The rising number of crises, in particular, complex crises, driven by armed conflicts, political instability and climate-induced shocks, has heightened food insecurity among vulnerable populations in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Traditional humanitarian responses to food crises provide food aid and prioritize staple crops such as maize and wheat when agricultural production is promoted. Integrating irrigated vegetable production (IVP) into crisis programs can generate income, provide essential micronutrients and diversify diets, and should therefore be included more often where feasible. There are urgent calls to action to inform policy decisions and improve IVP interventions in crisis-affected areas.

This water issue brief synthesizes findings from literature reviews on irrigated vegetable production interventions in emergencies, conducted by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) (Singh et al. n.d.) and the World Vegetable Center (Mwambi et al. n.d.).