The water rights of up to 100 million African farmers are threatened by laws rooted in colonial times, according to a recent study conducted by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and Pegasys Institute, and supported with funding from REACH.
Many sub-Saharan African countries rely on nation-wide permit systems—often touted as best practice—for their water management. This has led to a number of unintended consequences. The logistical burden of permit systems creates a nightmare for water authorities, which struggle to reach millions of scattered and remote small-scale irrigators. The water uses of these irrigators are often illegal due to lack of knowledge about the permit system. Micro-scale water users, who use just enough water to meet their needs, are exempted from the obligation to apply for a permit. A user with a permit exemption, however, has a weaker legal standing than a permit holder. Overall, permits are only issued to a minority of large-scale water users who have the highest impacts on the water still available for other users and aquatic ecosystems.
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