This study shows that to achieve successful water management in the Andean region, certain conditions must be in place. These conditions are: participation of all involved actors; dialogue and agreement; transparency; access to adequate and timely

information; having a bas in approach; articulation of conservation and productive processes; capacity building and local leader

ship strengthening.

The best use of irrigation water is reflected in the strategic approach of the Ministry of Agriculture and the major research objectives of institutions working on sustainable irrigation management. Related research programs can be summarized as follows:
• crop water requirements;
• irrigation techniques, especially surface irrigation;
• irrigation scheduling; and
• soil and water quality as affected by irrigation and drainage.

ILRI's Alan Duncan was asked to share a Nile Basin Development Challenge (NBDC) 'story' at the recent International Forum on Water and Food. Alan's story introduces some of the challenges that the Ethiopian Government faces in seeking to improve natural resources management at the local level, in the Blue Nile Basin. He reports that the sectors need to be better connected (water, agriculture, livestock); and more dialogue between officials and communities towards more participatory approaches to rainwater management.

One project of the Nile Basin Development Challenge (http://nilebdc.org) aims to match land and water 'practices' and interventions to the needs of specific landscapes. In 2011, we experimented with a game - modeled on the 'happy families' childrens' game - to discuss the challenges involved. In this video, Alan Duncan (ILRI) and other game members explain the results of a game played at the 3rd International Forum on Water and Food in November 2011. The game used a fictional landscape derived from real NBDC sites in Ethiopia.