Experts meet in Delhi to discuss a new initiative to “future-proof” livelihoods of one million smallholder farmers in South Asia
(Delhi, December 9): An innovative Index Based Flood Insurance (IBFI) product was launched today in Delhi at a regional workshop organized by the International Water Management Institute. This insurance product would drastically reduce the time taken for farmers to receive money for claims, from months to weeks. The efficiency gains in payouts is achieved by employing satellite data for damage assessments and by using simple to use mobile technology for the entire spectrum of insurance provision – from enrollment to eventual payouts. “IBFI directly contributes to one of the core objectives of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana (PMFBY) which aims to reduce the time gap for compensation from more than a year to less than 6 months.”, said Dr Kalanithy Vairavamoorthy, Deputy Director General at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
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