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A World Resources Institute (WRI) analysis reveals that 25% of global crops are grown in areas with highly stressed or unreliable water supplies. The report highlights the vulnerability of staple crops and the rapid depletion of water resources in the few countries that dominate irrigated crop production, while also noting the increasing instability of rainfed agriculture due to climate change.

This policy brief from the African Center for Economic Transformation outlines the vulnerability of Africa to climate change and the impact of global megatrends on the region's economic transformation, suggesting climate-smart agriculture as a potential solution for smallholder farmers.

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 from the Stockholm Environment Institute argues that rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a critical, low-cost tool for enhancing ecosystem productivity and human well-being. It highlights RWH as a decentralized alternative to large-scale water infrastructure that supports rainfed agriculture, urban water security, and climate change adaptation.

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 case study, commissioned by the African Development Bank and conducted by the Stockholm Environment Institute, examines the complex linkages between water management and poverty reduction in Tanzania. It analyzes the country's progress toward Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the impact of water on agriculture and ecosystems, and the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Pangani and Rufiji basins.

This report provides a framework for policy makers, practitioners, and funding agencies to identify and scale adaptation good practices in the rainfed agricultural regions of India, moving beyond small-scale pilot projects to achieve broader impact and policy reform.