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This report examines the role of international financial institutions (IFIs), specifically the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, in financing agricultural water, irrigation, and drainage projects between 2010 and 2019 to address food insecurity, poverty, and climate resilience.

This briefing from the Stockholm Environment Institute outlines how international financing institutions (IFIs) can direct resources toward sustainable agricultural water management, drawing on a study of IFI investments in irrigation and drainage infrastructure from 2010 to 2019.

This research paper introduces Targeting Agricultural Water Management Interventions (TAGMI), an online open-access decision support tool designed to identify the most appropriate agricultural water management (AWM) interventions for smallholder farming systems by assessing the likelihood of success for outscaling these interventions at a sub-national level.

Margaret Bowman of the Walton Family Foundation outlines a vision for addressing water shortages in the Colorado River basin through agricultural modernization, urban efficiency, and water recycling. She argues that these strategies can close a projected water supply gap of 3.2 million acre feet by 2060, provided there is political will to scale local successes to a regional level.

The document proposes the creation of an Agricultural Water Security Market (AWSM) in southwestern Manitoba to manage water resource demands from the agricultural and oil and gas sectors amidst climate-driven supply variability.

This technical report by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyzes three agricultural water management (AWM) scenarios in the Mkindo watershed of the Wami River Basin, Tanzania. Using community fieldwork and expert meetings, the report evaluates how different interventions—ranging from small-scale irrigation and rainwater storage to diesel pumps and large-scale commercial cash crop expansion—impact the livelihoods of small-scale farmers, livestock keepers, and other residents over a ten-year horizon.

This 2012 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute provides a baseline assessment of livelihood strategies in the Jaldhaka watershed of West Bengal, India. Based on community fieldwork in five villages and expert meetings, the report identifies three primary livelihood strategies: agriculture, off-farm employment, and independent tea production. It details the cropping patterns, water management challenges, and financial security mechanisms used by smallholders in the region.

This 2012 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyzes two agricultural water management (AWM) scenarios in the Jaldhaka watershed of West Bengal, India: widespread rural electrification and the expansion of independent tea growing. Using community fieldwork and expert meetings, the report evaluates the potential impacts of these changes on various stakeholder groups, livelihoods, and the environment over a ten-year horizon.

This 2012 technical report by the Stockholm Environment Institute provides a baseline assessment of livelihood strategies in the Nariarlé watershed of the Volta River Basin in Burkina Faso. Based on community fieldwork conducted in June 2010 across four villages, the report details the practices, yields, and constraints of four primary groups: rainfed farmers, irrigated gardeners, pastoralists, and fishers.

This policy brief examines Agricultural Water Management (AWM) interventions in the Nariarlé watershed of Burkina Faso to alleviate food insecurity and poverty. It evaluates various scenarios—including improved rainfed agriculture, expanded irrigation, and increased reservoir storage—analyzing their impacts on crop yields, water resources, and local livelihoods. The document emphasizes that while AWMs can significantly increase production, their sustainability depends on strengthening the existing, largely informal, institutional networks and coordinating activities across the watershed.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute synthesises the impacts of agricultural water management (AWM) interventions across 37 cases in developing and newly-industrialised countries. Using the sustainable livelihoods framework, the authors evaluate changes across five capitals: natural, financial, social, human, and physical. The review finds that while AWM interventions generally lead to positive outcomes—particularly in income and yield—there is a significant lack of comprehensive monitoring and evaluation, especially regarding negative externalities and long-term sustainability.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the role of 'soft components'—social and institutional investments—in agricultural water management (AWM) interventions at the mesoscale (community or sub-catchment level). Through meta-analyses and case studies across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, the report argues that high initial social capital and participatory methodologies are critical for the sustainable adoption of AWM technologies. It highlights a significant gap in the monitoring and economic valuation of these soft components and their long-term environmental and social impacts.

This guide, published by WWF South Africa, provides guidelines for fruit farmers in the Western Cape on water stewardship. It details a pilot project involving nine stone fruit farmers in the Breede River catchment area who used the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) standard to identify and mitigate water-related risks.