WATDEV Final International Conference for a Shared Responsibility on Water and Soil Management in Africa

After four years of scientific collaboration, innovation, research, capacity building, knowledge exchange and policy dialogue across Africa and Europe, the WATDEV Project celebrated the successful conclusion of its journey with the Final International Conference, held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 15–16 June 2026 in a hybrid format.

Bringing together around 80 participantsfrom Africa and Europe, the conference welcomed attendees in person in Nairobi while also connecting participantsonline from Cairo, Bari and many other locations across Africa and Europe. Researchers, policymakers, government representatives, development partners, international organizations, DeSIRA project coordinators, technical experts, farmers and local stakeholders came together around the general theme of the Conference “Integrating Grassroots Knowledge and Research into Water and Soil Management in Africa”, while celebrating not only the achievements of WATDEV but also the partnerships and shared vision that have shaped WATDEV Journey since its launch.

More than a closing event, the conference demonstrated how four years of collaboration have contributed to addressing some of the most pressing challenges that African agriculture is facing, including climate change, land degradation, water scarcity and food insecurity. Throughout the two-day programme, participants reaffirmed a common vision: resilient agricultural systems can only be built by connecting scientific research, local knowledge, innovative decision-support tools and effective policies.

Opening Remarks: Celebrating Partnerships and a Shared Vision

The conference opened with remarks from representatives of the institutions leading and supporting WATDEV, all emphasizing collaboration as the foundation for sustainable impact.

Welcoming participants, Mr. Moses Odeke, from ASARECA, reflected on WATDEV’s four-year journey, highlighting the partnerships, knowledge and lasting impacts created through the project.

Officially opening the conference, Dr. Sylvester Dickson Baguma, Executive Director of ASARECA, stressed the importance of integrating scientific research with local knowledge to develop practical soil and water management solutions. Prof. Alaa Elbably, Advisor to the Egyptian Minister of Agriculture, called for translating the conference recommendations into concrete actions that benefit farming communities. Dr. Tiberio Chiari, Head of AICS Cairo, emphasized local ownership, partnership and sustainability as the guiding principles of WATDEV. Concluding the opening session, Dr. Biagio Di Terlizzi, Director of CIHEAM Bari, presented the WATDEV Toolbox as the project’s flagship legacy, describing it as a practical decision-support tool for evidence-based water and land management.

Day One: Science Meets Collaboration

The first day set the stage for discussions on how science, innovation and collaboration can accelerate sustainable water and soil management across Africa.

Through inspiring keynote addresses, Prof. Victor Ongoma (Mohammed VI Polytechnic University) and Prof. María José Márquez Pérez (Autonomous University of Madrid) highlighted the growing impacts of climate change on Africa’s agriculture, and emphasized that future resilience will depend on combining scientific research with local knowledge and climate-smart practices.

The dialogue then expanded beyond WATDEV, bringing together representatives from several DeSIRA-funded projects across Africa to exchange experiences on Best Management Practices (BMPs), landscape management, institutional capacity building and policy integration. While each project addressed different regional challenges, a common message emerged: sustainable agricultural transformation requires stronger partnerships, farmer engagement, effective extension services and evidence-based policymaking.

Wrapping up the first day, Dr. Claudio Bogliotti, from CIHEAM Bari, highlighted the principles that have guided WATDEV throughout its four-year journey, co-creation, capacity building, modelling, healthy soils and the scaling of successful Best Management Practices, calling for these lessons to inform future policies and investments across the continent.

Day Two: Turning Knowledge into Action

Building on the scientific discussions of the previous day, the conference shifted its focus towards policy, institutional uptake and the long-term sustainability of WATDEV’s achievements.

The day commenced with remarks by Dr. Christophe Larose, Head of Sector at the European Commission’s DG INTPA, praised WATDEV as a successful example of the DESIRA initiative, recognizing its capacity to build a strong community of professionals working together on agricultural research and innovation through partnerships, knowledge management and practical solutions. He encouraged partners to continue working together to ensure the long-term adoption of the WATDEV Toolbox.

Two high-level policy panels brought together leading experts and decision-makers to discuss the future of sustainable agriculture in Africa.

Moderated by Dr. Ayam Ayad (EEAS Cairo), the first panel on Climate Change Adaptation and Food Security featured Prof. Wole Fatunbi (FARA), Prof. J.J. Muhinda Mobingaba (AGRA), Hon. Tewache Abebe Ato (Government of Ethiopia), Prof. Alaa Elbably (Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt) and Dr. Lilian Lihasi (AFAAS). Their discussions emphasized that improving soil health, strengthening extension systems and investing in climate resilience are essential to moving proven solutions from pilot projects to large-scale adoption.

The second panel, Scenario Modelling and Cross-Border Data Exchange, moderated by Dr. Claudio Bogliotti (CIHEAM Bari), brought together Dr. Sylvester Dickson Baguma (ASARECA), Dr. Agrey Agumya (FARA), Dr. Komla Kyky Ganyo (CORAF) and Dr. Erimias Betemariam(CIFOR-ICRAF) to explore how the WATDEV Toolbox can become a long-term resource for national and regional planning. Discussions highlighted the need for stronger institutional ownership, harmonized data sharing, technical capacity development and sustainable financing to maximize the Toolbox’s impact.

Building a Legacy Beyond the Project

The conference concluded by looking beyond the project’s lifetime, focusing on the future of the WATDEV Toolbox as its flagship legacy. Prof. João Nunes Carvalho from ISRIC, showcased the Toolbox’s capabilities before leading participants through collaborative group discussions to develop practical roadmaps for its long-term institutionalization, addressing governance, financing, capacity development and knowledge-sharing mechanisms.

The event concluded with closing reflections from key WATDEV partners, including Prof. Alaa Elbably (Stakeholder Forum), Ms. Tsepa Mathabo (SROs), Dr. Agrey Agumya (FARA), Dr. Jacopo Tavasi (AICS Cairo), Dr. Claudio Bogliotti (CIHEAM Bari) and Dr. Sylvester Dickson Baguma (ASARECA). Together, they reflected on the achievements of the past four years while reaffirming their commitment to sustaining the partnerships, knowledge and tools developed through WATDEV.

As discussions came to a close, one message resonated throughout the conference: WATDEV’s greatest achievement is not only the knowledge it has generated, but the community it has built. Over four years, the project has strengthened partnerships between African and European institutions, advanced evidence-based decision-making and created innovative tools that will continue supporting sustainable water and soil management long after the project’s formal conclusion.

Funded by the European Union under the DeSIRA Initiative, WATDEV stands as a testament to the power of international cooperation in addressing shared environmental and agricultural challenges. The consortium extends its sincere appreciation to ASARECA and KALRO for the outstanding organization and warm hospitality that made the Final International Conference in Nairobi a great success, and to all WATDEV partners, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS Cairo), CIHEAM Bari, ISRIC, SYKE, CNR, WLRC, Heliopolis University and WRC for their commitment, collaboration and dedication throughout the project’s duration. Together, they have built a lasting legacy that will continue supporting resilient agriculture and sustainable natural resource management across Africa.

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Ude Kebele groundwater irrigation scheme under the Adaa Becho Groundwater Irrigation system (ABGIS) in the Awash Basin

It is a new intervention area with perspectives to be expanded. It is therefore envisaged that the lessons from other countries could be scaled out in this area.

Ada’a-Becho Groundwater Irrigation (ABGIS) is located in Ada’a Wereda some 50 km from Addis Ababa. The Adama road passes nearby the scheme and has no access limitation.  This scheme is part of Ada’a-Bacho Irrigation Development Project that comprises three conjugate Kebeles (i.e., Dhankaka, Ude and Qallitty) in Ada’a District of East Shawa Zone, Oromia Regional State.

The Ude Kebele Groundwater Irrigation Site is small, scheme selected to demonstrate groundwater irrigation practice demonstration sites as it is new irrigation development area will be a learning site for a medium scale community owned groundwater irrigation development in Ethiopia.

ABGIS landscape is one of the low reliefs that slopes gently north-west and south east wards. Apart from close to the hills virtually all slopes are nearly less than 3- 4%, with the majority of the slopes of 0-2%. 

The climatic variables of the project area are highly governed by the topography of the area (mainly altitude). The highland area lies at an altitude of over 2300 m asl and covers 17.5% of the project area. Mean annual temperature of this part of the project area ranges from 12.50C to 160C.

The major crops produced include Teff, chick pea, wheat, barley, vetch, and maize.  Few farmers also produce tomato and onion as cash crops. Crop production in the area is by and large rain-dependent. But in few farmers produce vegetables twice a year using pumped water from Mojo and Waddecha rivers.

The problems in ABGIS are connected with the limited experience in fruit crop production.

Koga Irrigation System (KIS) in the Abbay Basin

KIS is an established and relatively well performing irrigation scheme in Ethiopia. In here besides Irrigation water management, there are also success stories in watershed management.

Koga is located some 40 km from Bahri Dar town (Regional capital of Amhara Regional State. The  Bahir Dar –Addis Ababa highway passes through the scheme (Fig 2), hence the scheme is year round accessible.

Koga irrigation system comprises of 19.7 km of lined main canal, 52 km of lined secondary canals, 156 km of unlined tertiary canals, 905 km of unlined quaternary canals and 11 lined Night Storage Reservoirs (NSRs). The main canal was designed to provide irrigation water for 24 h during irrigation period.

There are 12 secondary canals designed for 12 h irrigation supply each covering an area of irrigated land ranging from 220 ha to over 1000 ha. Tertiary canals are designed for 12 h irrigation supply. The area irrigated by a tertiary canal range between 20 ha to 65 ha. The quaternary canals have a capacity of irrigating 8–16 ha of land while field canals will serve an area of 2.0 ha within the quaternary unit. The maximum field canal design capacity is 30 l/s.

KIS is the best performing among many community-managed irrigation schemes. Unlike other schemes this was designed and developed as an integrated watershed and irrigation development project.

Among the problems associated to the KIS are Seasonal water shortage and associated conflicts between Irrigation water user associations, low irrigation water application efficiency, catchment degradation. In order to increase water productivity in the KIS, water saving technologies will be promoted.

The Gezira irrigation scheme

The Gezira Scheme is located between the Blue Nile and the White Nile Rivers within a semi-arid agro-climatic zone. In terms of accessibility, it is easily accessible by Wad Medani road and the trip between Wad Medani, the capital of the Gezira State and headquarter of the scheme (Barakat), and Khartoum takes about three hours. The scheme is one of the largest irrigation schemes in the region with 880,000 hectares (ha). It is one of the main sources of foreign currency (cotton export), and food security (wheat, sorghum, vegetables) for Sudan. It has huge infrastructure with a value estimated at about US $ 8 billion. The scheme had played a vital role in the history of irrigation in Sudan and Africa and has become a model for many irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa in terms of design and operation system. Therefore, any research aiming at improving water management in Gezira scheme is not only beneficial to the project, but also to similar projects at national and regional scale.  There are many challenges that the scheme face and urgent need to investigate Best Management Practices (BMPs) that  can overcome these challenges and enhance productivity. Some of these challenges are deterioration of irrigation infrastructure, inefficient water distribution within the scheme, agricultural drainage discharges directly in the Blue Nile without treatment impacting water quality, institutional weakness and instability.

Belbies district

Belbies district is located 20 km south of El Zagazig city between Long. 31o 24′ and 31o 39′ E and Lat. 30o 19′ and 30o 29′ N. It is bounded at the east by Abu Hammad, at the west by Minia El Kammh and in the south by the Tenth of Ramadan City districts.

As a part of the east Nile Delta, Belbies district constitutes a portion of an arid belt of north Egypt. It is characterized by a long dry summer and short temperate winter with a rainfall period from October to March. The climate is hot in summer; the average temperature is in the range of 19.7oC and 34.7oC, while during winter it ranges from 7.4oC and 18.4oC.

Due to intensive agricultural practice, which involves the application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, many soils and shallow aquifers are contaminated. Consequently, pollution of groundwater has become a major concern in recent years. Wastewater disposed in canals can diffuse in groundwater. Overexploitation of groundwater and intensive irrigation in major canal commands has posed serious problems for groundwater managers in Nile Delta e.g. Sharkia governorate. The development of groundwater resources, technology-oriented management skills, adequate and efficient groundwater monitoring system, empowerment of women in unprivileged areas are among the challenges to be addressed. Indeed, water management projects are one of the priority topics in the political agenda of Egypt.