Salinity in African Countries: From Local Challenges to Global Solutions

Janina Smaoui, Katarzyna (Kate) Negacz, Pim van Tongeren

Research output: Book / ReportReportAcademic

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Abstract

Salinisation of soil and groundwater is a major challenge for agriculture and a pervasive problem throughout the sub-Saharan region. Exacerbated by climate change, salinisation has profound impacts on the region’s environment, economy, and people.

Global cost estimates from 2014 indicate that the annual economic losses due to salt-affected areas amount to US$27.3 billion. In Africa, approximately 80 million hectares are affected, with up to 68.8 million hectares in sub-Saharan Africa. Next to considerable economic losses, salinisation also impacts local livelihoods, food security and migration patterns in affected regions.

These challenges are particularly important in the context of sub-Saharan countries, where agriculture plays an important role not only in ensuring food security, but also in shaping livelihoods, fostering development, and driving economic growth. As the population grows, so does the demand for land, water, and food. The escalating needs for these essential resources, compounded by the challenge of salinisation, underscores the urgent call for swift and effective solutions. However, knowledge of the extent and impacts of salinisation remain fragmented and the costs associated with salinisation do not appear to be corresponding with the investments of development projects. To address this challenge, this report synthesises the current state of scientific knowledge on the problem of groundwater and soil salinisation in sub-Saharan Africa, providing a comprehensive overview across 12 countries selected by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). The impact of salinisation on agriculture and food security in these nations is assessed based on interviews with experts and extension officers. To provide an overview of the governance landscape of saline agriculture, international cooperative initiatives are analysed based on several characteristics.

This report highlights three key findings. First, the results show that there are significant disparities in the availability and quality of scientific knowledge of groundwater and soil salinisation in sub-Saharan countries. Based on current research, salinisation is prevalent in coastal areas and river deltas. Reasons for this include seawater intrusion and seasonal variations in the salinity fronts of rivers, depending on the wet and dry seasons. This is consistent with the availability and distribution of knowledge: coastal countries are relatively well studied, while more central countries lack comprehensive analyses. However, there are some outliers, such as Ethiopia, where interviews also revealed high salinity in inland areas. In addition, the interviews highlighted common problems of data unavailability and inconsistency, which pose challenges for knowledge provision and dissemination. Therefore, the prevalence of salinity in coastal areas and river deltas may stand out due to the lack of data for arid and semi-arid inland areas.

Second, the impact assessment revealed that salinisation has far-reaching economic, environmental, social, and cultural impacts in affected countries. The most severe impacts are the considerable loss of crop yields and productive agricultural land negatively affecting communities’ livelihoods and food security. Other common, and partly linked challenges are effects on water quality and biodiversity, rise in poverty and stakeholder conflicts and social tensions due to less available land.

Third, although international cooperative initiatives are active in all 12 focus countries, the number of initiatives per country varies considerably. While the initiatives are mainly involved in operational, information sharing and networking functions, which are crucial for sharing knowledge and implementing pilot projects, a stronger commitment to funding, standards and long-term commitments is essential for widespread and effective implementation of adaptation strategies. Policies directly addressing salinisation are scarce in the focus countries. However, salinity is relatively often addressed in the context of other policies related to soil, water, biodiversity, and land degradation. It became clear that there is a considerable gap between the investment needed to prevent the enormous economic losses caused by salinisation in this region and the funds available to finance such initiatives. This needs to be taken into account if salinisation is to be properly addressed to secure smallholder incomes at the local level and ensure economic growth and development at the national level.

Based on these finding, we formulate the following recommendations for policy and practice:

• Allocate resources to conduct studies on groundwater and soil salinisation in sub- Saharan countries, where knowledge gaps currently exist.

• Establish systemic regional monitoring and evaluation programs aimed at developing and understanding salinisation patterns and impacts.

• Foster collaboration and information sharing among sub-Saharan countries, particularly those countries experiencing high salinisation, such as countries with coastal areas and river deltas or countries with high arid salinisation.

• Encourage the adoption of saline agriculture practices as a viable adaptation strategy in affected regions by providing training and support for farmers and stimulate the Dutch knowledge institutions and private sector to share their expertise.

• Encourage governmental bodies to integrate the problem and formulate policies addressing salinisation in existing agriculture, water, and climate policies.

• Mobilise funds from international organisations, governmental bodies, and private sectors such as Green Climate Fund to bridge the gap between costs of salinisation and required investments.

• Involve more civil society and private actors in the initiatives to represent a wider range of stakeholders and variety of topics, including water, food, and biodiversity nexus.

• Raise awareness about adverse effects of improper water management practices that can increase salinity in the future.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationAmsterdam
PublisherInstitute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
Number of pages72
Volume24
Edition01
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2024

Funding

This study was commissioned by the Sustainable Development Goals Partnership (SDGP), a programme of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. Through SDGP, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency contributes to achieving food security and private sector development on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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