Event Information

The USAID Feed the Future International Laboratory for Small-Scale Irrigation (ILSSI) will host a one-day symposium on the role of irrigation in African smallholder farming systems on January 31, 2018, in the Ronald Reagan Building, Washington, DC.

 A reception for participants will be held the evening before the symposium at 5:30pm in the Oceanic Suite of the Ronald Reagan Building.

The aim of the symposium is to contribute to the growing evidence base on the potential contribution of small-scale irrigation to agriculture-led growth, increased resilience and improved nutrition and livelihoods for African farmers.

The symposium will share new perspectives on the current role and full potential of small-scale irrigation in African farming systems, with a focus on opportunities and constraints for investors. It will highlight emerging irrigation innovations and their application in smallholder systems. The symposium will include both presentations highlighting new evidence on the potential and constraints of small-scale irrigation as well as panel discussions focusing on the insights from African policymakers, the private sectors, and donor perspectives.

Participants will include African leaders in irrigation, senior leadership from USAID’s Bureau for Food Security, private sector representatives, and leadership of ILSSI. Insights from the preceding Water for Food International Forum sponsored by the World Bank will also be shared. 

The provisional agenda may be seen here; interested parties can register here.

For further information, please contact Matt Stellbauer, [email protected].