This research examines the labor profitability of SSI and clearly distinguishes between farmer-led SSI (FSSI) and nonfarmer-led SSI (NFSSI), in contrast to the majority of irrigation literature in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Covariates between SSIs and non-SSIs as well as between FSSIs and non-FSSIs are balanced using inverse probability weighting techniques. The Sahel region’s SSI adoption rates are extremely low, according to the results. Plot-level profitability study demonstrates that SSI is a more lucrative land use activity than rainfed agriculture. However, as SSI mostly happens in the Sahel during the dry season, the two strategies work well together. However, FSSI is more profitable than NFSSI, with the exception of Mali, where NFSSI has traditionally served as a means of advancing irrigation through public irrigation projects intended to grow rice. However, the variable costs of FSSI are often greater, which might be decreased by encouraging solar-powered solutions that could result in increased irrigation. Additional findings indicate that SSIs find that irrigated high-value crops, including vegetables, are more lucrative and need less land than rice, which has historically been encouraged in these Sahelian nations. Lastly, the comparison between SSIs and non-SSIs, as well as between FSSIs and NFSSIs, demonstrates that investments in irrigation development and adoption should take into consideration the differences between SSIs and larger-scale irrigators and non-irrigators, as well as the diversity of SSIs that may or may not be farmer-led.
https://bonndoc.ulb.uni-bonn.de/xmlui/handle/20.500.11811/12584