News & Events

Water for whom? Realizing contemporary water allocation through age-old customary tenure practices
- Blog By Barbara Van Koppen, Emeritus Scientist, IWMI Who gets to decide how water is accessed, used, and managed? Is it the state, the people, the gods, or the tribal chief? Studies show that in much of the developing world, the practice is a combination of these. But on (legal) paper, it very often is not, or if it is, it is ...more

Finding the economic value of irrigation water in the Nile Basin to enhance water saving
- Blog A recent study conducted by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) estimated the economic value of irrigation water for major crops in various agricultural systems of the Nile Basin. It provides important baseline data in a time when water supply is uncertain as a result of climate change. “This study provided benchmarking data that will help to improve water allocations and ...more

How social accountability tools can improve water service delivery in Nepal
- Blog Public hearings and audits have the potential to reduce corruption, empower citizens and improve water resource management, new report shows. By Hari Dhungana, Associate Professor of Development Management and Administration at Nepal Open University, Nepal and Floriane Clement, Senior Research Fellow at DYNAFOR, Université de Toulouse, French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) France, former Country Representative for ...more

Declining data quality threatens water resources management in the Lake Tana sub-basin
- Blog Meron Teferi Taye and Alemseged Tamiru Haile (IWMI) Through the FLAIR (Future Leaders – African Independent Research) Fellowship project, IWMI is working to develop a thorough knowledge of the water resources within the Lake Tana sub-basin as it experiences more developmental growth. Dried out stream in Ethiopia. Photo: WLE During recent field visits we witnessed intensified water withdrawal from rivers for small-scale ...more

Water's role in poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs
- Blog CGIAR’s new ambitions are defined by a set of impact areas, with water – and therefore water systems science – at the heart of each. This is part of a series of blogs that will explore the linkages between water and each of these impact areas. In this case we focus on poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs. Packing vegetables to be transported to the market. Photo: ...more

Study finds public investment in farmer-led irrigation is more likely to benefit cash-crop cultivators and the wealthy
- Blog By Kashi Kafle, Economist - Impact Evaluation, IWMI Photo: Maheder Haileselassie / IWMI In Ethiopia, development of small-scale private wells initiated and managed by farmers, have gained significant momentum in recent years. This expansion of farmer-led irrigation development (FLID) in the country is primarily guided by land suitability for irrigation, but pays little attention to farmers’ economic status and agricultural practices. A ...more

Building refugee resilience in East Africa through reusing resources
- Blog This World Population Day, we explore how refugees can develop resilience with water Women break ground on a garden plot located within the UN Women Safe Centre section of a refugee camp in Africa. Photo: UN Women Refugees from South Sudan in the Rhino Camp of northern Uganda will soon be fortifying their diets with okra grown in their own home ...more

How market knowledge is powering Africa's solar irrigation sector
- Blog Data-driven tools are helping solar irrigation companies target their products and services to the right people, in the right way. By Thai Thi Minh, Senior Researcher – Upscaling Innovations, IWMI, and Cecily Layzell, IWMI Consultant Farmers attending a solar irrigation pump demonstration by Pumptech during a fieldtrip to Bawku, Ghana. Photo: Thai Thi Minh / IWMI ‘Know your customers’ is arguably the ...more

Water's role in boosting nutrition, health and food security
- Blog CGIAR’s new ambitions are defined by a set of impact areas, with water – and therefore water systems science – at the heart of each. This is part of a series of blogs that will explore the linkages between water and each of these impact areas. In this case we focus on nutrition, health and food security. Drip irrigation used ...more

Can adaptive management combat agricultural uncertainty in Ethiopia?
- Blog New IWMI findings suggest that adaptive management, a structured approach to decision-making in the face of uncertainty, can help achieve sustainable agricultural transformation. By Amare Haileslassie, Principal Researcher, IWMI A farmer in Ethiopia demonstrates a hand pump used for agriculture.Photo: Apollo Habtamu / IWMI Ethiopia has decades of experience in implementing land and water management interventions. However, the resulting alteration of agricultural landscapes ...more

East Africa