Extremes of water, whether through scarcity or abundance, have challenged mankind throughout history. Technologically advanced as we are, we still experience catastrophic loses of human life, livelihoods and property as a result of floods and droughts every year.
Nevertheless, there is much that can be done to mitigate the effects of floods and droughts; and particularly to help protect the poorest and most vulnerable.
Floods and droughts occur within natural cycles. For all the misery they can cause, they can be ecologically important, and even create livelihood opportunities. Farmers can make use of extra water for spate irrigation. Flooded land can create opportunities for fishing. There are perhaps few positive impacts from droughts, but they may play a role in natural disease control and can create demand for water storage infrastructure.
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