A study in rural Thailand found that households typically use up to nine different water sources around their homesteads for their various domestic and livelihood needs
Up to 100 liters of water per day are needed within a short round-trip from the homestead for small-scale productive uses to take place at a significant level
Improving daily water supply services from 20 liters to 100 liters per person has the potential to generate an additional annual income of up to $400 per year for a family of five
Photos: Tom Van Cakenberghe, David Brazier, Frank Rijsberman
Sources:
- IWMI working paper 137 – Multiple sources of water for multiple purposes in Northeast Thailand
- Multiple-use ladder (based on Van Koppen and Hussain, 2007, and Renwick et al., 2007) in INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON MULTIPLE-USE WATER SERVICES Characterising the multiple use approach at community level: findings from case studies in 8 countries S. Smits, B. van Koppen and P. Moriarty [Netherlands]
- Multiple Use Water Services for the Poor: Assessing the State of Knowledge, Final report December 2007, Winrock International, IRC Water and Sanitation Centre, International Water Management Institute
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 
