A framework for using decision-support tools at various spatial scales for the management of irrigated agriculture in semi-arid West-Africa

The Kou watershed, situated in the Southwestern part of Burkina Faso, has succumbed since a couple of decades to a typical theater play of anarchistic water management. With its 1.800 km², this small watershed includes the second largest city of Burkina Faso (Bobo-Dioulasso), a former state run irrigated rice scheme and several informal agricultural zones. Despite the abundance of water resources, most water users find themselves regularly faced with shortages due to an increase in population and low irrigation efficiencies. Local stakeholders are hence in need of easy to use and low-cost decision support tools for the monitoring and exploitation of the water resources at different spatial and user levels. A top-to-bottom string of adapted water management tools has successfully been installed to tackle the problems: from watershed (top) to field level (bottom), not to mention the 1200 ha irrigation scheme. Land use maps have been derived from satellite and aerial images. Combined with data from a network of hydrologic gauging stations, regional water use maps were established. Hot spots in inefficient water use could be geographically identified and more detailed actions undertaken. Scheme Information Management Information System (SIMIS) was put in place for the management of the regions irrigated rice scheme. A more equitable distribution for the ever diminishing available water resources could be elaborated. A public-private partnership was installed to guarantee its sustainability. Day to day water use on irrigated plots was monitored by soil humidity and crop canopy measurements. A simple field-crop-water balance model AquaCrop was calibrated and validated, and is used by extension workers to draft optimal irrigation charts. Each tool is applied independently, requiring only limited data; but their combined results contribute to an improved integrated water management.