Toward a LWP Assessment Methodology

A contribution to

the Karkheh CPWF workshop

ICARDA, Syria, April 2005

Presented by Don Peden, ILRI

Outline

• Background & context

• What is livestock water productivity (LWP)?

• Examples

• Some methodological questions

• Inter-basin collaboration

Background: Why Livestock?

• Generates income for poor farmers (especially women) & pastoralists.

• Provides a drought coping livelihood strategy.

• Traditional basis of wealth.

• Culturally important.

• Opportunity for trade.

• Quality nutrition & health.

• Animal power.

• Overgrazing?

• Impact on water resources. Kenana Dairy Corporation, Sudan supported by irrigated residue

DEVELEOPMENT CONTEXT

Demand water for animal products to 2025

Meat & Milk consumption in SSA is increasing rapidly!

Country

group

Annual growth

(%)

Per capita consumption (Kg/person)

Meat Developed 0.6 83

SSA 3.5 11

Milk Developed 0.2 189

SSA 3.8 30 Source: Delgado et al., 1999

Market & dev. Opportunities

•Similar forces drive demand for irrigation and animal products.

• Meeting this demand can help poor people generate income

DEVELEOPMENT CONTEXT

Livestock densities in SSA (TLU/km2)

Production system Criteria Irrigated Rainfed Grazing

Mean

Good 39 23 17 22 Market access Bad 14 14 10 11

High 45 31 39 33 Human density Low 26 14 11 12

High 55 15 10 14 Available water Low 16 22 12 16

Mean 32 20 11

• Agricultural intensification attracts livestock production• Irrigation is associated with highest livestock densities

DEVELEOPMENT CONTEXT

Integrated livestock & water planning lacking

• Irrigation attracts animals, but planning historically lacking.

• Leads to: Low productivity Damage to infrastructure Low LWP

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink!

DEVELEOPMENT CONTEXT

Livestock, annual cropping & sedimentation

• Annual croplands contribute greatly to siltation of water resources• Improved INRM including livestock is needed• Livestock are part of problem, but soil management is most important.

Source: Hurni, 1989

Sources of soil loss and sedimentation in Ethiopia,the “water tower of the Nile

Area (%)

Soil loss (%)

Annual cropland

13 45

Grazing land

51 21

DEVELEOPMENT CONTEXTPoorly planned expansion of irrigation and rainfed farming sparks conflict with herders

• “Conflict … rooted in the soil.

• 6 Million … farmers & herders.

• Graziers migrate from arid North to South after August rains.

• Traditional tribal laws settled conflict & people co-existed.

• Persistent drought in 1980s forced herders into arable land.

• Competition for resources turned violent.

4 Oct 2004

An SSA-wide problem!!!

The Nile project

Goal: Improve human well-being and livelihoods• More productive and equitable use of Nile water• Better livestock management to safeguard water

Four objectives:• Assess Livestock-water productivity in diverse Nile

production systems.• Community management of livestock & water.• Policy for water & livestock in the Nile Basin.• Dissemination and capacity building.

Hypothesis: Improved livestock management is essential for effectively

increasing Nile water productivity

The Nile: Diverse production systemsNile

Basin

• Mixed rainfed humid/sub-humid

PLUS: Urban & peri-urban

• Livestock grazing semi-arid• Mixed rainfed temperate highland• Livestock grazing humid/sub-humid

• Mixed irrigated semi-arid & arid

The Nile: Where are the animals?Nile Basin

Tropical Livestock Units per Km2

<11-10

10-2020-30>30

Background: The Nile Basin

1 TLU = 250 kg live wt

Estimated TLU and maintenance water in the Nile Basin Part of the

Riparian Countries

Country Million TLU

Billion

M3 H20

Sudan 23.2 10.4Ethiopia 11.7 5.3Egypt 6.5 2.9Kenya 5.3 2.4Uganda 5.2 2.3Tanzania 4.8 2.2Other 4 1.6 0.72Total 58.3 26.2

Assume 4 people /TLU Animal & human biomass equal Animal feed >= human food Hypothesis: If water limits

human food security, then it also limits animal production.

What is Livestock Water Productivity (LWP)?

• Ratio of beneficial livestock outputs (products and services) to water depleted in producing them.

• Part of over-all water productivity.

• Multi-scalar concept – Local to national to global.

LWP: based on water accounting concepts

•

WATER ENABLED OUTPUTS

Beneficial:Grain, other foods,animal feed, wood, fibre

Wild biodiversity

Meat, milk, eggs, hides, power, manure, wealth

Exported water

Non-beneficial:

Discharge

Floods

Contamination

Land

evop

orat

ion

Transpiration

Degraded/devalued

Commited outflowUncommited outflow

Export

Plantproduction

Livestockproduction

Groundwater

In-

flow

Recharge

Rain

Surface Inflow

Framework for assessing livestock water productivity (LWP)In

- f

low

Trees

Pasture/range

Food crops

Feed

Imported feed

Grazing & watering

Feed Sourcing

DRINK

Livestock play multiple roles that affect water productivity

Discharge/flood

Ground

Ground & soil water recharge

Rain

Surface In flow

Evaporation

Degradation

Tra

nspi

ratio

n

Animal production

Plant production

Husbandry, health & genetics

Key LWP entry points:

• Improved feed sourcing strategies.

• Improved grazing and watering strategies.

• Strategic provision of dinking water.

• Improving animal productivity OR Enhancing the transpiration to output link.

Relation between % crop residue in animal feed and LWP in irrigated and non-irrigated households in the Awash

basin, Ethiopia

y = 0.0119x - 0.3045

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

20 40 60 80Crop residue (% of total)

LW

P (

$/m

3)

Example feed sourcing strategy

Selected investment optionsEffective feed sourcing strategies

• Increase water productivity by feeding crop residues to animals because no extra water is used.

• But, protect soil by returning some residue and manure.• Added value of animal production with little use of water

increases profitability and provides farm power.

Feed source Maintenance H2O depleted (m3/TLU/year)

Crop residue only 0

Forage crops only 450

Teff for Feed

Dry season feed availability for livestock of irrigator and non-irrigator households probably affects

productivity per animal (e.g., Godino, Ethiopia)

Irrigated Non-irrigated

Water harvesting and livestock: Belatu’s story(Preliminary results - Sasakawa Global 2000 & ILRI collaboration)

1997: Subsistence & family income less than $50/year

Example feed sourcing and watering

strategy

NOW:• 2 underground tanks @ 65 m3

• $1500; year round; multiple sources.• Crops: 2 or 3 per year.• Garlic, onion, tomatoes .• Milk: From <1 to 20 l/day• Up to 6 $/day with value added.

SUCCESS FACTORS:• Intensified command area agric.• Market access.• More effective use of labour.• Value added production (milk).• WH increased rainfed LWP for dairying.• Education.

Water harvesting and livestock: Belatu’s story(Preliminary results - Sasakawa Global 2000 & ILRI collaboration)

1997: Subsistence & family income less than $50/year

• Good years: cattle increase up to 90/HH.• Drought years: about half die.• Most kept for wealth and drought insurance.• Only 18/HH needed for food and income.• Limiting herd size to 40/HH could:

– save one billion m3 year (1000 micro-dams)

– save feed to support animals in dry years.

• Rainwater “saved” can help restore biodiversity, sequester carbon & provide ecosystem services.

• Policy and institutions needed.

Borana PlateauEthiopia

90,000 km2

325,000 people1,000,000 cattle

WLP in rainfed Borana pastoral areas:A water demand management approach

• Continuous drinking water increases LWP• Provide watering sites in pastoral areas with feed surplus• Control of Fasciolosis and other water-borne disease• Conservation tillage that reduces need for livestock• Improved animal nutrition• Animal breeding• Area-wide integration = integrated river basin mgt.• Select lean rather than “fatty” animals• Satisfy animal health and food safety standards needed for trade in

animals and animal products.• Community based approaches to management of grazing and

watering areas.• Reduce sedimentation through mitigation of up-slope soil loss.

Some other possible LWP options

Basin WP - Data needs

• Stratifying basins into agricultural production systems.• Up-to-date livestock census data (FAO/ILRI/NARS?)• Standard integrators – TLU, Western AU, Iranian AU, or?• Descriptions of animal diets (seasonal feed sourcing strategies).• Transpiration and associated evaporation for feed production

– (RS or field based surveys)

• Gendered & multi-scaled value of animal outputs and services.• Case studies of options to improve watering and grazing practices

and feed sourcing strategies.• Animal productivity indicators linking transpiration to outputs

(animal health, genetics, husbandry, etc).

Ag. Production systems

Available Discret. water Market accessPlus Urban livestock

15 Water-Livestock Development Domains

Should we think beyond WP and identify investment domains where with high potential for improving WP?

Human pop. density

Final thought: Preliminary estimate of water depleted for maintenance feed production in the Karkheh Basin

Million animal units

1 AU = 45 kg sheep

Million m3 water transpired

Cattle 2.03 132

Goats 1.79 189

Sheep 2.78 243

TOTAL 6.60 563

Water transpired or depleted for livestock production in the Karkheh basinbased on FAO livestock corrected estimates 2000

* Many assumptions made and available on request*

Waterfor Feed

Drinking Water Health & Environment

We look forward to collaborating with you to develop a CPWF-wide

approach to assessing WP.

Thank you!