The post-coronavirus recovery will offer a chance to improve water security for the world’s neediest people
Access to clean water for washing hands has been the first line of defence during the Covid-19 pandemic. This has made water security a renewed priority for development assistance and for investment in resilience. As governments and health agencies look to invest in better hygiene standards to protect against future diseases, more resources are likely to be directed towards meeting immediate needs by installing more pipes, taps and wells.
But delivering water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services is much more complex than providing infrastructure alone, and is a vital part of the much broader challenge of managing water as a critical resource that cuts across all sectors of society. Multiple needs for water – from agriculture to sanitation and consumption – often put pressure on supplies, which are already being increasingly threatened by climate change and population growth as the world’s global commons are overexploited. So coordination across sectors in how water use is managed is growing ever more important.
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