Abstract:
The concept of productivity of water in agriculture is new and is understood differently by
different stakeholders. Yet to apply it, all stakeholders require a common understanding.
Currently there is limited understanding of how the concept can be communicated to
different stakeholders. This limits the potential for dialogue to enable concerns to be
resolved. This study investigated knowledge-sharing and communication tools suitable
in facilitating dialogue among different stakeholders on the productivity of water in
agriculture in Mkoji sub-catchment in the upper part of the Rufiji Basin, Tanzania. The
study was based on a survey of multiple stakeholders of water in the study area,
including direct water users in agriculture, namely farmers; water resources and
agricultural experts; and water managers, especially in irrigated systems. A high
proportion (87.5%) of the smallholder farmers indicated low awareness of the concept as
universally defined. The experts were aware of the basic definition of productivity of
water in agriculture as the ratio of total crop yield to the volume of water used. Given
past experience in the study areas, knowledge sharing through farmer training,
demonstration plots, field visits, radio and posters will assist in increasing the
understanding of different stakeholders and thus improve dialogue.
