IWMI will go to the heart of science in July as we partner with Alliance Française Sri Lanka in the ‘Water at the heart of science’ exhibition to be held in Colombo from the 5th – 15th July. 
The science exhibition is organized in honor of the 2013 UN international Year of Water Cooperation and is part of Alliance Francaise’s ongoing annual spring festival celebrations.
La Soif du Monde (A Thirsty World) a documentary movie by renowned French environmentalist Yann Arthus Bertrand will precede the exhibition, on Thursday 4th July.
The French Spring Festival brings out the flavors of the world capital for food and fashion through a variety of art and cultural events now being held in main Sri Lankan cities.
Sri Lanka is hosting the festival only for the second time, although it has been held in many Asian capitals over the past two decades.
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