IWMI hosted a stakeholder meeting to inform about the ongoing BMZ (The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany) funded research project on “Research and capacity-building for soil rehabilitation”, on June 21, 2016. This meeting marked the launch of project in Sri Lanka. The event gathered around 30 participants from local ministries, academia, private sector and NGOs.
This research project has been encouraged by several Sri Lankan authorities, e.g. to support RRR development, waste management and the sustainability of the compost sector, and to provide knowledge and curriculum development for business students, entrepreneurs and practitioner’s. The project moves RRR research experiences and knowledge further along the impact pathway and will assist to close critical knowledge gaps for regionally relevant technology transfer. Main goal of the new project is to develop curricula for innovative technologies and investment models that transfer organic waste into organic fertilizer for different soils, crops and climates in South Asia.
IWMI’s Herath Manthrithilake moderated the event. Johannes Paul presented a Brief on IWMI’s research work in RRR and main objectives and framework of the new research project.
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