Training and applied research for the irrigation modernization process
in developing countries

Ahmed Benhammou

Abstract

Most developing countries belong to semiarid regions. Those with the most limited water resources are in the Middle East and northern and southern Africa. In these countries, the water supply for agriculture, domestic and industrial use, as well as for environmental use, has kept pace neither with population nor with economic growth. Given that most of these countries devote 60 to 90 percent of their water to irrigation, water conservation in the agricultural sector is considered as a major option for the future.

The case of the Maghreb countries (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) is important to investigate. The three countries receive an average rainfall of about 275 billion m³ per year. Only 37.2 billion m³ is usable with existing technology, and irrigation consumes most of it (87 percent). The index of exploitation (the ratio of exploited to potential resources) is less than .3.

Although irrigation has been practised for centuries in many regions of North Africa, La Grande Hydraulique is the biggest agricultural development since Independence. The related projects have increased the region's agricultural output but not without some negative effects:

• Excessive irrigation has led to water-logging by raising the water table.
• Eutrophication and salinization are becoming important.
• Inappropriate management of watersheds has led to silting of reservoirs built at huge cost.

Therefore, the focus of irrigation modernization should be on demand management, with conservation and increased water-use efficiency as the main policy objectives. Such a strategy would be less costly than new infrastructures and society at large would benefit much sooner. Although increasing efficiency is commendable, additional water sources will inevitably have to be tapped.

Irrigation modernization in developing countries is a process which must incorporate new design procedures and new equipment with a clear vision of future operations. It must integrate training and applied research as key elements to improve the productivity of investment and to protect the environment.

Training topics

Hydraulic engineering

• River and canals engineering
• Hydro-computing

Hydrology engineering

• Surface and groundwater hydrology
• Water and environmental resource management

Technological equipment 

• Communication networks
• Instrumentation and measurement devices
• Automatic control of irrigation canals
• Control of irrigation systems

Applied research themes

Research priorities should cover three categories: technical, socio-economic and environmental, and institutional studies.

Technical studies

• Irrigation techniques appropriate for water scarcity
• Aquifer hydraulics and potentials
• Mathematics modelling and computational hydraulics
• Development of end-use irrigation technologies appropriate to conditions in developing countries, etc

Socio-economic and environmental studies

• Improvement of water productivity
• Analysis of the social and environmental impact of modern irrigation technologies.

Institutional studies

• Flexibility of services
• Improved design for water utilities
• Investment in water-saving technologies, etc

The development of modern irrigation systems in developing countries can be facilitated by the co-ordination of different actions provided by international organizations, national governments, the private sector, academic institutions and local populations. Specific programmes with clear actions could act decisively to support continuing training and applied research in the field of modernization of irrigation systems.