Assessing Suitability of Irrigation Scheduling Decision Support Systems for Lowland Rice Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa—A Review

Irrigation in lowland rice production systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is mainly based on traditional surface irrigation methods with continuous flooding practices. This irrigation method ends up using a lot more water that would have otherwise been used to open more land and be used in other water-requiring sectors. Various studies suggest Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) as an alternative practice for water management that reduces water use without significantly affecting yield. However, this practice has not been well adopted by the farmers despite its significant benefits of reduced total water use. Improving the adoption of AWD using irrigation Decision Support Systems (DSSs) helps the farmer on two fronts; to know “how much water to apply” and “when to irrigate”, which is very critical in maximizing productivity. This paper reviews the applicability of DSSs using AWD in lowland rice production systems in Sub-Saharan Africa.