IWMI Researcher recognized with Journal Article Prize
IWMI Nepal’s Fraser Sugden was awarded the Journal of Contemporary Asia runner up Prize 2014, for articles published in 2013. He won the prize for his paper on “Pre-capitalist Reproduction on the Nepal Tarai: Semi-feudal Agriculture in an Era of Globalisation”.
The article was selected for the ways in which it provides an alternative perspective on mainstream views on contemporary Asian issues and/or contributes to the development of theory, especially on the role of the state, class analysis, power and globalization.
Dr. K Palanisami is a winner of Dr. R. T. Doshi awards for Best Research Articles Published in Agricultural Economics Research Review
Dr. Doshi Foundation, Mumbai awards every year two prizes for the best articles published in the one volume of Agricultural Economics Research Review and two prizes for the best paper presentation during the Annual Conference of AERA (India) since 1999.
The awards include a certificate and a cash prize and are presented during the Annual General Meeting of the Society. These awards are decided based on the recommendations of separate panels of experts.
Dr. Giriraj Amarnath was awarded the Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers 2014
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has officially announced the winners of the Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers 2014.
The commendation ceremony was held on November 27, 2014 (Thursday) at the AKIHABARA Convention Hall, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
- The purpose of this award is to increase motivation among young researchers contributing to research and development in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and related industries in developing countries.
a. The candidates are young researchers who have shown outstanding performance in research and development in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, or related industries from a developing country.
b. Every year since 2007, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council (AFFRC) selects three young researchers who show outstanding research achievements that will lead to future technological innovation as awardees. - The award will be bestowed for the 8th consecutive year.
For more information: www.jircas.affrc.go.jp/english/young/yi2014_annouce.html
Sri Lankan researcher receives two President’s Awards
Lal Muthuwatta, Hydrologist/Mathematical Modeler, has received two prestigious awards for his research.
He received the President’s Awards for Scientific Publications for the following papers:
- Regionalization for lake level simulation – the case of Lake Tana in the Upper Blue Nile, Ethiopia
- Assessment of water availability and consumption in the Karkheh River Basin, Iran – using remote sensing and geo-statistics
The award ceremony was held at the Waters Edge complex, Battaramulla, on October 31st.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Minister of Technology and Research, and Dhara Wijayathilake, Secretary, Ministry of Technology and Research, were chief guests at the event.
Southern Africa researcher wins IWRA Best Paper Award 2013
Karen Villholth was announced as the joint winner of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) journal Water International’s Best Paper Award for 2013 for Groundwater irrigation for smallholders in Sub-Saharan Africa – a synthesis of current knowledge to guide sustainable outcomes. (This paper is open access.)
See the list of awardees for 2013
IWMI receives 2nd place prize in Multimedia Map GIS Applications at ESRI User’s Conference
Mohamed Rajah and IWMI receive 2nd place in Multimedia Map GIS Applications at the ESRI User’s Conference. The ESRI User’s Conference is the largest event dedicated to geographic information system (GIS) technology. More than 15,000 participants convened in San Francisco, July 14-18, for GIS user presentations, exhibitions and technical workshops. More information is available at http://www.esri.com/events/user-conference/activities/user-app-fair-results http://harvestchoice.org/labs/harvestchoice-and-esri-bonded-landscapes http://www.cgiar-csi.org/blog http://www.gislounge.com/views-2014-esri-international-user-conference-gis-imagery/
IWMI-Tata Water Policy Research Program receives Water for Life Award 2014
Tokyo, Japan (March 21, 2014): A research program that pinpointed how perverse subsidies were causing India to export virtual water has won the coveted ‘Water for Life’ UN-Water Best Practices Award. The IWMI-Tata Water Policy Research Program (ITP), a partnership between the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo, Sri Lanka, and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Mumbai, India, scooped the award for its groundbreaking work linking energy use, food production and water availability in Indian agriculture.
Enhancing capacity for system transformation
Strengthening and sustaining the enabling environment
Enabling gender and youth inclusion
Brokering knowledge for sustainability
Cultivating scaling preparedness
Fostering scaling partnerships
Co-developing innovation bundles
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 
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 
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 
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 
