Improving water management technologies for small-scale farmers could help solve the problems of water scarcity and food shortages in developing countries, scientists say.
A report published today (22 March) by the International Water Management Institute calls for big changes in water management policy for agriculture.
Highlighting the large irrigation infrastructure in Asia, it says policymakers need to change the way they think about water and agriculture, moving away from big dam projects.
Based on an assessment of water management strategies by 700 experts, the report says that three quarters of the additional food needed globally in the coming decades can be met by supporting the world's low-yield farmers.
Since smallholder farmers make up the majority of the world's rural poor, initiatives should focus on small-scale, individually managed water technologies — such as small pumps, water storage tanks and low-cost drip irrigation — especially in the semi-arid and arid tropics.
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