By Jialan Deal, Sophie Gregrowski, Elizabeth Stifel, Princeton in Asia Fellows
From assessing climate extremes in West African regions to measuring the potential of solar-powered pumps for farmers in Nepal, IWMI researchers have contributed to a wide range of studies from around the world. The following is a selection of their open-access work published in July and August 2024. To read the full articles, click the DOI links below.
Making ends meet in refugee camps: Food distribution cycles, consumption and undernutrition
Even long after an emergency phase, the distribution of food aid remains a crucial aspect of assistance and economic routine in prolonged refugee households, with proven instant positive effects on child growth and health. IWMI researcher Marie-Charlotte Buisson and co-researcher Frederic Aubery set out to determine if refugee food consumption is aligned with food aid distribution to understand nutritional status and health outcomes in refugee households. Using primary data collected from three refugee camps situated in Chad, Buisson and Aubery’s findings suggest a daily decline in food consumption and a decline in child nutritional status which serve as evidence against the permanent income hypothesis, a major building block of modern consumption theory. Subsequent policy implications for this follow that aid recipients would benefit from higher frequencies of food aid distribution, to prevent regular cycles of food shortage and resultantly detrimental effects on health in refugee camps.
Read more here.
Beyond dams: assessing integrated water storage in the Shashe Catchment, Limpopo River Basin
The Shasche catchment in the Limpopo River Basin experiences significant seasonality and inter-annual variability, often resulting in water shortages when demand surpasses the average availability during certain times of the year. To address this issue, effective water storage is essential for bridging the seasonal gaps in water supply. A team of researchers from IWMI, including Girma Ebrahim, Jonathan F, Matthew McCartney, Karthikeyan Matheswaran, B. Nyikadzino, and N Tafesse, conducted a comprehensive analysis of storage options for the catchment. Using an integrated SWAT_MODFLOW model and remote sensing technologies, they assessed the volume, spatial distribution, and temporal variability of different storage methods. Their findings revealed that groundwater was the main water storage source, followed by aquifers, soil, large dam reservoirs, small dams/ponds, and sand dams. Each storage type reached its maximum capacity at different times of the year. Therefore, to optimize water availability throughout the year, a diverse mix of storage solutions should be employed.
Read more here.
Solar-powered irrigation in Nepal: implications for fossil fuel use and groundwater extraction
Solar-powered irrigation pumps are increasingly used in Nepal, with federal and local government sources subsidizing the pumps to use renewable energy for irrigation expansion. In an IOPscience article, IWMI researcher Kashi Kafle and colleagues use a cross-sectional survey of 656 farming households in the agricultural plains of Nepal to study the impacts of these pumps on groundwater extraction and fossil fuel use. They find that farmers still use their fossil-fuel pumps in addition to these solar-powered pumps as solar-powered pumps are immobile, whereas fossil-fuel pumps are adjustable. Farmers with solar-powered pumps often ran their pumps for longer hours than those who did not have solar-powered pumps. Thus, groundwater use has increased, and farmers still rely on fossil fuels to irrigate their land.
Read more here.
Quantifying future climate extreme indices: implications for sustainable urban development in West Africa, with a focus on the greater Accra region
During the 21st century, climate extremes caused by climate change will become more evident in megacities around the world, particularly in West Africa. As one of the most populated areas in West Africa, the Greater Accra region is especially susceptible to climate extremes such as heatwaves, floods, and droughts. In a study published in Discover Sustainability, IWMI’s Komlavi Akpoti and co-researchers used models to simulate climate extreme indices under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway Scenarios (SSPs) from 1979 to 2059 in the Greater Accra Region. Using the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 models, the researchers found that the region will be increasingly vulnerable to drought, flooding and heatwaves under SSP scenarios (specifically SSP245, SSP370, and SSP585). The findings highlight the need for Greater Accra, as well as other regions in Western Africa, to invest in technologies to mitigate the effects of future climate extremes.
Read more here.
Market demand for and producer profits of certified safe cabbage: evidence from test sales in traditional food markets in Northern Ghana
Urban food markets in West Africa rarely differentiate between safe and unsafe produce, as traditional markers such as pricing or safe vegetable certification tend not to be present. IWMI’s Pay Drechsel and colleagues explored whether consumer demand for safety certification exists and is feasibly profitable for small-scale farmers providing produce. By offering both ordinary cabbage and certified safe cabbage at a premium in Ghanian food markets, researchers found that most consumers opted for the certified safe cabbage. Further, geographic concentrations of small-scale farmers can profit from selling certified safe cabbage by charging a monopolistic price premium of GHS 1.48. With both customer demand backing and profit-based evidence, researchers concluded that food safety can be improved in traditional food markets in Ghana by fostering cooperatives and instutionalizing certification schemes for small-scale farmers.
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An evaluative framework for inclusive agricultural value chain policies and interventions – Case: Mali
Vulnerable social groups are often partially or fully excluded from participating in agricultural value chains (AVCs). While policies and interventions (PIs) can foster inclusion in AVCs for vulnerable groups, not all policies are equally effective. IWMI researchers, Mirja Michalscheck, Birhanu Zemadim Birhanu, Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi and Minh Thi Thai as well as consultant, Sévérin Ekpe, developed a framework to systemically evaluate the social inclusiveness of PIs for vulnerable social groups in agricultural value chains. They used the framework to analyze PIs in Mali for the inclusion of women and youth in the irrigated vegetable value chain. The study found that as a whole, PIs in Mali related to irrigated vegetable value chains display a low degree of inclusion, and only a few PIs set specific metrics for the participation of women and youth. The researchers intend this framework to be transferable across value chains, geography, and vulnerable groups and serve as a tool to determine opportunities for more equitable participation in food systems.
Read more here.