Irrigation performance tool co-creation workshop in Ségou, Mali

On Tuesday, 4 July 2023, the WaPOR project organized a workshop in Ségou, Mali, to design a performance evaluation tool for the Office of Niger. Office water management officers, GIS specialists, as well as representatives from FAO, IWMI and the WaPOR project, participated in the workshop/

The aim of the workshop was to assess Office of Niger's information needs to improve irrigation water management and distribution, and to create a shared concept of irrigation performance. The Office of Niger's Land Development and Management, Water Management and Hydraulic Network divisions play a key role in collecting data and monitoring irrigation performance indicators.

The Office's irrigation system is gravity-based, and current performance is measured by respecting the required water levels at different points in the system. Operators close the valves when water levels reach the desired levels, and performance is estimated based on the number of days this occurs. Thus, for Office of Niger staff, sufficient water availability in the canal is the key factor in system performance.

IWMI presented various indicators for assessing irrigation performance. Board officials reacted positively to the idea of improving irrigation performance, citing examples of areas where problems arise due to water management. For example, the Ke-macina and N'Debougou zones complain that they do not receive water on time due to overconsumption by the Niono zone. The Niono manager justifies this on the grounds that Niono's irrigated area is much larger than that of the other two zones.