The project made sure that women got training to help them start market gardens. In all three case studies, irrigation increased food production or income by enough to provide one additional meal per day. The projects also helped alleviate the debt burden of poor families, increase school attendance and limit seasonal migration for work. However, only 4 percent of arable land is irrigated in sub-Saharan Africa, underlining the need to expand water availability and management. The global statistics on benefits of irrigation are impressive.
Irrigated land is almost three times as productive as rainfed cropland.
From 30 to 40 percent of the world's food comes from irrigated land, which makes up just 17 percent of the total land under cultivation. Over the next 30 years, about 70 percent of the additional food production in developing countries is expected to come from irrigated land.