Wastewater Reuse: An Alternative for Sustainable Agriculture
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Abstract
Description
Africa is seen as one of the continent with the
fastest population growth rate in the world. However, her
landmass has seen 67% dryness, projecting that one of her
problems could be water related. Similarly, maintaining
agricultural produce seems to be the most exhaustive part of
Africa’s water with 85% being used for irrigation and
agricultural activities. Target 2 of the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) is aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture,
terminating hunger; achieving food security and improving the
level of nutrition which makes Africa a probable zone. The study
assessed different promotion practices in agricultural farmlands
spread across Nigeria. In – depth interviews, farm investigations
and group interactions amongst others were deployed in other to
appraise farm size, water application frequency, and duration of
application, water shortage experience, water usage and water
saving measures. Quantitative data on water quantity used in
farms were also captured. Results showed that water application
within the farms relied on withdrawal from aquifers using tanker
system. The shortage of water experienced within farms under
study lasted for up to 3 hours. This will adversely pose
underlying threats to the available water to be used for other
purposes and also impede food production during water
shortages. The study highlights that rain water harvesting
(RWH) practices be carried out to reduce the pressure of
agriculture on aquifer resources. The study proposed adequate
management procedures that will help salvage the emanating
challenges affecting food production.
Keywords
TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)