Ahead of the award ceremony for the Stockholm Water Prize, Andrew Mitchell, the UK Secretary of State for International Development has congratulated IWMI on becoming the 2012 prize laureate.
Andrew Mitchell MP,
Secretary of State for International Development
“The International Water Management Institute has done some outstanding work tackling the water challenges poor communities face all over the world, including helping thousands of farmers across the world irrigate their land more efficiently and making a very real difference to their lives and livelihoods,” said Mr Mitchell.
“The UK government is proud to support the Institute’s innovative programmes to use water sustainably to grow crops, improve food security and reduce poverty. Winning the 2012 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate is great recognition for their work.”
Dr Colin Chartres, former Director General of IWMI, will accept the prize on behalf of the institution from His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden, at a special ceremony on Thursday.
Photo credit: DFID – UK Department for International Development
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