IWMI in the news
The TAAT Water Compact is led by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and implemented in Nigeria through the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The compact promotes low-cost and easy-to-deploy irrigation and water management technologies to small-scale farmers across Africa.
Prof. Henry Igbadun, who coordinates the compact in Nigeria said that the project in Nasarawa state began in 2019 with the training of 40 youths and agriculture extension workers on the new irrigation technologies.
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 theÂ