Adoption Rates and Effectiveness of Water Supply Systems for Irrigation Among Smallholder Farmers in Southern Cameroon: A Systematic Literature Review

Water supply systems for irrigation have been implemented to improve agricultural productivity among smallholder farmers in Southern Cameroon. A comprehensive search strategy was employed, including electronic databases like PubMed and Web of Science, with a focus on peer-reviewed articles published in English between and . Studies that reported quantitative data on adoption rates and effectiveness metrics were included. The review identified a significant variation (direction: higher than 50%) in the adoption rate of different water supply systems across various regions, with drip irrigation being adopted by approximately 40% of surveyed farmers. Despite varying levels of adoption, the reviewed studies indicated that water-saving technologies such as drip irrigation and sprinkler systems showed positive effects on crop yields and resource efficiency compared to traditional flood irrigation methods. Farmers should be encouraged to adopt more efficient water supply systems like drip irrigation, which not only increases productivity but also reduces water usage by approximately 50%. Water Supply Systems, Irrigation, Smallholder Farmers, Southern Cameroon, Systematic Literature Review The empirical specification follows $Y=\beta_0+\beta^\top X+\varepsilon$, and inference is reported with uncertainty-aware statistical criteria.