Conservation Tracking

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The dataset is the result of a crop simulation and machine learning exercise to evaluate the irrigation potentials in sub-Saharan Africa. Samples of points (representative for each Agro-ecological zone in Africa) have been selected from a cropland map (from Tubliello et al., 2023) and, by using the DSSAT crop model fed with soil information from the ISRIC project (https://isric.org/projects/soil-information-system-for-africa-soils4africa/) and 10 years of daily climate data (from NASAPOWER), simulations have been conducted in each location under rainfed conditions and optimal irrigation. This last has been achieved y letting the crop model add irrigation water each time a water stress was perceived. Other management practices have been set as realistic as possible, particularly the amount of provided fertilization has been kept low to represent current conditions. Yields have been finally averaged along the different years of simulations to generate expected yields. Finally, by using the XGboost algorithm fed with the same soil and climatic variables used for the crop model, yields under both rainfed and irrigation conditions have been imputed to all remaining cropland locations in Sub-Saharan Africa. What is presented here are the yield increases, as percentages over rainfed yields, obtainable in each location for the four simulated cereals: maize, millet, rice and sorghum.

Irrigation enables farmers to increase crop production by reducing their dependence on natural rainfall. It is considered a vital part of ensuring food security in the future. Yet it also causes extensive environmental damage and undermines human resilience to water scarcity. Irrigation is responsible for 70 % of all freshwater withdrawals in the globe. Human induced salinisation is a widespread problem as around 30 % of irrigated land are affected and becoming commercially unproductive. This layer displays the areas of concern for irrigation related issues, derived from the convergence of global evidence of human-environment interactions that can have land degradation consequences.

This layer is part of the World Altas of Desertification

The hydropower installed capacity indicates the amount of energy a hydropower plant can produce in its turbines. In 2016, hydropower accounted for 54% of the installed capacity in Eastern Africa, 58% in Central Africa and 30% in Western Africa with fourteen countries having a hydropower share above 50% and eight countries above 70%. These highly hydropower-dependent countries are particularly prone to electricity cuts due to the lack of water caused by severe droughts. This map shows the location and installed capacities of hydropower plants above 5MW installed capacity in Africa for year 2016, representing 95% of the total hydropower installed capacity in Africa.

Higher energy demands in Africa has led to a wide expansion of the number of hydropower sites, mainly between the 1960s and 1980s. The construction of dams causes impoundments of rivers and reservoirs in the regions of dam influence, with higher evaporation and water temperatures due to increased water surfaces. This map shows the he surface area (sqkm) of African reservoirs subject to hydropower production for the year 2016. It includes reservoirs of associated hydropower plants with installed capacities above 5MW. Apart from this, only reservoirs with a detected dam-caused impoundment of water surface are considered.