Work

Solar-powered drip irrigation enhances food security in the Sudano–Sahel

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: Meeting the food needs of Africa's growing population over the next half-century will require technologies that significantly improve rural livelihoods at minimal environmental cost. These technologies will likely be distinct from those of the Green Revolution, which had relatively little impact in sub-Saharan Africa; consequently, few such interventions have been rigorously evaluated. This paper analyzes solar-powered drip irrigation as a strategy for enhancing food security in the rural Sudano-Sahel region of West Africa. Using a matched-pair comparison of villages in northern Benin (two treatment villages, two comparison villages), and household survey and field-level data through the first year of harvest in those villages, we find that solar-powered drip irrigation significantly augments both household income and nutritional intake, particularly during the dry season, and is cost effective compared to alternative technologies.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0909678107

Authors: Jennifer Burney, Lennart Woltering, Marshall Burke, Rosamond Naylor, Dov Pasternak

Institutions: Stanford University, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, University of California, Berkeley

Language: English

Topic: Agricultural Innovations and Practices

Subfield: General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Zero hunger, No poverty, Affordable and clean energy, Clean water and sanitation, Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Climate action, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2109814274

FWCI: 32.22

Cites: 29

Cited by: 348

Related to: 9