WATDEV Toolbox. 1st Regional Training for Modellers Successfully Held in Wageningen

The 1st Regional Training for Modellers on the WATDEV Toolbox was successfully conducted from 4 to 6 February 2026 in Wageningen, the Netherlands, bringing together researchers, PhD students and technical experts from Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Italy, Sudan, China, Spain, and the Netherlands. Organized by ISRIC and Wageningen University, the training provided an intensive, hands-on learning experience focused on the application and scientific foundation of the WATDEV Toolbox.

Funded by the European Union under the DeSIRA Initiative, the training aimed to strengthen participants??? capacities to use the WATDEV modelling toolbox as a decision-support instrument for climate-smart water management and sustainable agriculture. It focused on developing a solid understanding of how the Toolbox integrates the WATDEV modelling framework across the project???s study areas, enabling participants to visualise and interpret model outputs. Through hands-on exercises, participants strengthened their ability to design, implement, and assess the Best Management Practices (BMPs) and to apply Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA), combining environmental and economic indicators to support robust, evidence-based decision-making. It also fostered networking and knowledge exchange among researchers and practitioners working on water, agriculture, climate change and food security.

The three-day programme combined lectures, guided tutorials, and group exercises, allowing participants to progressively advance from introductory use of the WATDEV Toolbox to independently designing and assessing BMPs scenarios using real case studies. The focus went beyond the Toolbox and dived into the wider topic of using numerical modelling to support agricultural decision-making.

The first day introduced the WATDEV model and Toolbox from an end-user perspective, with a focus on visualising model results, comparing alternative BMP scenarios and applying MCA to integrate environmental and economic indicators. Through interactive tutorials and coached group work, participants gained practical experience in post-process model outputs and implement MCA for their respective case studies.

The 1st Regional Training for Modellers on the WATDEV Toolbox was successfully conducted from 4 to 6 February 2026 in Wageningen, the Netherlands, bringing together researchers, PhD students and technical experts from Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Italy, Sudan, China, Spain, and the Netherlands. Organized by ISRIC and Wageningen University, the training provided an intensive, hands-on learning experience focused on the application and scientific foundation of the WATDEV Toolbox.

Funded by the European Union under the DeSIRA Initiative, the training aimed to strengthen participants??? capacities to use the WATDEV modelling toolbox as a decision-support instrument for climate-smart water management and sustainable agriculture. It focused on developing a solid understanding of how the Toolbox integrates the WATDEV modelling framework across the project???s study areas, enabling participants to visualise and interpret model outputs. Through hands-on exercises, participants strengthened their ability to design, implement, and assess the Best Management Practices (BMPs) and to apply Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA), combining environmental and economic indicators to support robust, evidence-based decision-making. It also fostered networking and knowledge exchange among researchers and practitioners working on water, agriculture, climate change and food security.

The three-day programme combined lectures, guided tutorials, and group exercises, allowing participants to progressively advance from introductory use of the WATDEV Toolbox to independently designing and assessing BMPs scenarios using real case studies. The focus went beyond the Toolbox and dived into the wider topic of using numerical modelling to support agricultural decision-making.

The first day introduced the WATDEV model and Toolbox from an end-user perspective, with a focus on visualising model results, comparing alternative BMP scenarios and applying MCA to integrate environmental and economic indicators. Through interactive tutorials and coached group work, participants gained practical experience in post-process model outputs and implement MCA for their respective case studies.

The second day provided in-depth training on the WATDEV models, covering model structure, input parameters, and scenario development. Working on groups, participants conceptualised new BMP scenarios, defining appropriate model parameters related to crops, irrigation, and fertilisation, running simulations, and evaluate results through the Toolbox and MCA framework. This hand-on approach ensured a full learning cycle from BMP design to performance assessment.

The training concluded on the third day at the Wageningen University & Research (WUR) campus with a networking and science exchange event highlighting cutting-edge research on water, irrigation, climate change, and food security. Contributions from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS Cairo), CIHEAM Bari, WUR, ISRIC, and HydroSat representatives provided participants with broader scientific and innovation perspectives.

The final session, ???The Science of WATDEV,??? showcased ongoing PhD and research activities across the project???s study sites in Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan, promoting cross-country learning and scientific exchange.

The training was delivered by an interdisciplinary team of experts from ISRIC, CIHEAM Bari, and Wageningen University & Research, with the active participation of AICS Cairo???s representative, reflecting the collaborative spirit of the WATDEV project. By combining advanced modelling science with applied decision-support tools, the training significantly contributed to enhancing regional capacities in sustainable water management and climate-resilient agriculture.

This first regional training marks an important milestone in the implementation and further improvement of the WATDEV Toolbox, reinforcing the project???s commitment to translating science into practical solutions for water and food security in East 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.