Stirzaker, RichardMbakwe, IkennaMziray, Nuru Ressa2017-07-262017-07-262017-05-19Richard Stirzaker, Ikenna Mbakwe & Nuru Ressa Mziray (2017) A soil water and solute learning system for small-scale irrigators in Africa, International Journal of Water Resources Development, 33:5, 788-803, DOI: 10.1080/07900627.2017.1320981.0790-0627 (print)1360-0648 (online)10.1080/07900627.2017.1320981http://hdl.handle.net/2263/61453The research in this article was part of the project Increasing Irrigation Water Productivity in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe through On-farm Monitoring, Adaptive Management and Agricultural Innovation PlatformsBetter yields of high-value crops are necessary for a profitable irrigation industry in sub-Saharan Africa. We introduced two simple tools, the Chameleon soil moisture sensor and the FullStop wetting front detector, which represent soil water, nitrate and salt levels in the soil by displaying different colours. These tools form the basis of an experiential learning system for small-scale irrigators. We found that farmers quickly learned from the tools and changed their management within a short time. The cost of implementing a learning system would be a small fraction of that of building or revitalizing irrigation schemes.en© 2017 Crown Copyright in the Commonwealth of Australia Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License.Virtual irrigation academyChameleon sensorFullstop wetting front detectorSocial learningIrrigation schedulingArticle