International Water Management Institute

Overview

IWMI is a non-profit scientific organization funded by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). IWMI’s research agenda is organized around four priority themes covering key issues relating to land, water, livelihoods, health and environment. The Institute concentrates on water and related land management challenges faced by poor rural communities. The challenges are those that affect their nutrition, livelihoods and health, as well as the integrity of environmental services on which these depend.

Mission

To improve the management of land and water resources for food, livelihoods and nature. IWMI's vision is to be a world-class knowledge center on water, food and environment by the year 2008 and to establish an organizational culture of impact, performance and service.

Program

IWMI's research framework is supported by four new projects:

Basin Water Management, which aims to provide a better understanding of the tradeoffs and options in agricultural water management at the basin scale and contribute to improved equity and productivity in water use through the development of appropriate tools and methodologies for analysis and management.

Land, Water and Livelihoods, which aims to identify and test high-potential interventions to conserve resources and increase land and water productivity for improved livelihoods, health and equity across the continuum of water management options, within integrated social-ecological landscapes.

Agriculture, Water and Cities, which aims to identify and test interventions for the rapidly growing sector of urban and peri-urban agriculture that take advantage of urban resources while protecting environmental and human health.

Water Management and Environment, which aims to identify and test interventions that safeguard the environment and associated delivery of ecosystem services vital to human well-being, while enhancing land and water resources management for agriculture.

Impact

IWMI aims to translate research into actionable recommendations for policy planners. These recommendations should be reflected in donors’ water development agendas and priorities; and in the practices of government agencies and NGOs, that are implementing community-based water projects in rural areas. IWMI has gained recognition in the global water sector for its contributions to integrated water resources management in developing countries in Africa, Asia and South East Asia, as well as for its work in wastewater which has been acknowledged by the World Health Organization.

Countries of Operation

Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Pakistan, Iran, Islamic Republic of, Uzbekistan, India, Nepal, South Africa