IWMI's tools for water resources management have been developed and validated through IWMI research done over the past six years. They are designed to help water and food security planners improve their understanding of water resources. These tools provide useful data, methods and practices useful to various types of water planners. We encourage their use by water managers and food security planners in developing countries, the development and agricultural research community, implementing agencies and NGOs, and donor agencies.

Current tools are: Low-cost remote sensing applications, World Water and Climate Atlas, Water Accounting, Irrigation Performance Indicators, and PODIUMSim (updated), the Policy Dialogue Model.

Future tools will include: river basin modeling; soil nutrient management; malaria control using water management; groundwater resources; soil and land management; irrigation/gender indicators.

All of IWMI's tools and research outputs are international public goods that are freely available to partners in developing countries. They are intended for use by governments and other organizations involved in development cooperation and work on poverty, agriculture and water issues.

Low-cost, Remote Sensing Tools for Water Management
Using Satellite remote sensing information, planners and policy makers can make more effective decisions to ensure a stable supply of water for food and the environment.

At the country, river basin, or field-scale, remote sensing tools help answer questions such as:

  • What is the scope for developing additional water resources?
  • Where is the potential for increasing the productivity of water in agriculture?
  • Where is water in irrigation system reaching or not reaching crops?
  • Will a season's harvest provide enough food to meet demands?

The World Water & Climate Atlas
The IWMI World Water & Climate Atlas provides rapid access to the global climate data needed to understand and solve many of the world's water scarcity and food security problems.

Using the Atlas, irrigation and agricultural planners can answer questions such as:

  • Where can rainfed agriculture be expanded? Where can supplemental irrigation increas crop yields? Where is irrigation essential for viable agriculture?
  • How much irrigation do crops need in relation to what the climate provides?
  • What areas are suitable for specific crops in terms of maximum and minimum temperatures and other climatic variables?
  • Where should an irrigation scheme be sited? What is the potential for water harvesting?
  • How much water is entering a river basin system through rainfall, and how much is leaving through evaporation and plant transpiration?

Water Accounting for Integrated Water Management
IWMI's water accounting system provides a clear view of water resources in a river basin-where water is going, how it's being used, and how much remains available for further use.

Policy makers, planners and resource managers can use this information to:

  • Identify opportunities for saving water and/or increasing water productivity
  • Conceptualize and test interventions in the context of multiple uses of water
  • Develop effective strategies for allocating water among different users
  • Assess the scope for the development of additional water resources

Comparative Indicators for Irrigation System Performance

Comparative performance indicators make it possible to see how well irrigated agriculture is performing at the system, basin or national scale. As a tool for measuring the relative performance of irrigation systems, or tracking the performance of individual systems the IWMI comparative performance indicators for irrigation systems help:

  • Policy makers and planners to evaluate how productively land and water resources are being used for agriculture, and to make more informed strategic decisions regarding irrigation and food production.
  • Irrigation managers to identify long-term trends in performance, to set reasonable overall objectives and to measure progress.
  • Researchers to compare irrigation systems and identify factors that lead to better performance.
  • Donor agencies, governments and NGOs to assess the impact
    of interventions in the irrigation sector and to design more effective interventions.

PODIUMSim (updated), the Policy Dialogue Model: A water and food security planning tool
What will the world's water situation look like in 2025, with at least two billion new water users on the planet competing for a finite supply? How can developing countries best shape their water policies to avoid future water scarcity and to ensure food security?

The Policy Dialogue Model (PODIUMSim) helps countries determine future directions for agricultural and water resources policy by allowing them to explore potential demand and supply scenarios for food and water in 2025.

Using PODIUMSim, policy makers and planners can answer questions such as:

  • If calorie consumption reaches 3000 calories per capita per day and dietary patterns change towards increased meat consumption, how would the national grain requirements change?
  • Based on this scenario, do we have enough water to produce the crops needed to ensure food security?
  • What would this require in terms of rain-fed and irrigated grain production?
  • How would increased water demand affect the groundwater balance?
  • What are the implications for water resources policy?

 

 

  

Low-cost, Remote Sensing Tools for Water Management

The World Water & Climate Atlas

Water Accounting for Integrated Water Management

Comparative indicators for irrigation system performance

PODIUMSim: The updated Policy Dialogue Model: A water and food security planning tool
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RESEARCH THEMES: Basin Water Management - Land, Water and Livelihoods · Agriculture, Water and Cities · Water Management and Environment