The research questions

• What impact has a particular small holder water management system had on the livelihoods of poor people?
• What aspects of physical, hydrological, socio - economic and institutional factors condition the success or failure of particular technological choices and innovations?
• What improvements to the design of the innovation itself or to associated activities could further enhance the returns to land, water and labor?
• Will large scale adoption of the innovation significantly alter the water balance within the basin, especially with respect to other upstream and downstream uses?
• What strategies can be designed to facilitate the dissemination of the knowledge gained and promote the uptake and replication of innovations with high promise?

Objective

The Primary objective of this project is to create an applied knowledge base to assess proven innovations in small holder water management and develop practical mechanisms for their promotion and dissemination

Methods

The exact methodology varied on a case to case basis, but the following general steps are being adopted in each case:

• Vetting candidate innovations and collecting evidence of their success and uptake , mainly based on literature reviews, stakeholder surveys, contacts with NGOs and similar groups , and information gathered from knowledgeable and credible individuals.
• Analysis of available secondary data, supplemented by additional filed measurements and investigations where necessary.
• Detailed scrutiny and evaluation of the innovation and its claim to success based on a combination of filed measurements, process documentation, structured questionnaire surveys and key informant interviews.
• Establishing the potential gains ( in various domains) from adoption of the innovation, and identifying the key determinants and conditions for success.
• Dissemination of findings through :
  1. existing networks of research , development and scientific organizations, including email and web resources,
  2. linkages with public sector rural support and other outreach programs,
  3. workshops for a variety of stakeholders and interested parties
  4. publication of project reports and results for various end - users
  5. press releases for national and international media

Project leader

Researchers

Major Donors

Project Duration

Location