The Manchester Environmental Research Institute (MERI) at The University of Manchester has launched a new four-year programme that will transform how irrigation is monitored across Sub-Saharan Africa, boosting food security and climate resilience in the region.
The project, supported by a £3 million grant from the Gates Foundation, will develop national-scale irrigation mapping data and capacity in three countries - Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nigeria - between September 2025 and August 2029.
Expanding and improving irrigation access is vital for climate adaptation and food security across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Yet, most SSA countries lack up to date or reliable information about existing irrigation systems, leaving governments and development actors limited in their ability to target interventions to improve irrigation access, evaluate outcomes of investments, and ensure development is both sustainable and equitable.
The new project - IrrEO: Irrigated Area Mapping Tool Development and Deployment - will leverage advances in Earth Observation (EO) imagery and artificial intelligence algorithms, working with national partners in the three focal countries to co-develop a set of data products, algorithms, and software that enable high-resolution mapping of irrigated croplands both now and into the future.
The project will also work with local research teams to use new irrigation mapping data and tools to understand the barriers and opportunities for irrigation development, highlighting investment strategies that deliver better results for small-scale farmers.
Another key goal is to strengthen the capacity of government agencies and development partners across Sub-Saharan Africa to apply advanced mapping approaches in national irrigation planning. Over four years, the team will conduct training workshops and participatory design session to help overcome barriers to adopt of EO methods and tools in irrigation decision-making and policy.
The University team brings together interdisciplinary expertise in remote sensing, agricultural sustainability, rural development, and data justice. Alongside Dr Foster, the other Manchester team members include Dr Polyanna Da Conceicao Bispo, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography from the School of Environment Education and Development (SEED) and co-lead of MERI's newly launched Land and Resource Futures Initiative - and Dr Rose Pritchard, Senior Lecturer in Socio-Environmental Systems in the Global Development Institute (GDI).
