Water for wealth and food security: supporting farmer-driven investments in agricultural water management
A new study finds that small-scale irrigation schemes can protect millions of farmers from food insecurity and climate risks in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Against this background the AgWater Solutions, a collaborative project initiated by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and supported by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and several international partners, intends to offer promising investment options to improve the livelihoods and food security of the rural poor. According to the report: “Water for wealth and food security: Supporting farmer-driven investments in agricultural water management”, that was released at the World Water Week in late August in Stockholm, expanding the use of smallholder water management techniques could increase yields up to 300 percent in some cases, and add tens of billions of US dollars to household revenues across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.