Publication: Investment Needs for Irrigation Infrastructure along Different Socioeconomic Pathways
Date
2019-02
ISSN
Published
2019-02
Author(s)
Palazzo, Amanda
Valin, Hugo
Batka, Miroslav
Havlík, Petr
Abstract
This paper conducts an assessment of the
global costs for expanding, upgrading, and improving
irrigation infrastructure in developing countries, along
different future scenarios toward 2050. It uses the GLobal
BIOsphere Management Model, a partial equilibrium model of
the global agricultural and forestry sectors. It examines
the impacts of irrigation expansion on the agriculture and
food system, from the perspective of different Sustainable
Development Goals, in particular food security (goal 2),
land use change and biodiversity (goal 15), greenhouse gas
emissions (goal 13), and sustainable water use (goal 6). It
finds that irrigation support policies improve food security
globally and can reduce the burden on land by limiting
expansion of cropland area. However, the effectiveness of
irrigation to achieve a larger set of goals depends on the
regional context. In South Asia and the Middle East and
North Africa, the expansion of irrigation increases
unsustainable water extraction practices. A sensitivity
analysis is conducted to evaluate the uncertainty of the
infrastructure costs and impacts under different
socioeconomic developments, levels of radiative forcing and
climate change scenarios, dietary patterns, trade openness,
and efficiencies of irrigation systems. The findings
indicate that irrigation systems could play an important
role in adaptation to the most adverse climate change;
however, increased water scarcity may also limit adaptation potentials.
Citation
“Palazzo, Amanda; Valin, Hugo; Batka, Miroslav; Havlík, Petr. 2019. Investment Needs for Irrigation Infrastructure along Different Socioeconomic Pathways; Investment Needs for Irrigation Infrastructure along Different Socioeconomic Pathways. Policy Research Working Paper;No. 8744. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/76778fa7-5fa2-5c39-83fa-52e2d8d75a4e License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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