Africa is seeing a surge of interest in irrigation among small-scale farmers as climate change brings more erratic weather. Currently, only 6 percent of arable land in Africa is irrigated, compared to 14 and 37 percent in Latin America and Asia respectively. At the same time, a growing population across the continent demands more, reliable and a continuous supply of food. It is estimated that without additional investment in irrigation, the share of people at risk of hunger could increase by 5 percent by 2030 and 12 percent by 2050. 

Between 2002 and 2014, irrigated land in Ethiopia increased by almost 52 percent. In 2015, the estimated total area equipped for irrigation was of 858,340 hectares (ha). In addition to that, around 1.1 million ha were estimated to be cultivated through farmer-led irrigation. The Ethiopian irrigation success story will be the focus of this webinar to understand where progress has been achieved and what can be replicated in other African countries.