NIGER IRRIGATION SUBSECTOR ASSESSMENT VOLUME ONE MAIN REPORT July, 1984 Glenn Anders, Irrigation Engineer USAID, Niamey Walter Firestone, Agronomist Michael Gould, Environmental Specialist Emile Malek, Public Health Specialist Emmy Simmons, arming Systems Economist Malcolm Versel, Vegetable Marketing Teresa Ware, Institutional Analyst Tom Zalla, Team Leader NIGER IRRIGATION SUB-SECTOR A.SSESSMENT Table of Contents Paae EXECUTIV.E S==",R L­.. .......... i i. INTRODU2 0N...... ................. II. GOVERNMENT AND DONOR ACTIVITIES RELATED TO IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE ...... ........... 2 A. Government of Niger Institutions ....... 2 1, Ministrv of Rqal Development (MDR) . 2 2. Ministry of Hydrology and the Environment (AHE) ........... 3 3. Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR) ...... ............ 4 B. Donor Activities ....... ............. 4 III. IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN NIGER .... ........ 5 A. Jointly Managed River Pumping Systems . 6 B. Jointly Managed Surface Dam Systems . 6 C. Jointly Managed Ground Water Pumping Systems ........................ 7 D. Individual Managed Micro-Irrigation Systems ......... ................. 7 IV. ENGINEERING ASPECTS OF IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE IN NIGER .......... .................. 8 A. Factors Influencing Development Costs . 9 1. Topography ........ ............... 9 2. Design Standards... ............ 11 3. Competition ..... .............. 12 4. Risk and Uncertainty... .......... .. 12 B. Water Supply and Management Problems. 13 C. System Maintenance. ............... 14 D. Feasibility of Promoting Small Scale Irrigation ........................ V. PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES AND AGRONOMIC CONSTRAINTS ...... ................ 17 A. Cropping Systems and Cultural Practices 17 1. Irrigated Rice Perimeters ........ 17 2. Surface Dam Systems .. .......... 17 3. Ground Water Pumping Systems ...... .. 18 4. Micro Irrigation Systems .... ........ 18 B. Agronomic Constraints on Increasing Yields Under Irrigation... ............ 19 VI. ECONOMIC AND FARMING SYSTEMS ASPECTS ...... 21 A. Costs and Returns to Irrigated Farming . 21 B. Farming Systems Constraints on Irrigated Production ..... .. ................ .. 23 VII. MARKETING ASPECTS OF IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE . 26 A. Marketing Systems. ............... 26 B. Demand for Irrigated Grains and Vegetables . 26 1. The National Demand for Cereals. ....... 26 2. The National Demand for Fresh Vegetables 27 3. The Interregional Demand for Fresh Vegetables ...... ................. 27 4. Demand for Dried Vegetables............ 27 C. Constraints on the Marketing of Vegstables . 28 1. The Timing of Production .. .......... 28 2. Market Access ... ................ 29 3. Storage and Preservation of Vegetables . 29 4. Entrepreneurial Capacity .. .......... 29 D. New Markets and Products ... ........... 30 VIII. INSTITUTIONAL, SOCIAL AND POLICY ISSUES ..... 31 A. Cooperatives ...... ................. 31 B. Extension and Training ... ............ 32 C. ONAHA......... ........... ..... .. 33 D. Research ...... ................... 34 E. Management System and Tand Tenure ....... ... 35 F. The Role of the Priva-e Sector ......... 35 IX. ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES ..... 38 A. Water Resources..... ................ 38 B. Soils .............................. 39 C. Pesticides and Fertilizers .. .......... 39 D. Waterborne Diseases..... .............. 39 E. Measures for Improving Public Health Aspects of Irrigation Projects ... ............ 40 X. PROGRAM AND PROJECT POSSIBILITIES ........... 41 A. Improving Production Versus Expanding Irrigated Area ..... ................ 41 B. Choosing Priorities..... .............. 41 1. Critical Problems Which USAID Should Address. .................... 41 2. Problems Which USAID is Addressing in Existing Projects ..... .............. 42 3. Problems and Constraints Which USAID Would Not Address....................... 4. Program Areas Which USAID Might Address Along with Priority Problem Areas Under a Production Improvement Program ...... 43 C. Possible Project Alternatives ............ 44 1. Strengthening ONAHA.... ............. 44 2. Privatizing Extension... ............ 45 NIGR IRRIGATION SUBSECTOR ASSESSMENT Table of Contents VOLUME TWO: ANNEXES ANNEX A: DONOR ACTIVITIES RELATING TO IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE ANNEX A-1 B: IRRIGATED PERIMETERS IN INIGER: EXISTING AND UNDER WAY B-I ANNEX C: AGRONOMIC ASPECTS OF IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE IN NIGER C-I ANNEX D: THE ECONOMICS OF IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE IN NIGER ANNEX D-I E: VEGETABLE MARKETING IN NIGER E-1 ANNEX F: INSTITUTIONAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES RELATED TO IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE IN NIGER ANNEX F-I G: ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW OF IRRIGAlION IN NIGER G-I ANNEX H: PROGRAM AND PROJECT POSSIBILITIES ANNEX H-I I: TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR VEGETABLE MARKETING STUDY I-I ANNEX J: IMPACT OF IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE ON PUBLIC HEALTH IN NIGER WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SCHISTOSOMIASIS J-1 ANNEX K: ASSESSMENT OF THE ENGINEERING ASPECTS OF IRRIGATION IN NIGER K-I NIGER IRRIGATION SECTOR ASSESSMENT Executive Summary Background Of over 9,000 hectares of irrigation schemes established in Niger since independence, only 5,500 hectares were actually in production in 1983. Existin, irrigated area is falling out of production at the rate of 12% per year. More­ over, irrigated land still in production 's producing well below its agronomic potential. This state of affairs is a source of concern to donors who see the development of irrigated agriculture in Niger as crucial to the country's abi­ lity to feed itself over the longer term. The purpose of this report is to identify the reasons for this substantial underachievement of potential and to suggest areas where !SAID might most effectively focus its develooment assis­ tance for this subsector. Responsibility for irrigated agriculture in Niger is divided principally between the Genie Rural, the Office National des Amenagements Hydro-A ricoles (ONAHA) and TF-Ministry of Hydrology and the Environment (HHE). The Genie Rural is responsible for design and for supervising construction; ONAHA, for implementation, management and maintenan>e )f irrigated perimeters; and the MHE for collecting and analyzing information on surface and groundwater. The FED, FAC, 1BRD, CCCE, KF1! and Kuwait are the most active donors workin( in irrigation. At the present time, Niger has under construction or committed for donor financing over 5,500 hectares of new perimeters. Another 4,000 hec­ tares are scheduled for rehabilitation. Donors generally provide training, credit and technical assistance for the perimeters which they finance. Irrigation Systems Niger has four predominant types of irrigation systems. Jointly managed river pumping systems are located on the flood plains and terraces of the Niger River. They generally produce a double crop of rice. These account for about half of all irrigated land. Jointly managed surface dam systems are found in and near the Maggia Val­ ley. They account for about 20% of Niger's developed irrigated area. Cotton and sorghum are the principal rainy season crops grown on these perimeters whict essentially provide only supplemental irrigation. Less than 25% of the land produces anything during the dry season because of a lack of water in the reser­ voirs. Vegetables, wheat, millet and other crops dominate dry season cropping systems on these perimeters. Niger is just completing development of its first medium-scale, jointly managed groundwater pumping system at Djiratawa, on the Goulbi Maradi. This system accounts for less than 2-1/2% of Niger's irrigated area, but being a tube-well system, it offers promise for developing vast shallow river valleys where surface reservoirs tend to silt up and experience very high rates of ii evaporation. Because of the more reliable water supply, dry season vegetables are more important on the groundwater pumping systems than on the other nonrice perimeters. Individual managed micro-irrigation systems probably account for somewhere around 25% of Niger's total irrigated area at the present time. These are generally small, family-sized systems, ranging in size from a quarter hectare to two hectares. On these systems, farmers draw water from wells six meters deep or less, using various manual methods, and generally produce high valued vege­ tables--more often than not, onions. Small scale irrigation is found in all four systems. Small scale systems tend to be 2-20 hectares in size, but thpir crucial identifying characteristic is their management system, not thei- size. Small scale systems tend to be initiated and managed by a group of farmers or individual households, with mini­ mal or no assistance from 2xtcrnal sources. The cost of developing one hectare of medium scale irriqated perimeter in Niger is high, even by Sahelian standards, amounting to four to six million FCFA per hectare. Key facto'rs accounting for the relatively high cost include diffi­ cult topography, unnecessarily high design standards, a lack of competition in bidding for construction contracts and political risks and uncertainty. Water Supply and Management Water supply and manaiement appear to be a problem on virtually every peri­ meter. Reduced rainfall has lowered the flow of the river and reduced the inflow into the inland reservoirs. At the same time, heavy siltation has re­ duced the stGrage capacity of the reservoirs and greatly reduced their ability to provide adequate water for dry season irrigation. Unnecessarily long pumping periods, excessive application of water, poorly cleaned canals and poorly leveled fields all compound