Catalyzing Farmer-Led Irrigation Development in the Sahel from Shallow Groundwater

Posted in : Latest on 10 October 2023

Groundwater is usually considered shallow when the water table is found less than 8 m deep. This allows its abstraction with an inexpensive surface pump operating by suction. Regional studies conducted in the six Sahelian countries—Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal— conclude that there is huge potential to develop shallow groundwater for farmers to take the initiative in irrigation development, tapping into the shallow groundwater with pumping equipment fitted to serve less than one to several hectares, for individuals or a small group of producers. Farmers are typically entrepreneurs targeting new markets and investing their own resources. FLID has high potential to generate profits and internal rates of return (Burney et al. 2013; Giordano et al. 2012).