About IWMI

Water for Agriculture

Growing more rice with less water
Chinese researchers have been developing innovative techniques for growing more rice with less water. IWMI is working with Wuhan University and the International Rice Research Institute to study wet/dry irrigation practices that require less water than the conventional submersion method. Wet/dry irrigation supplies water at key growth stages, letting the paddy dry out between applications of water. Researchers are looking at these practices in a variety of situations to determine whether the water saved at the farm level translates into real savings at the river-basin level. The findings of this research should produce generic tools and concepts that can help reduce the amount of water used in rice cultivation in other countries.

Water Accounting: for a clear picture of a basin water resources
IWMI's water accounting methods give planners a clear view of water activity in a river basin-where it's going, who's using it, how productive it is per cubic meter and where there is available water that can be used. This water accounting perspective is an important IWMI contribution to water policy reforms and improved productivity of water used in agriculture. Water accounting helps water managers see where there is potential for conserving water, where the productivity of the water used can be increased and where there is scope for development of additional water resources.

Measuring the performance of irrigation systems
IWMI's standardized comparative performance indicators offer irrigation managers a way to identify areas where irrigation performance can be improved. They can help to set and verify water management objectives and assess the impact of interventions. Comparative indicators are helping policy makers and managers making long-range decisions understand how and how much to invest in irrigation. IWMI researchers use the indicators to understand why some irrigation systems perform better than others and to identify the factors that lead to better system performance.

Satellite remote sensing gives a rapid view of water resources
IWMI has created a low-cost satellite imaging technique that interprets publicly available satellite images to give an accurate picture of water resources. Food security and water planners use this tool to make more effective decisions about water resources availability and allocation. They can see where the water is located - at the country, river basin, irrigation system or field level; look at the interaction between water and crops (evaporation); see where water is reaching (or not reaching) crops in an irrigation system; see the amount of fresh water flowing out of a river basin. This tool is currently being used in Sri Lanka, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey.

Helping poor farmers deal with salinity.
High levels of salinity in the soil and water are a major threat to the sustainability of agriculture in many developing countries. Together with local partners in several locations, IWMI has evaluated the causes of irrigation-induced salinity and proposed workable solutions. Researchers are also looking at measures to control river salinity, and their related technical, organizational and institutional implications. This work involves includes salt and water balance studies at the river-basin level and efforts to understand how water management practices at the basin and irrigation system levels can help farmers overcome salinity.

Transferring expertise to national water organizations
IWMI is working with water and agricultural authorities in Iran to map water resources in the Zayandeh Rud - one of this country's most important and water-stressed basins. The findings will lead to better allocation of scarce water resources for competing water user sectors. An important part of this work is the transfer of knowledge and water management expertise to Iranian colleagues, who organize the river basin's water use. Local partners have been trained in techniques such as collection and interpretation of satellite water data and the use of other computer modeling and water accounting tools.

Smallholder Livelihoods

Treadle pumps: giving poor farmers a share of the water and a share of the wealth
Recent IWMI research shows that the treadle pump, a manually-operated water pump, has the potential to put $1 billion of new revenue directly into the hands of some of the poorest people in the world. This low-cost, simple technology is highly suited to irrigating small plots of land in areas with groundwater resources available at less than 7 meters - this includes Eastern India, Nepal terai, Bangladesh and parts of sub-Saharan Africa. IWMI treadle pump research has helped the NGO, International Development Enterprises, rethink its treadle pump marketing strategy in Bangladesh and India. Currently research is focusing on adapting the treadle pump for use by South Africa's smallholders.

Drip Irrigation: increasing crop yields while saving water
In Africa and South Asia, IWMI is looking at the simple 'bucket and drip' technology. For as little as $5, this technology allows farmers to apply limited amounts of water to their crops in a way that saves water and increases yields. IWMI is working with local partners to encourage the spread of these 'bucket and drip' irrigation kits in countries such as South Africa where there are large numbers of smallholders already feeling the bite of water scarcity.

Saving harvests through water harvesting
In India, IWMI research is evaluating water harvesting practices like the '5% technology' promoted by local NGO, PRADAN, in drought-prone West Bengal. Here farmers are digging ponds, covering an area approximately 5% of their fields. These store rainwater for irrigation and simultaneously contribute to groundwater recharge. As a part of their research, IWMI scientists are evaluating water harvesting practices in the river basin context to determine potential impacts on 'downstream' users.

Groundwater

Addressing India's Groundwater Crisis
The IWMI-Tata Water Resources Policy Program is helping India's States take action to deal with the growing threat of groundwater depletion. The objective of the program is to translate research-based knowledge into practical tools for policy makers. This program taps into the talent and existing work of Indian research institutes and non-governmental organizations to find water management-based solutions to problems such as groundwater depletion, and associated problems such as drought, salinization of farmland, and rural poverty. Results are being fed into a policy dialogue that will encourage a change in thinking on water issues. Support for the IWMI-Tata program is given by the Indian Sir Ratan Tata's Trust.

Recharging groundwater 'from the ground up'
In the Saurashtra region of western India, IWMI research is documenting a unique well-recharge movement catalyzed by a religious sect. This movement has the potential to solve the region's severe groundwater depletion problems. IWMI studied this truly grassroots movement for clues to why it has spread so successfully. The study has highlighted the potential power of non-economic motivators and the importance of local experimentation and knowledge. In the same region, IWMI is also looking at experimental initiatives, which use village tanks (reservoirs) to recharge groundwater. The advantage of this approach is that it allows the tank to fill up several times during the monsoon while also recharging groundwater. In the Mehsana District, this has proved an effective strategy to fight fluoride contamination of drinking water.

Using irrigation schemes to recharge groundwater
In Uttar Pradesh IWMI research documented an innovate program to halt falling water tables. The program harnessed unused river flows during the monsoon to supply an unlined irrigation system. Seepage water from the canals themselves and the rice paddies they supply has reversed the decline, with a significant impact on farmer's incomes. The scheme promotes conjunctive management of surface and groundwater supplies. During the wet season farmers use water from the canal; then draw on recharged aquifers for a second crop during the dry season.

Policy & Institutions

Supporting Pakistan's irrigation sector reform
In the mid-1990s, Pakistan launched a major irrigation sector reform to improve service and control costs. Under this reform, newly formed 'semi-governmental institutions' cooperate with farmers in the joint management of irrigation and drainage infrastructure. IWMI's research and advice to the government since 1995 have helped local authorities manage change. As a part of this work, IWMI has developed and implemented a successful model for promoting the formation of Farmer Organizations at the secondary level of the irrigation system. Today, at the government's request, the Institute is developing performance criteria to monitor the success of the newly formed Area Water Boards and Farmer Organizations.

Meeting the challenges faced by water sector institutions
In river basins in Asia, IWMI researchers have been studying how water-sector institutions can more effectively deal with the growing problems of water scarcity and inter-sectoral competition for water. This research is creating a better understanding of the problems in water-short basins, and documenting how these countries are addressing them. The basins studied are the Fuyang (North China), East Rapti (Nepal), Lembang/Sempur/Ombilin (Indonesia), Pampanga (the Philippines), and Deduru Oya (Sri Lanka).

Health & Environment

Preventing malaria with water management
How can water management help eliminate malaria in rural areas? IWMI researchers are studying the malaria and agriculture question in three key climates - Sri Lanka's tank cascade irrigation systems, the semiarid Punjab region of Pakistan, and in Rice ecosystems in China and Africa. This research has resulted in the scientific validation of a series of water/malaria interactions, and some practical recommendations to help authorities start an effective water management and malaria-control program. IWMI is currently working on malaria risk mapping by creating low-cost satellite imaging tools that countries can use to measure soil moisture content.

Quantifying the risks and rewards of wastewater irrigation
IWMI researchers are looking at the health and environmental impacts of wastewater irrigation, a common practice across developing countries. The goal of this work is to help planners set effective wastewater irrigation policies. Projects in Pakistan and Vietnam are developing ways of quantifying the benefits and risks of wastewater irrigation including rapid assessment techniques and the creation of decision-making tools.

Balancing the needs of irrigation and wetlands
An important research topic for IWMI looks at how the water needs of wetlands can coexist with domestic and agricultural needs. IWMI researchers are working with national partners to develop water management strategies that will improve and sustain the wetlands of Sri Lanka's Ramsar Convention wetland, Bundala National Park. This area is threatened by an upstream irrigation project. Other river basins studied by IWMI show similar close relationships among irrigation, water management, and wetlands. The delta of the Gediz basin in Turkey, also a Ramsar site and bird reserve, is endangered by a lack of water. Here IWMI developed and proposed operational strategies along the Gediz River to deliver the required amounts of water into the wetlands at different times of the year.