IWMI in the news
“Water is more than just a resource,” says IWMI’s Kakhramon Djumaboev, “Think of water as life; it is everyone’s responsibility to save it. In a country like Uzbekistan with scarce water resources, every drop of water should count.”
As an agronomist’s son born in the desert during the famous expansion of agricultural lands, Kakhramon’s life has always been intertwined with water. His father took part in the development of so-called “virgin lands” in Uzbekistan’s Mirzacho’l desert located on the left bank of the Syrdarya River, known also as the Hungry Steppe because of the complete absence of life. The Soviet government initiated an extensive land reclamation campaign to open up a vast tract of steppe land for grain and cotton cultivation by bringing water to the area. “My father took an active part in it,” Kakhramon adds.
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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, 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