The CGIAR Initiative on Digital Innovation’s theory of change is designed to address three challenge areas identified as key bottlenecks in the digital transformation, that includes 1) the “digital divide” designed to include marginal sectors of society; 2) Inadequate information (see below) and lastly 3) Limited digital capabilities that seeks to build the capabilities of food system actors by using digital tools.
Inadequate information: To support diverse stakeholders across food-water-land systems in accessing timely, reliable, and actionable information, this work package will codevelop realtime monitoring, integrated modelling, and enhanced early warning systems for natural resource management (NRM) and research organizations to manage climate risks in agrifood systems. Through the provision of data and decision-support tools, we assume transboundary stakeholders will better coordinate the planning and allocation of shared land and water resources.
Southern Africa is largely arid, suffering from a highly variable climate and prone to extreme weather. More than 30% of the region’s land area is critically exposed to a variety of climate hazards. Building on system dynamics modelling with real-time data, this work package aims to complement natural resource management initiatives in the region with a next-generation decision support system. Responding to the technical support and capacity building demands of the Limpopo Watercourse Commission, this project will focus on the Limpopo River Basin, yet the modelling system will be easily adaptable to other river basins and scales.
The science in this project is designed to support the sustainable, equitable management of natural resources in a complex, transboundary river basin, a DX1-led consortium of research practitioners and digital innovators will work with the Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM) to codevelop a new, real-time, data-driven integrated monitoring and modelling system. Activities are designed to address two interrelated research questions, focusing on innovation and capacity building. In particular, how can food-water-land system dynamics be monitored and modelled to inform natural resource management organizations in making sustainable and inclusive decisions? And secondly, how can real-time data and advanced analytics assist in better preparation for and defence against natural disasters such as floods and droughts across food-water land systems?
Key aspects that are being developed to give effect to this include:
- Development of a Digital Twin that will integrate all of the aspects below.
- Seasonal weather forecasting
- An integrated basin hydrology
- Location of irrigation by mapping from Earth Observation
- Digital innovation applied to determination and implementation of e-flows that includes innovative water quality monitoring using cheap sensors fixed to substrates and also to live fish, producing near real-time water quality data and interpreting the acceptability for the fish.
- Adding digital innovations to models, in particular the PROBFLO model, used to determine e-flows and the risks associated with river flows on ecosystem services.
- High resolution mapping of the river morphology to support hydraulic modelling as well as monitoring of the river ecosystem over time as part of e-flows implementation.
- A special focus on bathymetric studies to map below water profiles in support of e-flow management, by using state-of-the-art digital tools including Lidar, drones, sonar etc.
- Assessing the contributions of these digital innovations to the determination and implementation of e-flows by river basin authorities
- Engaging with citizen scientists by enhancing the miniSASS river health monitoring protocol using digital tools; by enhancing the EnviroChamps initiative by introducing digital tools to facilitate accurate geolocated information.
This project is being implemented by IWMI and IFPRI, with support from local experts at Rivers of Life as well as GroundTruth.
