Nhamo et al. (2026) Summary: beyond crop water productivity to transform agricultural water management

Identification

• Journal: Elsevier eBooks
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-01
• Authors: Luxon Nhamo, Sylvester Mpandeli, Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi
• DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-443-21584-1.00004-1

Research Groups

• Water Research Commission of South Africa
• Centre for Transformative Agricultural and Food Systems (CTAFS), School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal
• Department of Environmental, Water and Earth Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology (TUT)
• Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda
• Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
• School of Agriculture and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal
• United Nations University, Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH)
• International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Short Summary

This chapter synthesizes diverse perspectives on agricultural water management, advocating for a transformative approach that extends beyond conventional crop water productivity to address broader sustainability and resilience challenges, particularly in Africa. It provides an overview of key concepts, challenges, and opportunities discussed within the broader book.

Objective

• To synthesize and present a comprehensive overview of concepts, challenges, and opportunities for transforming agricultural water management, with a focus on moving beyond narrow crop water productivity metrics towards holistic and sustainable approaches, particularly within the African context.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Continental (Africa), with discussions on regional and crop-specific (e.g., maize-based systems) applications.
• Temporal Scale: Not explicitly defined, but covers contemporary issues and future-oriented transformative approaches in agricultural water management, drawing from existing literature and practices.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not applicable; this chapter is a conceptual synthesis and overview of a book's contents. However, it discusses the application of models like AquaCrop in other chapters.
• Data sources: Existing scientific literature, conceptual frameworks, and the synthesis of various chapters within the book "Agricultural Water Management in Africa."

Main Results

• A comprehensive synthesis of diverse aspects of agricultural water management (AWM) is presented, encompassing conceptual frameworks, the transformative role of wastewater, effects of forage plantation on soil quality, the status of AWM in Africa, AWM in maize-based systems, the importance of water for agroecology transitions, challenges and opportunities in optimizing water productivity, the utility of the AquaCrop model for yield forecasting, evaluation of irrigation types, impacts and interventions for extreme weather events, and integrated water and land management practices.
• The chapter emphasizes the critical need to shift focus beyond traditional crop water productivity to embrace a more holistic and transformative approach to agricultural water management for enhanced sustainability and resilience.

Contributions

• Provides a high-level synthesis and unifying framework for understanding the multifaceted challenges and opportunities in agricultural water management, particularly in the African context.
• Advocates for a paradigm shift towards transformative approaches in AWM, moving beyond narrow efficiency metrics to encompass broader ecological, social, and economic considerations.
• Serves as an introductory and unifying chapter for a larger body of work, setting the stage for detailed discussions on various AWM topics.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Nhamo2026Summary,
  author = {Nhamo, Luxon and Mpandeli, Sylvester and Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe},
  title = {Summary: beyond crop water productivity to transform agricultural water management},
  journal = {Elsevier eBooks},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/b978-0-443-21584-1.00004-1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-443-21584-1.00004-1}
}