3R - Recharge, Retention & Reuse — is the buffer function provided by the integrated management and storage of ground- soil- and rain- water
Africa is increasingly in the headlines with topics such as water and food insecurity resulting in massive famines, hindering Africa's development. Africa's food production continues to be overwhelmingly rain-fed, with irrigation and water storage options poorly developed. Only 3-5% of the total available rainfall is collected for use.
One concept to meliorate the situation is the 3R - Recharge, Retention & Reuse — initiative. At the core of 3R is the buffer function provided by the integrated management and storage of ground- soil- and rain- water. Water buffer management provides locally achievable solutions that improve the resilience of people and their environments to food insecurity and climatic variability, both at a local and basin-wide level. They offer a local, renewable, easy-to-use and maintain means of water and food supply. Water buffer management is complementary to the principles of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), transferring IWRM to a practical level, through the wise management of both water and land.
One of the major challenges for up-scaling water buffering solutions is to indicate and verify the economic viability of the investment in these measures. Cost-Benefit analyses (CBA) prove that water buffer management solutions will lead to a more sustainable land and water management, resulting in improved food security, income generation and adapting to climatic changes. This practical session presents the application of a CBA for water buffering and is illustrated with a case study of sand dam construction in Kitui, Kenya and other examples showing the benefits of water buffering.
-Taye Alemayehu, Associate of the Ethiopian Institute of Water Research
-Franca Schwarz, Head of Sub-Department International Cooperation, Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources
-Frank van Steenbergen, MetaMeta, Manager