Abstract
Abstract The world population is expected to increase with corresponding increase in food production and water withdrawals. To ensure continuous food production throughout the year, increasing irrigation is inevitable. However, the water available for agricultural use is inadequate due to the limited water resources globally and climate change challenges threatening water availability. The economy of Mbale, Uganda, mainly depends on rainfed agriculture. The rain season is from April to October whilst the dry season is from November to March. Therefore, this study examines the potential of rainwater harvesting for domestic and agricultural uses in Mbale. The AquaCrop model was adopted for the yield response of crops to water during the dry season. The study reveals that comparing the resulting rainwater harvesting potential with the water consumption, up to 186% of the annual water demand for domestic use, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) standard, can be provided. Thus, the excess harvested water from a 200 m2 rooftop was simulated for irrigation purposes, which shows that it can be used to cultivate areas of 269, 429, 125 and 388 m2 for cabbage, tomato, maize and potato respectively during dry periods. The economic analysis shows a benefit cost ratio of 1.99 over 10 years. It concludes by recommending RWH as an alternative water supply source for domestic and agricultural uses.
Highlights
The world population is expected to increase by 2.2 billion by 2050 with corresponding increase in food production by 50% and a 15 percent increase in water withdrawals (FAO 2017)
This study aims to assess the potential of rainwater harvesting for domestic and agricultural use in Mbale, recommend an appropriate storage capacity required for a household for maximum storage sufficient for domestic and agricultural uses all year round and simulate the crop water requirements for common crops cultivated in the region in order to use the harvested water for irrigation purposes
The results show that comparing the resulting RWH potential with the water consumption, up to 186% of the annual water demand for domestic use according to the World Health Organization (WHO) standard can be provided
Summary
The world population is expected to increase by 2.2 billion by 2050 with corresponding increase in food production by 50% and a 15 percent increase in water withdrawals (FAO 2017). Increasing irrigation can aid in increasing food production; the amount of water available for agricultural use is not increasing due to the limited water resources globally. Agriculture uses the most water, by far, with a water use of more than 80% of available fresh water (FAO 2017). According to FAO (2017), agriculture will be the biggest global user of water in 2050. Due to the growing water demand and declining precipitation in some regions, the pressure on the available water resources will increase, resulting in high levels of water stress in many regions (USAID 2013). Water stress may have a negative impact on agricultural production and economic development as water shortages directly lead to reduced crop production. Agricultural production levels can be increased by improving water management and increasing water efficiency (‘more crop per drop’). There is a need to tap into other convention water sources like rainwater harvesting
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