Reuters writes that a study released by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) on Monday said “cities in developing countries around the world are using untreated or partially treated wastewater for agriculture, posing serious health risks to urban consumers. … The study looked at 53 cities in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. [The report …] found 80 percent were using untreated or partially treated wastewater. ‘In over 70 percent of the cities studied, more than half of urban agricultural land is irrigated with wastewater that is either raw or diluted in streams,’ the institute said. At the same time, the IWMI noted that wastewater agriculture contributes to urban food supplies and helps provide a livelihood for the urban poor.
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Source: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,d
Population pressure and increasing water competition in a changing climate require us to take stock of the availability and use of water across scales. Water availability not only influences farmers’ commercial prospects but also irrigation-related enterprises and agri-businesses. Greater water scarcity could jeopardize irrigation and agricultural markets while excessive water use can lead to declining ecosystems, water quality and soil health. IWMI advises development partners and the public and private sectors on all aspects of water resource availability and use through a variety of advanced modeling and remote-sensing products and tools, including 
The ability of farmers to engage in or expand irrigation depends on the prevailing socioeconomic, ecological and political contexts, which are often complex, non-linear and changeable. Overcoming systemic barriers to farmer-led irrigation development while taking advantage of existing opportunities 
A lack of affordable credit, particularly for women and resource-poor farmers, is one of the main barriers to expanding farmer-led irrigation in low- and middle-income countries. But 
Scaling farmer-led irrigation requires strengthening human capacity and knowledge exchange among all actors and stakeholders involved. IWMI takes an action research approach, working with national and international research institutions, governments, extension agents and public and private organizations to co-develop the scaling ecosystem and strengthen capacity to drive scaling networks and collective action. We support the