ABSTRACT
In sub-Saharan Africa there is great potential for expansion of irrigated agriculture. The average rate of expansion of the irrigated area over the past 30 years was 2.3 percent per year. Expansion slowed to 1.1% per year during 2000-2003 but has since picked up as a result of renewed investments by multilateral and bilateral donors and foundations (You et al., 2010). For the NEPAD and Commission for Africa to achieve the MDG target, irrigated agriculture will need to grow at an annual rate of about 5% which is unprecedented.
