Systematic Synthesis of Knowledge Relating to the Hydrological Functioning of Inland Valleys in Sub-Saharan Africa
(2025) Water — Vol. 17, n° 2, p. 193 (2025)
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- Authors
Tovihoudji, Pierre 
Akponikpe, Pierre
- Abstract
- The potential of inland valleys to enhance food security and improve agricultural resilience to climate change in Africa is constrained by a limited understanding of their hydrological functioning and inadequate water management. In order to synthesize knowledge on hydrological responses in inland valley areas, this work reviewed 275 studies from tropical Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Data from the literature search were collected from Scopus™, ScienceDirect™, Web of Science™, Google Scholar™, and doctoral theses repositories such as ZEF, HAL, and Theses.fr, covering studies published from the inception of these databases through 31 May 2023. Our approach involved, firstly, a bibliometric analysis of all papers to gain insights into research trends and interests. Secondly, we performed a quantitative synthesis of results from 66 studies examining stream flows in a set of 79 inland valleys to better understand factors that govern runoff dynamics in these environments. Correlative analyses and clustering methods were applied to identify potential links between runoff and watershed physical parameters. The findings highlight the varied responses of inland valleys over both time and space, influenced by a combination of catchment drivers. The correlation matrices between hydrological indices and physical parameters indicate a strong relationship among runoff and a range of parameters, of which the most significant are rainfall (R2 = 0.77) and soil silt content (R2 = 0.68). Challenges in accurately spatializing information related to potential determining components of the water cycle, such as groundwater dynamics and soil moisture, seem to have limited the exploration of interactions between river flow, soil moisture, and groundwater. Future works should prioritize the development of accurate and user-friendly hydrological models that balance complexity and data availability to enhance the understanding of inland valley behavior at fine scales and consolidate food security in Africa.
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Citations
Tidjani, A., Tovihoudji, P., Akponikpe, P., & Vanclooster, M. (2025). Systematic Synthesis of Knowledge Relating to the Hydrological Functioning of Inland Valleys in Sub-Saharan Africa. Water, 17(2), 193. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17020193 (Original work published 2025)