Total Factor Productivity (TFP) measures the growth in output which is not accounted for by inputs. Data Envelopment Analysis which forms the basis for the computation of Malmquist TFP index is used in this paper to study the performance of different river basins in Andhra Pradesh state, India. The results indicated that average technical efficiency of all the basins is only 66%. In all the basins there was a decline in growth of agricultural output during the first two decades, viz., 1979-1980 to 1988-1989 and it had picked in the last decade (1999-2000).

This paper highlights the need in South Asia for basin-wide water allocation plans that include environmental requirements. This paper also describes the application of a basin planning model (i.e., Water Evaluation and Planning model or WEAP) to assess present and alternative water management options which incorporate environmental flows in the Upper Ganges River in India (total area: 87000 km2). The paper summarizes the environmental flow assessment methodology which was conducted through a multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder approach (Building Blocks Methodology or BBM).

The drafting of this handbook was initiated in October 2007,

in Ghana, by Ines Beernaerts, in the framework of the FAOKNUST

project on “Evaluation of non-treatment options for

maximizing public health benefits of WHO guidelines governing

the use of wastewater in urban vegetable production in Ghana”.

The Farmer Field School (FFS) approach was introduced in

the FAO-KNUST project and materialized in this handbook to

enhance the experimental learning of the (peri-) urban farmers.

In recent years, large-scale agricultural investment projects have increased in sub-Saharan Africa as a result of the growing appetites of local and international investors for land resources. Research has so far mainly focused on land issues, but the water implications of these land deals are starting to surface. Taking the Office du Niger (ON), in Mali, as a case study, it is shown that while around 100,000 ha is currently being cultivated, mostly by smallholders, a total of 600,000 ha of land has been allocated in the past ten years to investors in large-scale farming.

The International Water Management Institute is the lead institute for the Ganges Basin Development Challenge research project titled Water Governance and community-based management in coastal regions of Bangladesh. This study is one out of five research projects in the Ganges basin commissioned and funded by the CGIAR challenge Program on Food and Water inundation, salinity intrusion and severe flooding in the coastal areas is a frequent occurrence in Bangladesh. This leads to loss of life and property as well as severe impacts on livelihoods.

The rural populations of southern Bangladesh are some of the most vulnerable communities in the world to the future impacts of climate change. They are particularly at risk from floods, waterlogged soils, and increasing salinity of both land and water. The objective of this project was to analyze the vulnerability of people in four villages that are experiencing different levels of soil salinity.

Studies from nine states indicate that adoption of micro-irrigation (MI) technologies - drip and sprinkler systems - has a positive impact in terms of water saving, yield and income enhancement at farm level. However, the overall impression among the farmers is that MI is capital intensive and suited only to large farmers who have Access to capital and technical knowhow. As such, only 12.2 percent of potential drip irrigation area and 7.8 percent of potential sprinkler area is covered in the country with large variations across states.

Although the different roles of men and women in agriculture in different parts of Sub-Saharan Africa have been widely acknowledged, there have not been consistent efforts to collect data on these patterns. This paper presents a way of classifying gendered farm management systems and then describes pilots of four different approaches to collecting and georeferencing information on the dominant pattern in each area.

Agricultural water management (AWM) interventions in the Nile Basin are a key to improve agricultural production and productivity. AWM interventions can be categorized based on spatial scales, sources of water and type of technologies for water management in control, lifting, conveyance and application. Various combinations of these interventions are available in the Nile Basin. Successful application of AWM interventions should consider the full continuum of technologies in water control, conveyance and field applications.