In line with the current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for the safe use of wastewater, excreta and grey water in agriculture, IWMI is exploring low-cost options which can be implemented all the way along the food chain, from farms to markets to consumers. To make appropriate recommendations, scientists assess risks by sampling the locally available water and irrigated crops. Then they identify the most effective ways to remove pathogens by making changes in common practices.
adapted for wastewater irrigation…
See also:
Improving food safety in Africa where
vegetables are irrigated with polluted water.
1 Drechsel, Pay; Evans, Alexandra. 2010. Wastewater use in irrigated agriculture.Irrigation and Drainage Systems 24(1-2):1-3 (Special issue with contributions by IWMI authors).
Improving food safety in Africa where vegetables are irrigated with polluted water. Awareness and training video for staff of street restaurants. IWMI. 2007. CPWF, DVD.
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 
