Key Facts
Over the past century, floods and droughts have accounted for 94% of all fatalities due to extreme weather events1
Between May and August 2010 severe flooding in China affected more than 230 million people.2
In July 2012, after a prolonged drought, the United States Department of Agriculture declared natural disaster areas in more than 1,000 counties and 26 states, making it the largest natural disaster in America ever.3
Sources:
1Death and Death Rates Due to Extreme Weather Events, Global and U.S. Trends, 1900–2006 Indur M. Goklany Civil Society Coalition on Climate Change http://www.csccc.info/reports/report_23.pdf
2 Xinhua news agency
3 U.S. Department of Agriculture
Photos:
United Nations (Flickr)
Koroumah15 (Flickr)
Ddupree79 (Flickr)
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