Inception report Irrigation Package for Sand Rivers (IPSAR) completed

The feasibility study on the irrigation package for sand rivers in Mozambique is running! Arid lands are often crisscrossed by sand rivers, which flow only during periods of rainfall, but have a bed that is filled with several meters of (coarse) sand. This bed forms a so-called aquifer, a shallow groundwater reservoir that is recharged every time the river flows. A major constraint to the use of this aquifer water for irrigation is the absence of a low-cost technologies to do so. This feasibility study looks into the options of such Irrigation Package for Sand Rivers (IPSAR).

Last March we had a fruitful inception meeting in Chokwe, and just few weeks ago the inception report was completed. In the field it has been verified that the river bed of the Limpopo indeed contains large amounts of fresh water that float on top of brackish deep groundwater. Crop production in Chokwe-Guijá is done by different types of farmers; cropping areas vary between 0.2 and 30.0 ha, some farmers irrigate others do not, some collaborate in farmer association while others do not. Women play an important role, particularly in (small-scale) farming. Labor and fuel for pumping make up most of the input costs. It is clear that access, conveyance and application of water to crops will have to vary per type of farmer, in order to suit the specific conditions.

Together with the local authorities five test sites were identified where the different aspects of the IPSAR package will be studied in the coming year. The Instituto Superior Politécnico de Gaza (ISPG) will play a leading role during the testing in the field.

Together with our partners ISPG, Oxfam Mozambique, PRACTICA Foundation and IHE Delft the coming months we will detail the feasibility of the IPSAR package in terms of technology, business case, and agro-economics.

This feasibility is co-funded by the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland under the Partners voor Water Programme.