IWMI

By Salman Asif Siddiqui and Sajid Pareeth

International Water Management Institute (IWMI) created history when it first came out with its comprehensive Global Irrigated Area Map (GIAM) in 2006 using satellite imageries and time series analysis. Since then, the South Asian region has undergone several changes in land use and demography due to rapid economic growth. Simultaneously, the climatic extremes have further amplified these changes in the recent years. Therefore, it is imperative to estimate the irrigated areas under such regions for planning the climate risk management strategies required to ensure food security. An improved version of the map would help the researchers to estimate the water use and study the impacts of climate change in the area. Read more »

Southeast Asia is often called the world's 'rice bowl', due to the region's important role in the world rice trade. In fact, agriculture is the backbone of most economies in the region. But rapid climate change, which is likely to intensify droughts and floods, could devastate Southeast Asia’s agriculture, threatening the livelihoods of millions of people across the region, not to mention global food security.

National Geographic has picked up on these messages, which we highlighted at last month's conference on Climate Smart Agriculture in Asia: Research and Development Priorities.

National Geographic published an interview with Bruce Campbell (program director for the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security - CCAFS) and Matthew McCartney (from the International Water Management Institute - IWMI) about the expected impact of climate change on the region, and what adaptation strategies will be needed to ensure future food security: Read more »