Rainwater harvesting: a lifeline to human well-being

The document advocates for the integration of rainwater harvesting into water resource management to improve livelihoods and protect ecosystems. It highlights the technology's ability to boost rainfed agriculture, reduce urban flood risks, and provide a decentralized alternative to expensive public water infrastructure. The brief emphasizes that rainwater harvesting is particularly essential for adapting to increased rainfall variability caused by climate change and can contribute to several Millennium Development Goals, including poverty reduction and gender equality.

• Rainwater harvesting can improve human well-being and ecosystem productivity with relatively low investments and within a short timeframe of 5 to 10 years.
• In rainfed agricultural systems, particularly in South Asia and sub-Sahara Africa, rainfall variability often limits cereal yields to less than 1 tonne per hectare, representing only 25-50% of their potential.
• Rainwater harvesting serves as a critical adaptation strategy for climate change, which is expected to increase evaporation and rainfall variability, thereby increasing demand for ecosystem services.
• In China's Ganzu province, small-scale household rainwater storage has improved water supply for 15 million people, increased incomes through livestock and horticulture, and reduced the degradation of loess soil.
• Urban rainwater harvesting provides dual benefits by creating additional water supplies that reduce pressure on groundwater and surface water, and by decreasing storm flow and the incidence of flooding.
• Rainwater harvesting contributes to social equity by reducing the time women and children spend fetching water and providing women with water for kitchen gardens to improve diets and income.
• Rainwater harvesting is frequently overlooked in integrated water resource management (IWRM), which typically prioritizes groundwater and streamflow over rainfall.

APA

Barron, J. (2009). Rainwater harvesting: a lifeline to human well-being. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Water-sanitation/rainwaterharvestingpb-090330.pdf

Chicago

Barron, Jennie. Rainwater harvesting: a lifeline to human well-being. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2009. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Water-sanitation/rainwaterharvestingpb-090330.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Barron |first1=Jennie |title=Rainwater harvesting: a lifeline to human well-being |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2009 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Water-sanitation/rainwaterharvestingpb-090330.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{barron2009rainwater, author = {Barron, Jennie}, title = {{Rainwater harvesting: a lifeline to human well-being}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2009}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Water-sanitation/rainwaterharvestingpb-090330.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }