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Context

It is commonly acknowledged that most of the impacts of climate change in agricultural production systems will be associated with changes in water resources. AquaCrop software, which is available free of cost, is an important tool for increasing water productivity of crops in rain-fed and irrigated production systems. Developed and applied by FAO and many partner institutions, AquaCrop is mainly intended for practitioners working in the field (e.g. extension services, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and farmers associations). It can also be used by researchers and educators. AquaCrop can serve as a benchmarking tool, comparing the attainable yields against actual yields of a field, farm, or region. It can also help develop irrigation schedules for different climate scenarios; assess water productivity at various scales; and support decision-making on water allocation and other water policy actions.

Methodology

In 2009 and 2010, in response to the urgent need to significantly increase the number of adequately trained water professionals, FAO, the UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC) and local partners organized 5 regional, one week 'training of trainers' workshops. In total, 147 participants from 58 countries and over 100 institutions were trained in the practical applications of AquaCrop, which improved their skills in strategic farm management for increased crop-water productivity. The five local host institutions (mainly research institutions or ministries) in Burkina Faso, China, Egypt Iran and South Africa were actively engaged in selecting the participants. Forty-three percent of the participants came from academia; 32 percent from national research institutes, 15 percent from ministries or government agencies; 7 percent from international development organizations, 2 percent from private companies; and 1 percent from non-governmental organizations. The training was delivered through lectures and computer-based hands-on exercises. Participants were actively involved in both the theoretical and practical sessions of these workshops. The open, interactive approach adopted for the training programme was a key factor for its success. Before the training, participants completed a questionnaire on learning needs as well as a job task analysis regarding water management and food production. The questionnaires were analysed to determine the specific gaps in terms of individual, institutional and organizational capacities. To facilitate the transfer of knowledge into practical application, participants benefited from follow-up support activities to the training. 

Outcomes

Six months after the last workshop, participants were invited to present case studies on their use of the software and discuss their experiences in training others. The best cases were then presented at the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage’s (ICID) Asian regional conference held in Indonesia in 2010. Of the 19 participants that attended, 16 had trained a further 120 people. Groups represented in the strongest case studies were invited to a follow-up workshop to share their experiences of using AquaCrop in different agro-climatic conditions. The workshop also analysed the success of earlier workshops and identified follow-up activities for participants to undertake in their countries. 

Source: UNW-DPC, 2011.