Benchmarking: Although benchmarking is a strategically useful activity in irrigation and drainage, it is better suited to more mature economies. It needs to become part of a process of performance evaluation that goes hand in hand with the development of a service culture in irrigation systems. Initially, service culture can only develop when the physical infrastructure for water delivery is adequate and flexible. Modernization of systems to improve management and service is a key pre-requisite in many cases, and diagnostic methods such as RAP are more appropriate in the first instance, but offer potential to establish a formal benchmarking process in the longer term.

Podium: Scenario for population increase against food security indicate Tanzania will not be food self sufficient. However the possibility of taping more water from the under-utilised resources indicates a chance of improving the status of food security. Moreover, there is a gap between actual and potential yields, and this implies there is room for further improvement of food production through better water and land management. An application of the model to South Africa, where water resources development and management constitute a high national priority revealed that the need to improve productivity in irrigation and also intensify rainfed agriculture to avoid future food insecurity, especially under high population projections. Merely expanding irrigated areas will not make significant impacts on national-level food security. There also appears to be scope for increasing domestic per capita water consumption without altering current diversions for agriculture and other requirements.

Small scale technologies offer the greatest hope for Africa and thus IPTRID-IWMI research and networking collaboration efforts should emphasize more on it. Small-scale, low input and long lasting technologies are the most beneficial ones for farmers in West Africa, and the promising ones in achieving sustainable outcomes. Expanding the availability of micro-agricultural water management in rural sub-Saharan Africa is a cost effective and relatively rapid way to enable large numbers of poor rural people to improve their food security, nutritional status and incomes, thereby contributing to agricultural and pro-poor economic growth. However this will require major innovations in policies, new and more effective implementation strategies, and strengthening of human and institutional capacities.