 and Vishnudas et al.,
2007) (see Figure 3.2).