Project alternative

The project consists of improving natural floodplain dynamics and conversion to a flood-based agriculture/aquaculture model. This requires some structural measures related to the water system to re-create a connection between the main river and the farmland and non-structural measures related to improving and/or restoring ecology and habitats. It also requires activities to support households and communities to transition to flood-based agriculture and aquaculture, such as outreach and training. Finally, it involves engaging other stakeholders, including those in the supply chain. For instance, for branding and promoting of farmer output and technical and organisational support. This will ultimately lead to a situation in which the benefits and co-benefits of flood-based agriculture are generated sustainably.

At the basin scale, it is assumed that the case study project would be replicated up to the point where 25% of the highly suitable land area has transitioned to flood-based agriculture. Implementing projects at the basin scale would likely lead to scale advantages in costs and benefits.

In economic and financial analyses, the project period or project horizon is relevant as cash flows are discounted to a present value and different stakeholders have different time horizons. The project may be regarded as having an infinite lifetime as the switch to flood-based agriculture would be permanent. However, households and private sector stakeholders may have a horizon of one to a few years, as they would like to see relatively short-term returns on their efforts and investments. Public sector investments and societal benefits have much longer horizons as infrastructure generally has a lifespan of several decades and some effects may only materialise in the long run. Costs and benefits also need to be placed in a timeline, and for this, it is assumed that for the local scale project implementation takes 2 years and that at the basin scale, it takes 10 years to achieve the 25% conversion to flood-based agriculture. A project horizon of 50 years, from 2024 to 2073, is assumed.