Publications & Research
Our research spans irrigation mapping, water resources, farmer participation, and sustainable agriculture across data-scarce regions in sub-Saharan Africa. These publications are the evidence base behind our methods.
Smallholder Irrigation Mapping & Development
Using satellite data and machine learning to identify and monitor farmer-led irrigation in data-scarce African contexts.
Evaluating the effect of training data size and composition on the accuracy of smallholder irrigated agriculture mapping in Mozambique
Weitkamp, Timon and Karimi, Poolad (2023). Remote Sensing, 15(12), 3017.
Mapping irrigated agriculture in fragmented landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa: An examination of algorithm and composite length effectiveness
Weitkamp, Timon and Veldwisch, Gert Jan and Karimi, Poolad and de Fraiture, Charlotte (2023). International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 122, 103418.
Uncharted territory: mapping diverse and dispersed smallholder irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa through remote sensing
Weitkamp, Timon Karel Bernard (2024). Wageningen University and Research.
Water Resources & Lake-Floodplain Systems
Combining multi-source satellite remote sensing with hydrological modeling to understand water dynamics in tropical lake-floodplain systems.
Estimation of water storage changes in a tropical lake-floodplain system through remote sensing
de Klein, Thijs and Bense, Victor and Mustafa, Syed (2024). Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 57, 102173.
Baseflow prediction in a data-scarce catchment with Inselberg topography, Central Mozambique
Weemstra, H.; Oord, A.L.; de Boer, F.S.; Beekman, P.W. (2014). Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 76-78, 16-27.
Farmer-Led Development & Participatory Approaches
Placing farmer agency and local knowledge at the center of development research and practice.
Supporting Farmer-Led Irrigation in Mozambique: Reflections on Field-Testing a New Design Approach
Wouter Beekman, Gert Jan Veldwisch (2016). Sustainability, 8(6), 580.
Gender Dynamics in Agriculture
Gender is not simply a policy concern—it shapes who participates in irrigation, how labor is organized, and who benefits from development.
The 'Farmer Lens': A Gender Blinder? Considering Farmer Diversity in Research and Policy on African Farmer-led Irrigation Development
Liebrand, J., Veldwisch, G. J., de Santos Herranz, V., Schepers, N., & Beekman, W. (2023). International Journal of the Commons, 17(1), 431-446.
Land & Water Rights / Land Grabbing Resistance
Smallholder communities face ongoing threats of land appropriation for large-scale agricultural and conservation investments.
The evolution of the land struggle for smallholder irrigated rice production in Nante, Mozambique
Beekman, P.W.; Veldwisch, G.J.A. (2012). Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 50-52, 179-184.
Agricultural Value Chains & Sustainability
As global sustainability standards reshape agricultural trade, smallholders must navigate new value chain requirements.
Tracing sustainability: A study of agricultural traceability options for compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation
Naranjo, María A. and Ciravegna, Elisa and Ingram, Verina and Cocchini, Susanna and Herrera, Natalia and Weitkamp, Timon (2025). Wageningen Social & Economic Research.