Assessment of irrigation system performance in south-western Burkina Faso

Abstract

A methodology for assessing irrigation system performance was developed by the then International Irrigation Management Institute (IIMI, now IWMI) in the 1990s in Burkina Faso. It was applied successfully to small-scale reservoir-based irrigation schemes (50-150 ha). The current study was carried out on two larger river-diversion irrigation systems in the south-west of the country, namely Vall?e du Kou (1200 ha) and Karfigu?la (350 ha), in order to analyse and verify: the applicability of the methodology to large-scale river-diversion schemes with more complex hydraulic networks and greater economic activities; the relevance of the performance indicators used and the constraints pertaining to the acquisition of the basic data required for their determination; the scope for adoption and application of the methodology by farmers' organizations for routine performance monitoring. The methodology seems well suited for large-scale irrigation systems, but its adoption by farmers' organizations has to be facilitated and accompanied by adequate training and the close involvement of the system managers. The indicators requiring the manipulation of a few physical elements can be determined relatively easily. Those involving water measurements are more difficult to calculate. The study makes a critical analysis of some indicators and demonstrates the evidence of the necessity to select among the indicators with regard to the irrigation system context.