An information system for promoting sustainable
irrigated agriculture
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Source: FAO by F.
Paladini
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Project origin and rationale
The Virtual Centre for Water in Agriculture is an innovative
initiative promoting experience sharing and knowledge networking
for a sustainable development of irrigation in developing
countries.
The Virtual Centre for Water in Agriculture is a 2 year project,
funded by the French government and started in 2004 The first phase
of the project is being implemented by the IPTRID Secretariat,
hosted by the Land and Water Development Division of FAO.
The main objective of the project is to evaluate the potential
use of new technology:
- to gather, disseminate, and uptake the knowledge about the
interactions between the water and soil resource use in agriculture
and the environment;
- to improve the information exchange between professionals in
charge of rural development, through the coordination of a network
of partners for a better measurement of the positive impacts and a
better consideration if the negative impacts of irrigation
development.
Summarized information to a professional
audience
This information platform is first a platform for the
capitalization of field experience and the sharing of the know-how
between southern countries. The knowledge, project data, and
research results used to build the information disseminated through
this platform have been supplied by the project partners, coming
exclusively from the southern countries.
The information presented is practical and summarized addressing
a professional audience: technical advisors or assistants,
consulting companies, extension agents, rural development officers,
students, etc.
Project partners
The pilot phase of the project targets countries located in two
francophone African regions:
- North Africa (Morocco and Tunisia);
- West Africa (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal).
Partnerships have been developed in the targeted countries through
national focal points:
- l’Association Nationale pour les Améliorations Foncières de
l’Irrigation et du Drainage, ANAFID – Morocco; Moroccan National
Committee of the International Commission for Irrigation and
Drainage (ICID);
- l’Association Nigérienne pour l’Irrigation et le Drainage, ANID
– Niger; National Committee for Niger of the International
Commission for Irrigation and Drainage (ICID);
- l'association Malienne pour l'irrigation et le drainage, AMID -
Mali; National Committee for Mali of the International Commission
for Irrigation and Drainage (IDID);
- l’Association Sénégalaise pour le Promotion de l’Irrigation et
du Drainage, ASPID – Sénégal; Senegalese National Committee of the
International Commission for Irrigation and Drainage (ICID).
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