The farmers in the Volta river basin, some of the poorest in the world, generally rely on rain-fed agriculture. However, insufficient or irregular rainfall frequently puts farmers at risk of losing their crops. In addition, climate change is making already variable rainfall less reliable.

The risk of losing crops makes farmers reluctant to invest in agriculture and water management. Farmers must have access to a reliable water supply to sustain their livelihoods.

“The Strategic Analysis of India’s National River Linking Project”: In 2005, the

International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Challenge Program on Water

and Food (CPWF) started a three-year research study on “Strategic Analysis of India’s River Linking Project”. The primary focus of the IWMI-CPWF project is to provide the public and the policy planners with a balanced analysis of the social benefits and costs ofthe National River Linking Project (NRLP).

The project consists of research in three phases. Phase I analyzed India’s water future

Using a multi-criteria optimization technique for system analysis, this paper quantitatively characterizes baseline production activities, resource management and environmental relationships of the mixed crop–livestock farming system at the Jaba micro-watershed, upper Blue Nile Basin, to get insights that inform sustainable intensification of small-scale agriculture.

The initial work plan for the newly formed Network of Asian River Basin Organizations (NARBO) identified the development of systematic methods to support the development of effective stakeholder driven river basin organizations as one of NARBO’s priority activities. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) agreed to lead the investigation and development of appropriate supporting tools in collaboration with members of NARBO. This document is presented to facilitate discussions at stakeholder workshops amongst NARBO members.

Humanity is facing an enormous challenge in managing water to secure adequate food production. By the middle of this century, the world?s population is projected to reach 9.1 billion, 34 percent higher than today. Nearly all of this increase will occur in developing countries. In order to respond to the expected demand of this larger, more urban and, on average, richer population, food production must increase by about 70% as estimated by the FAO.

The rapid sustainability assessment of Mekong electricity planning in Cambodia using Section I of the 2009 Draft Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (2009 HSAP) was conducted by a group of Cambodian assessors from March to May 2010. A multi-stakeholder consultation and trialing was conducted in Phnom Penh on April 8, 2010.