We anticipate that we will work with at least 38 irrigation schemes, supporting over 15,000 smallholder irrigator households in Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe respectively. We expect that the research will result in outcomes at different scales: 

• Irrigation communities becoming more profitable and self-sustaining as a result of individual and social learning, and institutional and technological change. This will result from:  

• farmers mindsets changing from subsistence to market-oriented practices and choosing more profitable crops with more reliable markets;  

• better access to cheaper and higher quality farming inputs;  

• more efficient use of water and fertilisers resulting in greater crop yields;  

• reduced social conflicts;  

• savings in irrigation labour directed to other livelihood activities;  

• more effective farmer organisations;  

• farmers being willing to pay sufficient water fees and provide labour to maintain infrastructure; and  

• greater demand on governments to support the irrigation sector’s needs. Some expansion of irrigated cropping is expected as water is used more efficiently. 

• Extension and support staff facilitating AIPs and supporting the development of district-scale agricultural service providers and markets.  

• Governments applying project findings to provide answers on how best to meet their key irrigation policy targets.  

• Partnerships with the private sector leading to more vibrant local economies, as all value chain stakeholders benefit from increases in agro-economic activities.