by Stefan Uhlenbrook
As millions of people across the world show their commitment to zero hunger and healthy diets, one crucial piece of the puzzle must not be forgotten: water.
It is often said that the human body needs water before it needs food. And the reality is that we need a lot of water in order to produce food.
As the world’s focus now turns to healthier diets, we must radically transform the way water is accessed, used and conserved to address the needs of the more than 800 million people suffering with insufficient food.
Take the hundreds of millions of people living in rural areas, reliant on increasingly erratic rainfall on which rain-fed agriculture is dependent. When extreme weather changes due to climate change impact water availability, the effects on their food security can be devastating.
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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, includingÂ
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 opportunitiesÂ
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. ButÂ
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 theÂ