IWMI and FAO are co-hosting a brainstorming workshop on ‘Trends and Transitions in Asian Irrigation: Prospects for the Future’ from 19th to 21st January 2009 at the FAO-RAP office in Bangkok. This workshop is funded by the Asian Development Bank and around 25 experts are attending this workshop. The objective of this workshop is to brainstorm on three interrelated topics: 1. Past trends in irrigation development and their drivers 2. Irrigation management reforms 3. Future scenarios and investment options The workshop is divided into three plenary sessions followed by regional breakout sessions (see Workshop Program). The first two days are dedicated to paper presentations and regional breakout sessions while the third day will focus on brainstorming on the future irrigation investments in Asia. The final anticipated output is an Issue Paper on Asian Irrigation that will help the ADB in prioritizing its irrigation investments in Asia. This paper will be presented at the 5th World Water Forum to be held at Istanbul, Turkey in March 2009.
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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