In the opening lines of his 2012 annual letter, Bill Gates stresses the need for innovation, as key to improving the world. “When innovators work on urgent problems and deliver solutions to people in need, the results can be magical”, he says.
Bill Gates gives an overview of his ideas for innovation in global health and U.S. education, but first on his list is a call for “innovation in agriculture”.
“Given the central role that food plays in human welfare and national stability, it is shocking—not to mention short-sighted and potentially dangerous—how little money is spent on agricultural research“, according to Gates.
“In total, only $3 billion per year is spent on researching the seven most important crops. This includes $300 million by an agency called the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).”
“Even though the CGIAR money is only 10 percent of the spending, it is critical because it focuses on the needs of poor countries“, says Gates.
“We can be more innovative about delivering solutions that already exist to the farmers who need them,” He adds “Knowledge about managing soil and tools like drip irrigation can help poor farmers grow more food today.”
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation continues to be a major investor in IWMI’s work. Examples include the Ag water solutions project which offers farmers in Africa and India workable solutions for water management.
Read and comment on the CGIAR’s post of this topic.
Source: http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org
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