Targeting investments in small-scale groundwater irrigation using Bayesian networks for a data-scarce river basin in Sub-Saharan Africa

TY - JOUR

T1 - Targeting investments in small-scale groundwater irrigation using Bayesian networks for a data-scarce river basin in Sub-Saharan Africa

AU - Katic, Pamela

AU - Morris, Joanne

PY - 2016/8

Y1 - 2016/8

N2 - Irrigation for smallholder farming systems is an important approach for sustainable intensification and increased productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, provided investments in irrigation are properly targeted and accompanied by complementary improvements. Many GIS-based tools have been developed to identify suitable areas for investments in different types of small scale irrigation (SSI), but they do not explicitly address uncertainty on the data input and on the determination of factors that affect success of an investment in a given context. This paper addresses this problem by presenting an application of a decision-support targeting tool based on Bayesian networks (BNs) that can be used by non-expert policy-makers and investors to assess the potential success of specific technologies used for groundwater-based SSI. A case study application for the White Volta Basin in West Africa is presented to illustrate the BN approach.

AB - Irrigation for smallholder farming systems is an important approach for sustainable intensification and increased productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, provided investments in irrigation are properly targeted and accompanied by complementary improvements. Many GIS-based tools have been developed to identify suitable areas for investments in different types of small scale irrigation (SSI), but they do not explicitly address uncertainty on the data input and on the determination of factors that affect success of an investment in a given context. This paper addresses this problem by presenting an application of a decision-support targeting tool based on Bayesian networks (BNs) that can be used by non-expert policy-makers and investors to assess the potential success of specific technologies used for groundwater-based SSI. A case study application for the White Volta Basin in West Africa is presented to illustrate the BN approach.

KW - Smallholders

KW - Irrigation technologies

KW - Outscaling

KW - Decision-support

KW - Irrigation technologies

KW - Outscaling

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84966297426&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.envsoft.2016.04.004

DO - 10.1016/j.envsoft.2016.04.004

M3 - Article

SN - 1364-8152

VL - 82

SP - 44

EP - 72

JO - Environmental modelling & software

JF - Environmental modelling & software

ER -