The CGIAR Research Program on Water Land and Ecosystems (WLE), which is led by IWMI, has launched its new revamped website. The new site design reflects the growth of the program over the last few years and highlights the evidence and outcomes that are being generated.
The site will act, not only act as the fresh public face of the program, but as a one-stop-shop for partners, donors, and researchers who are looking for key solution-oriented resources on sustainable agriculture and development.
Major changes and new features of the website include:
- A story-based approach allows users to follow content in a compelling manner.
- All WLE outputs from CG-space are imported and linked to different areas of the site, such as Solutions and Publications.
- A new section on WLE Solutions and Tools highlights different methods, models, approaches produced by the program.
- A new section on WLE Projects where projects are searchable and links to different areas of the site.
- WLE’s new Thrive blog is a conversation space that is better integrated into the website.
- Different entry points for looking at content, such as challenges, regions and/or research themes,
- Better explanation of Ecosystem Services Approaches.
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