CWC chairman says climate change impacts agrarian economies more than others. Secretary-General of the International Commission on Irrigation & Drainage C. Avinash Tyagi said the only way out for the country was to adapt to climate change.
Concerns over climate change, global warming and reduced availability of water are concerns that impact agrarian economies more than others, and it is high time new strategies for resilience in handling such concerns were developed, Chairman of the Central Water Commission Ashwin B. Pandya said on Thursday.
Water being key to food and energy, its inequitable and skewed distribution in a country like India called for adaptability and innovation. Apart from climate change, per capita water availability and low per capita storage were situations that needed to be seriously considered. A shift in policy at the Centre and States was therefore the need of the hour, he explained.
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