Water management for transforming economies
Across the developing world, the numbers of working-age people have rapidly expanded, boosting demand for employment and putting additional pressure on food supplies and natural resources.
How well countries meet this challenge depends on their ability to transform agriculture and the wider economy – strengthening value chains and markets in ways that are equitable and environmentally sustainable. This, in turn, requires effective management of natural capital (including water), with a focus on gender equity in job creation.
Invariably, there will be competing demands for water. To manage difficult tradeoffs, societies need more effective institutions capable of implementing appropriate policies and incentives for change. IWMI and its partners help promote the necessary conditions for sustainable growth by developing and disseminating:
- Knowledge, tools and methods for future scenario and trends analysis, which better enable planners to manage the intricate links between water, food and energy security
- Water innovations for agriculture and agribusiness that create opportunities for rural employment and transformation
- Options for achieving inclusive and gender-sensitive outcomes, while stimulating effective water governance more broadly through strong institutions and sound policies
Our strategic program on sustainable growth provides a clear focus for initiatives aimed at avoiding the economic and environmental failures that can perpetuate social unrest and mass migration.
Contact:
Alan Nicol (a.nicol@cgiar.org), Strategic Program Leader
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 
