A focus on wastewater
The wastewater theme of this year’s World Water Day is especially opportune for the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). After years of pioneering research, we are poised for a new phase of concerted effort to transform our novel vision of improved wastewater management into a reality for rapidly urbanizing areas of the developing world.
Where others mainly see intractable problems with unaffordable remedies, we see major opportunities for low-income countries to implement cost-effective green solutions that deliver enormous benefits for poor households. Much recent experience suggests that these solutions can reduce water pollution, improve sanitation, strengthen food security and help drive economic growth.
Most of our work on wastewater management forms part of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Landscapes and Ecosystems (WLE), which IWMI leads. Along with WLE, IWMI communicates about this work actively, as you will see from the accompanying links to blog posts, publications, videos, social media reporting and mass media coverage.
For the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and its partners, World Water Day (WWD) is a good time to highlight issues we confront every day. Among these, wastewater – the WWD theme for this year – occupies a central place.
In the years to come, we will give it even more attention, following recent adjustments in how IWMI’s research addresses key development priorities.
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Developing countries struggling to cope with huge volumes of human waste may finally get some relief. A new study by IWMI and partners has found a way to make costs of fecal sludge removal more affordable for poor households. Published this week in the journal PLoS ONE, the study is getting significant attention from the international media.
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Year of wastewater campaign
The WWDR is an annual and thematic report that focuses on different strategic water issues each year and aims to provide decision-makers with the tools to implement sustainable use of our water resources. IWMI researchers contributed significantly to the report as a whole and particularly to five of its 18 chapters, co-authoring Chapter 7 (Agriculture), which covers the sector’s dual role as both a source of water pollution and major user of wastewater.
Shareable cards from UN-Water
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 
