World Wetlands Day celebrates the importance of wetlands around the world.
Highly productive and biologically diverse, wetlands are of great importance to both people and the environment. They play a key role in the water cycle, acting like a sponge and purifier; they are home to thousands of animal and plant species, and they directly support the livelihoods of people around the world.
- To learn more about the benefits of wetlands, view our infographic.
- To find out which Ramsar-designated wetlands are closest to you, click here.
- Are you wise about wetlands? Test your knowledge in our World Wetlands Day 2015 quiz.
- See our Wetlands on the move news story about a new map that shows the world’s wetlands more accurately than ever before.
- Find out more about how wetlands can be sustainably managed – read Wetlands and People
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