Bangladesh has done a great job of getting more toilets to more people. Now it needs to figure out how to empty them.
According to the World Bank, rates of “open defecation” (development jargon for pooing in public) in Bangladesh have dropped from 34 percent in 1990 to just 1 percent nationwide in 2015. Other surveys put the rates of open defecation at a slightly higher rate than 1 percent but still note a significant decline in the amount of human waste on the streets over the last couple of decades. The reason for this is a boom in pit latrines, aka outhouses, privies, crappers.













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