New Delhi, 8 June. The recently elected Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, mentions IWMI’s Tushaar Shah at the launch of the book Getting India Back on Track, to which Tushaar and Shilp Verma have contributed a chapter. The speech is on video and in Hindi.
English translation of the relevant remark is: Sitting here is our very own Tushaar Bhai who has written about water (in this volume), so I am quite sure that the book has a lot things (in it) which I had discussed in Gujarat. Mr Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat prior to becoming Prime Minister, and so is familiar with the work of the IWMI-Tata Water Policy Research Program which has contributed to water policy development in the state.
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