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The world needs to produce an estimated 60 percent more food by 2050 to ensure global food security, and it must do so while conserving and enhancing the natural resource base. Water is a major input in the provision of food – from production in the field through all the steps in the value chain. Water is also required to meet personal and household needs, for energy and industrial production, and to maintain important water-dependent ecosystems and ecosystem services. With demand and competition for water on the rise, however, the planet’s water resources are under increasing stress due to climate change, poor management and pollution. 

Agriculture holds the key to successfully achieving the objectives and aspirations articulated in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. It is also crucial to the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of smallholder farmers and rural communities worldwide.

Farmers must be at the centre of any process of change in agriculture. Through appropriate policies that provide incentives and ensure effective governance, farmers can be empowered to conserve biodiversity, protect ecosystems and minimize environmental impacts.

--  FAO



  1. 1983-02-19 Pete Ekstrand in Zaire alerted us to the book by that title, available free from the Swedish International Development Authority, Health Division U-B Segersky/asn, S-105 25 Stockholm, SWEDEN. The 133 page book is divided into three parts. Part I discusses various aspects of sanitation and disease...
  2. "I started writing theRainwater Harvesting for Drylandsand Beyondseries with the goal of empowering my clients and my community to make positive change in their own lives and yards, by harvesting and enhancing free on-site resources such as water, sun, wind, shade, and more. I wanted to provide...
  3. Children are dying 3.5 million children die from diarrhoea and acute respiratory infection in developing countries every year. Hand washing with soap can prevent these illnesses– it could save 1.2 million of these children. We’re not talking about an expensive vaccine or a high tech drinking...
  4. Wikipedia :The Water Networkis the largest onlineknowledge sharingplatform for the global water professionals, researchers, technicians, private sector employees, policy makers.[1]The world's water problems are at its peak, and The Water Network believes that the problems could be solved by...
  5. NGWA provides this listing as a public service and in no way evaluates or endorses these organizations. NGWA suggests you appropriately investigate any charitable organization prior to donating your time, materials, or money.
  6. Key Resource 1992-03-01 Water is everywhere - its physics and chemistry, rain, evaporation, infiltration, underground, the intimate relationship between life and water, and other natural phenomena. Its effects and applications need to be understood: run-off, erosion, soil drainage and irrigation. These comprise the main...
  7. Over 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation. These are basic human rights. Many low-cost, community-run schemes can be set up to improve health, wellbeing and environmental conditions, and generate some income.
  8. Agriculture holds the key to successfully achieving the objectives and aspirations articulated in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. It is also crucial to the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of smallholder farmers and rural communities worldwide....
  9. MekongInfo is a platform for sharing of information and experiences in integrated water resources management in the Mekong River Basin. MekongInfo is hosted by theMekong River Commission, an intergovernmental body created in 1995 by an agreement between the governments of Cambodia, Lao PDR,...
  10. TheInternational Water Management Institute (IWMI)is a non-profit, scientific research organization focusing on the sustainable use of water and land resources in developing countries. IWMI works in partnership with governments, civil society and the private sector to develop scalable...
  11. Untreated wastewater irrigation is not the only reason for the spread of pathogens. IWMI, therefore, also invests in more holistic multiple-hazard projects that analyze and compare risks from various sources and assess the cost-effectiveness of taking different actions. Ultimately, the aim is to...
  12. Wherever you are in the world, chances are you are sitting on water. Drill down deep enough and you’ll find it. Beneath the Earth’s surface aquifers are natural reservoirs that contain groundwater. Collectively they constitute the largest amount of liquid freshwater on Earth. They are a vital...
  13. Climate change necessitates a fundamental rethink of the way water resources, and particularly water storage options, are planned and managed. In all situations, maximizing the benefits and minimizing the costs of water storage options will, as in the past (but not commonly done), require...
  14. We are inspired to connect, to create and to champion lasting change for poor and vulnerable people around the globe. With our shared belief in a just world and an understanding that we achieve more together, we strive each day to work collaboratively to carry out our mission. Our strategy helps...
  15. Access Agriculture Training Video In Kenya, WRUAs first began forming in the 1990’s. They are established by communities along rivers and guarantee the participation of their members in all management decisions taken on the use of the river water. Arabic Bambara Burmese English French
  16. An international journal of water, sanitation and waste ISSN0262-8104 (Print) |1756-3488 (Online) Published since 1982Waterlinesis a refereed journal providing a forum for those involved in extending water supply, sanitation, hygiene and waste management to all in developing countries.Waterlines...
  17. Abstract, Science Advances, 2018 July Humanity faces the grand challenge of feeding a growing, more affluent population in the coming decades while reducing the environmental burden of agriculture. Approaches that integrate food security and environmental goals offer promise for achieving a more...
  18. 1972-01-01 This paper has two goals: evaluation and education. It is not, in the usual sense, a critical review paper, since no effort is made to assess the quality of the various research contributions cited. Rather, an attemp is made to stand back, gauge the broad accomplishments, trends, and gaps in the...
  19. The “Hippo Water Roller Project” was established in 1994 in response to the unique needs and constraints in terms of access to water of rural women and children across Africa. Now simply referred to as “Hippo Roller”, the broad social impact of this social enterprise has been felt in more than...
  20. Measured irrigation is anirrigation scheduling technique. For conventional drip irrigation systems, the volume of water delivered by a dripperduring the irrigation event depends upon the flow rate. But for measured irrigation the volume of water delivered by a dripperduring the irrigation event...
  21. This report describes what is meant by, and the principles involved in designing and operating, a correctly "structured" system. We have explained how, and described the circumstances in which, a well-planned supply-based system is capable of providing an irrigation service that for all practical...
  22. Global spatial database on water and agriculture.
  23. Since the mid-1990’s, growing concerns about environmental degradation, declining agricultural productivity and increasing population pressures have led governments and agencies to seek new approaches to natural resource management. Fertile Ground presents the findings of the first formal study...
  24. The evolution of watershed management from a government concern with mainly public land to a situation where the watershed population is seen increasingly as the active partner, with government agencies being placed in an advisory and supporting role, is not taking place without some uncertainty....
  25. Successful agricultural development projects usually involve farmers as an essential step in the process. This planning guide is intended for all who are concerned with irrigation development. This guide suggests the needs and benefits of involving farmers, gives principles and guidelines for...
  26. The purpose of this paper is to help correct some of the imbalances commonly found in current thinking about irrigation organization and management by focussing on the provision of services at the project level. It aims to demonstrate to planners the importance of an appropriate organizational...
  27. This report reviews various conceptualizations of river basin development that can be found in the literature on water resources. It then shows that distinguishing between several categories of water sources, instead of considering them as a whole, provides additional insight into how water...
  28. 2002-01-01 As implications of policy and action diferge significantly, according to the gendered nature of local farming, insight in to the latter should be systematically recognized as the bais for any intervention by irrigation agencies. The assumption that farm decision-making coincides with headship of...
  29. This manual has been prepared for use by Peace Corps Trainees and Peace Corps Volunteers as a resource in gaining understanding and knowledge of basic irrigation principles and practices. It is intended as a practical handbook which can be understoody be the generalist. Subject areas have been...
  30. The first part of the guide looks at what land leveling is and why it is needed. The second part deals with how land leveling is actually done and the practices needed with a precision land leveling program. The third section investigates resources needed to develop and implement the program....
  31. Modern Irrigation Technologies reviews the experience of small holders with irrigation technologies under a range of diverse conditions in many different countries. Some people argue that modern irrigation technologies are the key to increased food production. However, projects introducing modern...
  32. Securing Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development helps farmers around the world grow more food using less water, enhance water storage, and improve the use of saline water and soil to produce food by ensuring that the entrepreneurs and scientists behind groundbreaking new approaches are...
  33. 2015-09-20 Water is the engine of change Protecting the paramo Farming for healthy urban tap water Water harvesting: nourishing the land, body and mind A technology to drastically save irrigation water Struggle and success in an inter-regional water conflict in the Peruvian Andes A watershed evolving From...
  34. 2012-12-20 Evidence of success Roles and regulations UNCCD: Striving for a land-degradation neutral world Development practice in transition Water harvesting in Peru Tackling degradation together Rejuvenated landscape, rejuvenated lives Agrobiodiversity@knowledged: true champions
  35. 2003-06-20 Improving soil moisture with conservation agriculture Soil management in semi-arid savannas What we have learned Drought-proofing villages in Gansu province Spherical water tanks Managing water together Reflecting on farm pond development Farmer innovations in water harvesting Holding the rain...
  36. 2019-01-01 How to find and prepare safe drinking water - anywhere, any time! Clean drinking water may be the last thing we think about day to day - but it's the first thing we need in an emergency. Now, survival expert and biologist Joe Vogel explains how to find, treat, and store safe drinking water- even...
  37. 2010-09-20 Traditional water governance in Nepal Holland's water boards The role of a local committee in changing times Land grabs are cheap deals for rich countries Running water uphill with a ram pump Water is everybody's business What does good water governance mean Water services that address multiple...
  38. The global water crisis claims 3.4 million lives each year. To us, it’s not just a statistic. It’s 3.4 million people with names, families, hopes and dreams. When confronted with this reality, we must respond. This is not someone else’s crisis…it’s all of ours. The water crisis will not be solved...
  39. Climate change and its manifestation in the water cycle across the globe in the form of droughts to floods, rapidly increasing population and associated demand for water, demographic shifts to urban environments and access to limited local water resources, intensification of agriculture and...