This phase aims at examining in detail the impact of climate change on irrigation systems in four pilot countries: Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Mali and Niger. It also highlights the required investments for adapting small-scale irrigation and proposes the measures to design and manage small-scale irrigation schemes adapted to climate change.

This includes two specific areas of intervention:

Country-level support to the adaptation of small-scale irrigation schemes to climate change: an analysis of the hydrological, engineering and agronomic measures needed to design and manage small-scale irrigation schemes adapted to climate change and shocks. This also includes the analysis of parallel measures in the watershed that are needed to ensure adequate water storage and recharge.

It consists of the following activities:

• Participatory surveys to characterize climate change impacts and adaptation needs on small-scale irrigation schemes;
• The development of reference guides on hydraulic, hydrological and agronomic requirements for irrigation schemes adapted to climate variability and extreme events. This will also comprise an analysis of the agronomic practices that would protect farmers from crop failure due to climate shocks;
• Capacity development including knowledge exchange, technical assistance and training of key national stakeholders in designing and operating small-scale irrigation schemes adapted to climate change. This will include national and regional workshops, cross-country exchange, regional knowledge exchange networks and multi-stakeholder dialogue platforms to disseminate the project results.

Estimation of incremental costs for small-scale irrigation investment adapted to climate change: an analysis of the additional costs and investments needed to adapt small-scale irrigation schemes to climate change and to define how to estimate and minimize these investments. This includes:

• The development of reference guides on how to estimate and minimize incremental costs in planning investments to adapt small-scale irrigation to climate change;
• Capacity development including knowledge exchange among key national stakeholders and technical assistance. This will allow them to improve their capacity in planning investments on small-scale irrigation adapted to climate variability by integrating and minimizing costs for adaptation. This will include cross-country knowledge exchange and regional and national networks and dialogue platforms.