Browsing by Author "Weatherhead, E. Keith"
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Item Open Access The adoption of low-cost low head drip irrigation in small-scale farms in Kenya(Cranfield University, 2003-09) Kalamwa, Kulecho I.; Weatherhead, E. KeithPopulation growth and development will increase the demands on water resources in Africa, and hence there is a need for agriculture to use water efficiently. Drip irrigation is widely promoted for water saving at the farm level. Moreover, it is easily adaptable to small-scale farming common in Africa. The use of low-cost drip irrigation, especially the low-cost medium head (LCMH) drip system, is growing rapidly in some Asian countries. However, the uptake of low-cost drip irrigation in general has been slow in Kenya, which has scarce water for irrigation. Using the theory of the adoption and diffusion of innovation, this research aimed to identify the factors affecting the rate of adoption and continued use of low-cost low head (LCLH) drip irrigation in Kenya. Following a review of experiences of low-cost drip irrigation from India and sub-Saharan Africa, primary information was obtained using informal interviews in a two-phase survey. A total of eighty-six respondents were interviewed in the two phases. Phase 1 examined the factors influencing the adoption of LCLH drip irrigation. The key respondents in phase 1 were irrigation farmers (drip and non-drip), government officials, irrigation industry representatives, and staff of non¬governmental organisations (NGOs). Phase 2 examined the factors affecting discontinuation of LCLH drip irrigation. In phase 2 only LCLH drip irrigation farmers and those who had discontinued using it were interviewed While the low-cost medium head drip irrigation was the dominant irrigation in India, the low-cost low head drip irrigation, gravity fed and in a kit form, was found to be the most common system on smallholder farms in Kenya. The results showed that for the rate of appropriate low-cost drip irrigation uptake to increase in Kenya, it was important to remove political and institutional inhibiting factors dominant during the implementation stages of the innovation-decision process. It was necessary for farmers to have a need to save irrigation water, reliable irrigation water resources, effective water user organisations, efficient marketing facilities, efficient technical support services, relevant cultural background, and good security for the kit. The LCLH drip irrigation kit appeared to have more maintenance problems than the alternative irrigation methods. Furthermore, government policies and extension services as well as irrigation industry efforts appeared limited. It appeared that the technology would most likely be adopted where farmers have a reliable but limited (in volume) water supply.In some situations, the LCLH drip technology, and particularly the smaller (bucket) kits, did not appear to be appropriate and should not be promoted. For other conditions, recommendations were made for helping to overcome the problems identified in the study.The Rogers innovation-decision model was shown to lack sufficient consideration of external factors. A revised model was proposed to suit the conditions of small-scale irrigation technology adoption in less developed countries.Item Open Access Climate change and water in the UK – past changes and future prospects(SAGE, 2015-02-09) Watts, Glenn; Battarbee, Richard W.; Bloomfield, John P.; [...]; Daccache, Andre; Hess, Tim; Knox, Jerry; Weatherhead, E. KeithClimate change is expected to modify rainfall, temperature and catchment hydrological responses across the world, and adapting to these water-related changes is a pressing challenge. This paper reviews the impact of anthropogenic climate change on water in the UK and looks at projections of future change. The natural variability of the UK climate makes change hard to detect; only historical increases in air temperature can be attributed to anthropogenic climate forcing, but over the last 50 years more winter rainfall has been falling in intense events. Future changes in rainfall and evapotranspiration could lead to changed flow regimes and impacts on water quality, aquatic ecosystems and water availability. Summer flows may decrease on average, but floods may become larger and more frequent. River and lake water quality may decline as a result of higher water temperatures, lower river flows and increased algal blooms in summer, and because of higher flows in the winter. In communicating this important work, researchers should pay particular attention to explaining confidence and uncertainty clearly. Much of the relevant research is either global or highly localized: decision-makers would benefit from more studies that address water and climate change at a spatial and temporal scale appropriate for the decisions they make.Item Open Access Climate change impacts on urban wash services in Ghana.(2017) Boakye, Richard Opoku; Parker, Alison; Hutchings, Paul; Weatherhead, E. KeithThe global water and sanitation sector is faced with numerous problems. Evident from Sub-Sahara Africa is the lack of access to potable water and improved sanitation which has made water coverage and sanitation a worry for most governments in low and middle-income countries. Climate change will exacerbate these problems especially in the urban poor communities. There is therefore the need to investigate how to make urban WASH services climate proof. In line with achieving this aim, part of this work assessed the existing WASH vulnerabilities, assessed the potential impacts of developed hydrological scenarios on the existing vulnerabilities and developed recommendations for various stakeholders using the Rapid Climate Adaptation Assessment (RCAA) methodology. The other part of this work assessed the adaptive capacity of the urban WASH sector by applying the Adaptive capacity wheel (ACW) methodology. In the application of these two methodologies, qualitative empirical data were collected from semi-structured interviews, direct observations and focus group discussions. The empirical data collected helped to understand the stakeholders‟ climate change awareness, the linkages in the local vulnerabilities, and ways to enhance the adaptive capacity of the WASH sector. This research argues that the vulnerabilities of the WASH services are similar within and across the ecological zones in Ghana. These vulnerabilities resulted from intermittent water supply, poorly managed solid waste and lack of spatial planning which are problems in urban poor WASH management. Though these vulnerabilities were arrived by simple hydrological scenario, they show the need for adaptation measures to be incorporated into urban poor WASH planning. To integrate adaptation measures to achieve resilience, this work further argues that the adaptive capacity of the sector can be enhanced by improving the learning capacity and motivation of stakeholders as well as empowering larger-scale institutions to provide structures and guidance at the lower- and individual level.Item Open Access Climate proofing water and sanitation services and applying integrated water resource management in slums(Cranfield University, 2011) Heath, Thomas; Weatherhead, E. KeithThis thesis assesses how climate change impacts water resources and communities and reviews how the resource can be managed in an integrated manner for small water and sanitation providers. This thesis was based upon a 10 month Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between Cranfield University and Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP). The aim of the project was to assess the opportunities and vulnerabilities presented by climate change and how Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) is relevant to water and sanitation services for the urban poor. This thesis is based on two papers prepared following the KTP. The research was based upon a literature review and field work to WSUP projects in Lusaka (Zambia), Naivasha (Kenya) and Antananarivo (Madagascar). During the field work 11 focus groups and 97 stakeholder interviews were completed, in addition direct observation was undertaken throughout. To assess the impact of climate change a vulnerability assessment methodology was developed consisting of a vulnerability assessment, reviewing climate predictions, preparing hydrology scenairios and identify adaptations. In the three cities assessed, eleven communities were visited of which eight were vulnerable to flooding and four to water shortages. The research indicated that for water and sanitation providers climate change will tend to exacerbate or relieve existing vulnerabilities rather than create new issues and to adapt, water and sanitation providers need to increase the robustness of their systems by assessing the impacts across multiple scenarios. To assess the relevance of IWRM a literature review was undertaken and a benchmarking process developed based around the main principles of IWRM and fieldwork in Zambia. The IWRM assessment found that IWRM is generally irrelevant to water and sanitation suppliers to the urban poor.Item Open Access Coping with climate change uncertainty for adaptation planning for local water management(Cranfield University, 2014-05) Green, Michael; Weatherhead, E. KeithEnvironmental management is plagued with uncertainty, despite this, little attention has until recently been given to the sensitivity of management decisions to uncertain environmental projections. Assuming that the future climate is stationary is no longer considered valid, nor is using a single or small number of potentially incorrect projections to inform decisions. Instead, it is recommended that decision makers make use of increasingly available probabilistic projections of future climate change, such as those from perturbed physics ensembles like United Kingdom Climate Projections 2009 (UKCP09), to gauge the severity and extent of future impacts and ultimately prepare more robust solutions. Two case studies focussing on contrasting aspects of local water management; namely irrigation demand and urban drainage management, were used to evaluate current approaches and develop recommendations and improved methods of using probabilistic projections to support decision making for climate change adaptation. A quantitative understanding of the impact of uncertainty to decision making for climate change adaptation was obtained from a literature review; followed by a comparison of using (1) the low medium and high emission scenarios, (2) 10,000 sample ensemble and 11 Spatially Coherent Projections (11SCP), (3) deterministic and probabilistic climate change projections, (4) the complete probabilistic dataset and sub-samples of it using different sampling techniques, (5) the change factor (or delta change) and stochastic (or UKCP09 weather generator) downscaling techniques and (6) different decision criteria using two contrasting case studies at three UK sites. This research provides an insight into the impact of different sources of uncertainty to real-world adaptation and explores whether having access to more data and a greater appreciation of uncertainty alters the way we make decisions. The impact of the “envelope of uncertainty” to decision making is explored in order to identify those factors and decisions that have the greatest impact on what we perceive to be the “best” solution. An improved novel decision criterion for use with probabilistic projections for adaptation planning is presented and tested using simplified real-world case studies to establish whether it provides a more attractive tool for decision makers compared to the current decision criteria which have been advocated for adaptation planning. This criterion explicitly incorporates the unique risk appetite of the individual into the decision making process, acknowledging that this source of uncertainty and not necessarily the climate change projections, had the greatest impact on the decisions considered by this research. This research found the differences between emission scenarios, projection datasets, sub-sampling approaches and downscaling techniques, each contributing a different source of uncertainty, tended to be small except where the decision maker already exhibited an extremely risk seeking or risk adverse appetite. This research raises a number of interesting questions about the “decision significance” of uncertainty through the systematic analysis of several different sources of uncertainty on two contrasting local water management case studies. Through this research, decision makers are encouraged to take a more active role in the climate change adaptation debate, undertaking their own analysis with the support of the scientific community in order to highlight those uncertainties that have significant implications for real world decisions and thereby help direct future efforts to characterise and reduce them. The findings of this research are of interest to planners, engineers, stakeholders and adaptation planning generally.Item Open Access Diffusion of small-scale pumped irrigation technologies and their association with farmer-led irrigation development in Malawi(Taylor & Francis, 2021-03-17) Kamwamba-Mtethiwa, Jean; Wiyo, Kenneth; Knox, Jerry W.; Weatherhead, E. KeithThe adoption of small-scale pumped irrigation technologies was evaluated using field surveys in Malawi. Four pumped systems were identified, distinguished by ownership (group versus individual) and technology (treadle versus motorized). Farmer access to pumps was either through organizational support (incentivized) or privately (self-motivated), with progression depending on the mode of access and farmers’ attributes. Self-motivated farmers had better socioeconomic status and access to knowledge supporting the pumps’ continued use. Conversely, incentives drive the uptake of other pumps, and the provision of continued external support reinforced their continued use. Farmers need to be supported beyond affordability by safeguarding the availability and maintenance of pumps.Item Open Access Improving the performance of water delivery systems in the Dez and Moghan irrigation schemes in Iran(2005-09) Hedayat, Najaf; Weatherhead, E. KeithDespite the importance of efficient irrigation management for sustainable agriculture in semi-arid and arid regions of the world, poor water delivery is widespread. Following recent rural reforms in Iran, which have changed the land holding regime, cropping pattern, and market system, the present canal management is no longer responsive to the new challenges of farmers in irrigation schemes such as the Dez and Moghan. This research aims to identify an appropriate canal management model for improving water delivery, using the stakeholders’ own views and understanding of the local issues. After reviewing the literature, four expert workshops were organized to identify important issues. A postal survey of 100 farmers, 50 extensionists and 50 water agency staff was then undertaken. This was then augmented by 36 semi-structured and open-ended interviews with stakeholders not covered by the survey. The majority of all three-stakeholder groups agreed that present canal management in both the schemes is not appropriate and causes various problems, but they did not agree on the causes of the problems. The majority view among the farmers and extensionists was that inequity and inflexibility, due to poor operation and maintenance (O&M) of the main and secondary canals, were the most important causes of poor water delivery. In contrast, the agency staff regarded group conflicts and environmental impacts, due to poor O&M in the tertiaries and quaternaries and poor on-farm operations, as the most important. The perceptions of the stakeholders on water delivery-related issues were similar on the two schemes. The farmers and extensionists had similar views on all issues except on water charges, where the extensionists (agreeing with the agency staff) suggested that present charges were too low to reflect the O&M costs. In contrast, the farmers thought that higher charges alone would not help, because the problems lie with poor design and the present inappropriate management system. The farmers and extensionists thought that neither purely technical nor purely nontechnical approaches alone would be adequate to resolve the problems. They supported an integrated management model, based on the traditional Iranian Miraab system. Although the survey responses suggested that all three-stakeholder groups would support this, the interviews suggested that majority of the farmers and extensionists thought some of the agency staff would resist its implementation because the farmer managed water distribution system would be seen to be a threat to their authority. All three groups thought that the government would support the implementation of the Miraab system. The key implications of the research is that the stakeholders consider the present management of the Dez and Moghan schemes is not responsive to the challenges in the post-reform era, and that they are more likely to be met by a system that is based on a bottom-up approach rather than one that is imposed by the state agencies. They consider that the governments are not always the best resource manager, and that a farmer managed water distribution system (e.g. the Miraabs) could do a better job. The research confirmed the importance of consulting different stakeholder groups, who might have different attitudes and perceptions of the problems and potential solutions.Item Open Access Managing water locally: an inquiry into community- based water resources management in fragile states(Cranfield University, 2016-03) Day, St John; Weatherhead, E. KeithWater resources in many parts of the world, but particularly in Africa, face multiple pressures. These growing pressures, along with rainfall variability, pose significant risks to water resources and livelihoods. Over the past two decades the concept of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) has been presented as a panacea, but subscription to this model has not delivered the results expected. Despite a massive endeavour there is extensive evidence that IWRM remains difficult to implement, particularly in fragile states. In contrast, at local level the responsibility of communities to manage water supply systems forms a central component of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector policy. But WASH programmes are focused primarily on the supply of services, and not enough on water resources. Consequently, remarkably little has been written about the role of communities in monitoring and managing water resources. Also, few studies have examined the transitions fragile government institutions need to undertake to move from one (inferior) situation, to a much better one. This study used Action Research (AR) to investigate the role community-based institutions can play in monitoring water resources, alongside government authorities. Initial field research was conducted in Darfur and Niger before further work in Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone. It found that communities could monitor water resources with high degrees of success; however, continued external support is also required from responsible government institutions. Community-Based Water Resources Management (CBWRM) is considered a realistic and plausible approach for strengthening the water component in WASH programmes. This research argues that in fragile states there is greater potential to develop national water security plans from local- level initiatives. Adopting a “localised” approach is particularly important for countries that face the pervasive obstacles of short rainfall seasons: negligible hydrometeorological monitoring, limited water infrastructure and weak institutions. CBWRM warrants greater attention from the WASH sector and further research is needed to identify how effectively communities can manage water resources and scale up this approach once Water Resource Assessments (WRAs) have been conducted.Item Open Access Modelling of a humidification-dehumidification greenhouse in Oman(Cranfield University, 2009-05) Al-Ismaili, Abdulrahim M.; Weatherhead, E. Keith; Badr, OssamaThe humidification-dehumidification (HD) greenhouse is a relatively new technology. In addition to the humidification process and cultivation normally present in greenhouses in arid countries, the HD greenhouse also integrates a dehumidification process. In these greenhouses, saline or brackish water is evaporated in the ordinary evaporative cooling pads (i.e. 1st humidifier) before passing through the main crop growing section. The air is further loaded with more moisture by passing it through a 2nd humidifier. This humidification process is then followed by a dehumidification process to condense as much water vapour as possible. The main purpose of the HD greenhouses is to find a cheap means of desalinating saline water for the sake of using the condensate for irrigation. Most of previous attempts to improve the performance of the HD greenhouses have used a trial-and-error approach. An alternative approach is to use simulation models. Due to the absence of such models, this research study aims at developing a simulation model capable of simulating the significant processes of the HD greenhouses. The developed model is an integration of three sub-models each of which simulates one element of the HD greenhouse. The simulated elements are humidifiers, cultivation area (i.e. microclimate) and dehumidifiers. The integrated model can be used for design and optimisation purposes. Because it was difficult to find an HD greenhouse where the accuracy of the integrated model can be tested, the three sub-models were tested separately. When the simulation results were confronted against the experimental results, a good accuracy was obtained for the three sub-models. It was found that the HD greenhouse model was able to predict the humidification rate with a good accuracy within the range of conditions used for calibration. The model was, then, used to simulate a hypothetical Quonset-type cucumber-cultivated greenhouse using weather data obtained from the site of the HD greenhouse in Oman. The simulation results were similar to the expected results.The applications and limitations of the HD greenhouse model are discussed in this study. Future investigations to further study and, if necessary, improve the accuracy of the HD greenhouse are highly recommended.Item Open Access Power-Sharing in the English Lowlands? Exploring Farmer Cooperation and Participation in Water Governance(Cranfield University, 2014-11) Whaley, Luke; Weatherhead, E. KeithInvolving stakeholders in water governance is becoming an increasingly important topic in England. In this thesis I consider this ambition from the farming perspective, by investigating the potential for farmers to cooperate and participate in water governance. This dynamic is viewed through the conceptual lens of adaptive comanagement, an approach which its proponents claim can achieve the dual focus of ecosystem protection and livelihood sustainability under conditions of change and uncertainty. The relevance of adaptive comanagement is highlighted by the increasing complexity and uncertainty surrounding water governance in England, amongst other things because of the effects of climate change and a growing population. The research adopts an integrated methodological approach that revolves around a “politicised” version of the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) Framework. Initially, three separate analyses investigate the context surrounding farming and water governance. The results of the contextual phase are incorporated into a more focused analysis, involving five farmer irrigator groups in the lowlands of eastern England. Here the intention is to explore the broader issues the research raises by investigating the potential for these groups to comanage water resources. Nine factors of success are identified, from which deeper, more abstract causal mechanisms are inferred. The relevance of the findings are discussed in relation to farming and water governance in England going forwards. Several key outcomes emerge from this research, including: 1) a theoretical and practical demonstration of the applicability of the politicised IAD Framework to studies of adaptive comanagement, 2) an understanding of the ways in which power, policy, and levels of trust influence the ability of lowland farmers to cooperate and participate in water governance, 3) specific strategies that can be used to develop comanagement arrangements between farmer groups and water managers.Item Open Access Power-sharing in the English lowlands? The political economy of farmer participation and cooperation in water governance(Water Alterntives Association, 2015-02-01) Whaley, Luke; Weatherhead, E. KeithParticipatory and cooperative forms of water governance have become regular features of government discourse and stated policy objectives in England. We consider this aspiration from the perspective of farmers in the English lowlands, by analysing the current power dynamic that exists among these farmers, and between them and the key stakeholders involved in water management. To do this we undertake a political economy analysis that places lowland farming and water governance within the evolution of historical processes that, over time, have influenced the ability of farmers to participate in the governance of their water environment. These historical developments are interpreted through the lens of the Power Cube, an analytical tool for thinking about the interplay between different forms of power operating in different types of spaces and at different levels of governance. Our findings reveal that, despite there being a number of structural changes that provide lowland farmers with the opportunity to participate and cooperate in water governance, three distinct barriers stand in the way. These relate to the power 'within' these farmers, which continues to align with a productivist ideology founded on individualism and competition, often at the expense of the environment; the power that government water managers still exercise 'over' farmers instead of 'with' them; and the relationship between lowland farming and environmental interests, where historically the two sides’ power 'to' act has been diametrically opposed. The findings point to the importance of developing suitable programmes designed to support and incentivize farmer participation and cooperation.Item Open Access Wetland farming and small-scale informal irrigation in Malawi: the case of Shire Valley(Cranfield University, 2009-05) Chidanti-Malunga, Joseph Fred; Weatherhead, E. KeithHistorically, Malawi has depended on rain-fed agricultural systems. It is reported that the frequent droughts and unreliable rainfall since early 1990s have caused many small-scale farmers to turn to the wetlands as alternative sites for crop production. There they use low-cost farming methods and various forms of ‘informal’ irrigation. This study, to better understand the water management practices and the socioeconomic characteristics of the wetland farmers, was carried out in the Shire Valley, at the southern tip of Malawi. This covers about 600,000ha and supports around 250,000 farming families. More than half is wetland, characterized by a network of small streams, rivers, and swamps, and a mosaic of many very small farms separated by bush. Phase I mainly documented the agriculture technologies and socioeconomic characteristics of wetland farming and small-scale informal irrigation systems. 200 farmers and other key informants were interviewed. Phase II aimed to define and measure the benefits of the current systems. The major farming systems groups were identified using cluster analysis and focus group discussions were carried out with 7 to 10 members of each. The results were assessed using gross margin analysis. The results show that flood recession agriculture, river diversion and treadle pumps were the commonest water management technologies among the farmers interviewed. Most preferred flood recession and river diversion to treadle pump, citing capital requirements and running costs as major obstacles. However, the government and NGOs were promoting treadle pump technology (mostly) and river diversion, but not recession agriculture. Motorized pumps, introduced under various schemes, were no longer in use due to farmers’ inability to meet fuel costs and repairs. Farmer access to land was largely under the control of individual farmers who pass on ownership to their children under traditional custom. This finding is contrary to the documented land policy which describes chiefs as custodians of the land. Many farmers viewed group farming as a surrender of their land ownership rights. However, team work was seen to be common in river diversion technologies where a committee was usually chosen to manage a main canal traversing several farms. Even under these circumstances, farmers still preferred to manage their plots individually. The economic analysis showed low farmer-benefits, except where flood recession agriculture was used to grow sweet potatoes, although this receives no attention from government or NGOs. Among the problems were the farmers’ inability to afford inputs, promotion of unsuitable technologies, and government controlled market prices. The study found that the increased wetland use was partly a livelihood diversification strategy linked to droughts and the worsening of the economic situations caused by structural adjustments in the early 1990s. This study encourages government or NGOs to promote the technologies that are acceptable to the farmers and seen to benefit them under the local socioeconomic conditions. Locally, these include flood recession agriculture and small river diversions. Reducing production costs and increasing yields through more efficient water use and improved extension services should be encouraged, and subsidizing input costs and freeing market prices would also help.