Date Time Irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa are consistently falling short of their promises Irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa don’t measure up to their plans according to new research into the projects by scientists. Many of the schemes were found to be consistently delivering a much smaller area of irrigation or are completely broken and things aren’t improving. Large-scale irrigation infrastructure projects are back on the development agenda in sub-Saharan Africa after a near 30-year hiatus, despite projects having had disappointing results, with social and environmental side effects outweighing benefits. Such projects are planned in response to water scarcity pressures and are seen as a solution to intensify agricultural production, support rural economic development and enhance resilience to climate change.