Catalyzing Farmers’ Irrigation Investments: Recommendations to Scale Sustainable Rural Transformation

The institute Sustainable and Resilient Food Production Systems works locally and internationally, bridging the water International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and agriculture communities and worlds of small- and Regassa Namara large-holder farmers to deliver innovative solutions to Senior Water Resources Economist this complex global challenge. [...] Recognizing this, many improvement, and/or expansion of irrigated of the organizations mentioned, as well as increasing agriculture -- and influence the location, purpose numbers of governments and other agencies are and design of irrigation development through exploring the opportunities to support farmer-led small-scale, on-farm, locally relevant, and market- initiatives2, which have the potenti. [...] designing and implementing supportive policies; promoting effective governance and institutional Beyond the basic needs of a sustainable water resource arrangements; and implementing appropriate long- and other aspects of an enabling environment, farmers term investment programs to enable the policies and need access to financial services or other means, institutions to work. [...] investments in farmer-led irrigation expansion provide holistic program support: for example, a portion of the The few well documented positive examples of available funds could be used to strengthen supply sustainable aquifer management and reduction of non- 14 Volta Irrigation’s model provides loans to farmers for inputs and bicycle-powered irrigation units and then charges a share of the harves. [...] But even in the USA, over-pumping of aquifers and surface water resources, and people’s aquifers and agricultural pollution of waterways is interdependence on them; and supporting the challenging.