Wastershed Management

Creating shared value in a fragile watershed 

In the Imo River watershed, a major watershed in south-eastern Nigeria, water quality is retrogressing at an astonishing rate given expansion of agricultural land, deforestation, use of chemical fertilizers and expanding population. Reversing that trend, and protecting endangered ecosystem and its biodiversity over the next couple of years will prove difficult, but not impossible.  Already, water quality in critical areas has been grossly despoiled by these factors;  the region is facing reductions in yields from agriculture of 10%, which may climb up to 50% by 2020.  It is feared that economic losses of about 5-20% of national GDP could be wrought and that the region may lose between 4-6% of its GDP.  This project boldly confronts the pollution challenges as well as meeting the critical needs of the small farmers, who are currently working on small-scale cropping of maize, rice, cassava, groundnut, cabbages, carrots, onions and tomatoes, as well as agro-forestry and livestock.

Project Aims

Creating shared value in the fragile Imo River watershed by:

• reducing ecosystem vulnerabilities to diffuse pollution from maladaptive agricultural practices and chemical leaching
• increasing farmer productivity per hectare
• mitigating climate change and poverty through a collaborative liaison leveraged by sensitive farming and knowledge sharing amongst local farmers.

• mitigating pollution, 
• achieving food security, 
• recharging the local aquifer, 
• mitigating river siltation, and by doing so
• restoring ecosystem services for communities and fostering sustainable development. 

Project Outcomes
Our project offers the most cost-effective measure in reducing the load of phosphorus and nitrate coming from farm runoffs, also known as non-point pollution. In implementing this project, we regularly map the pollutants, hence water samples are collected on regular basis, and a computer model is planned to be developed to estimate the amount and abatement rate at any point in time. Discussions are underway to link this effort to the UN Global Environment Monitoring System, GEMS/Water Programme.

Methodology and Collaboration
Multiparty collaborative efforts are generally necessary for effectively managing watersheds. This project has been designed by a broad interdisciplinary team, comprising people with skills in diverse disciplines (geology, soils, hydrology, fisheries, engineering, ecology, forestry) and institutions (public and private) in addition to local farmers, land owners and other stakeholders, who are also part of its implementation. Through the sharing of experiences and the creation of networks across geographic regions and disciplines in Nigeria and overseas, we continue to access tools, models and motivation to continue our work. 

The project currently has a partnership with  
an NGO based in Rhode Island, USA. This partnership is assisting us develop an interactive online watershed-to-basin visualization and agricultural practices prototype that will be made available to research institutions, universities and other education organizations in Nigeria upon payment of a fixed fee as one component of economic sustainability. Through this work, we expect to develop a process by which anyone in resident in any of the 12 major river basins in Nigeria can click on a virtual link and get directed to their ecological address and learn about their watershed's characteristics etc.