Ultimately, IWMI hopes that its projects and programs will have a lasting and global impact on water and land management for the benefit of food production, livelihoods and nature. Beyond the conceptual level, however, it is unrealistic to expect that impacts at this level could be easily measured or attributed. Thus, while maintaining a vision towards the broader spatial and temporal impacts of our projects and programs, we have designed a typology outlining the intermediary impacts that the institute, together with its partners, can reasonably anticipate, track and measure.
| Expected Intermediary Impacts of IWMI’s Research Agenda | Vehicle to achieve impact | Sample Indicators | Sample Measurement Tools |
| Raised Awareness of New Research |
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| Application of New Knowledge |
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| Employment of Improved Tools, Technologies, Techniques |
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| Employment of Improved Policies/Institutions |
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| Enhanced Capacity
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| Strengthened Partnerships |
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| Improved Livelihoods (within project location) |
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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 
