Part of the success in increased use of groundwater can be put down to organisations like the SADC Groundwater Management Institute that have helped countries contend with climate change through the harnessing of groundwater.
The regional organisation was launched two years ago in South Africa as a mechanism for implementing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Programme in member states of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).
Speaking during the launch, South Africa’s Deputy Director General of the Department of Water and Sanitation, Deborah Mochotlhi, said the institute would play a major role in bringing groundwater, a hidden resource, into to the limelight in the region’s development efforts.
“Groundwater issues have historically not been granted priority in projects and have been seen as ‘second best’,” she said. “That is slowly changing and initiatives like this will further change that perception.”
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 
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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