Conveners
World Bank
Session Summary
Irrigation is central to Africa's food security, rural livelihoods, and climate resilience. Yet progress remains uneven. Some regions underutilize water resources, while others overexploit them. Poor targeting of irrigation investments, limited performance monitoring, and weak data-driven decision-making compound these challenges. At the same time, smallholder farmers, who produce 80% of Africa's food, struggle with climate variability and water scarcity without access to evidence-based irrigation guidance.
This session will demonstrate how remote sensing, AI, and digital hydro-informatics are transforming irrigation planning and investment across the continent. Presenters will illustrate how operational platforms, integrating billions of satellite data points with ground-based measurements, socio-economic data, and AI/ML analytics, are being deployed to guide irrigation investment decisions, benchmark scheme performance, and support evidence-based policy planning.
Case studies will demonstrate how:
- Nigeria is benchmarking irrigation performance to target rehabilitation;
- Burundi and Uganda are piloting real-time irrigation monitoring and supplemental mapping tools to strengthen climate-resilient agricultural planning;
- Kenya is using hydronomic zoning, water tower analysis, and farmer-led irrigation mapping to optimize irrigation development;
- Additional cases from Ethiopia, Tunisia, Zambia, and others illustrate a continent-wide shift toward data-driven irrigation.
Designed as an interactive dialogue, the session will blend concise country presentations with a moderated panel and open discussion. Policymakers, researchers, development partners, and practitioners will explore practical lessons, implementation challenges, and opportunities for scaling innovation. The discussion will foster cross-country learning, build partnerships, and highlight how AI/ML-driven predictive analytics and digital irrigation solutions can enable smarter, more sustainable investment in African agriculture.
Programme
Opening remarks: Welcome and Introduction
Presentation: Case studies
Experiential Game and Group work
Panel discussion
Closing remarks
Conveners
World Bank
Session Summary
Irrigation is central to Africa's food security, rural livelihoods, and climate resilience. Yet progress remains uneven. Some regions underutilize water resources, while others overexploit them. Poor targeting of irrigation investments, limited performance monitoring, and weak data-driven decision-making compound these challenges. At the same time, smallholder farmers, who produce 80% of Africa's food, struggle with climate variability and water scarcity without access to evidence-based irrigation guidance.This session will demonstrate how remote sensing, AI, and digital hydro-informatics are transforming irrigation planning and investment across the continent. Presenters will illustrate how operational platforms, integrating billions of satellite data points with ground-based measurements, socio-economic data, and AI/ML analytics, are being deployed to guide irrigation investment decisions, benchmark scheme performance, and support evidence-based policy planning.Case studies will demonstrate how:- Nigeria is benchmarking irrigation performance to target rehabilitation;- Burundi and Uganda are piloting real-time irrigation monitoring and supplemental mapping tools to strengthen climate-resilient agricultural planning;- Kenya is using hydronomic zoning, water tower analysis, and farmer-led irrigation mapping to optimize irrigation development;- Additional cases from Ethiopia, Tunisia, Zambia, and others illustrate a continent-wide shift toward data-driven irrigation.Designed as an interactive dialogue, the session will blend concise country presentations with a moderated panel and open discussion. Poli ...
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