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Water is precious in Eritrea, where farmers have to cope with droughts and crop failures. With support from the government and an IFAD-funded project, farmers and herders are expanding spate irrigation, an ancient form of water management. By harnessing floodwaters and collecting run-off, farmers can provide enough water for the crop season. Now some farmers can obtain yields that are six times what they used to be.
 

Spate irrigation can be found in Western  Asia (Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan), the Middle East (Yemen, Saudi Arabia) , North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia) and more sporadically in other parts of Africa, South America and Central Asia. The number of persons depending on spate irrigated areas - land owners, tenants and other dependents -  ranges between 9 to 13 million.  Most of which are rural poor, and hence part of IFAD's mandate.

Examples of spate irrigation: Watch two videos: Video one | video two

Two years ago, in 2005, Giang Thi Hoa, 41, and her husband, Li Mi Na, 54, decided to leave their home in the mountains of Meo Vac district, Viet Nam, in search of a better life for themselves and their four children. In the mountains, the family lived in extreme poverty

IFAD launched its first intervention in the Palestinian territories in 1994, soon after the Oslo accords were signed in September 1993. The Gaza Strip and Jericho Relief and Development Programme was designed to improve incomes and living standards and to help create an environment conducive to peace and security. Thanks to the programme, Jericho today has a revitalized the water supply system, which has given a major boost to agricultural production in the area.

- Sixth Session of the Conference of Parties of UNCCD

"We have prolonged dry seasons when it doesn't rain at all - but when it does rain, a lot of the water goes to waste..."

Ten countries share the Nile - Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. The Nile River Basin serves as home to an estimated 160 million people within the boundaries of the Basin...

To the eye, Hidden Paradise in the city of Bacolod, Philippines is starkly different from other neighborhoods nearby. It's a community of former squatters with tidy homes and clean, dry streets, a safe drinking water supply, and healthy children. Community leaders reveal how they transformed a slum into a hidden paradise.

Video message by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan

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Development over the years has caused critical damage to the reef and degraded village water sources on the Coral Coast in The Fiji Islands. Now coastal communities, a local NGO and a tourist resort are working together to save the reef, and protect and manage water resources.

There is conflict over water use between upstream and downstream communities on the Ping River in northern Thailand. How can the competing demands for water be balanced? The Ping River Basin Committee brings all stakeholders together to seek common ground on sharing and protecting this vital river system.

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Seven compelling stories about people who found local solutions to the worsening water crisis in Asia and the Pacific

Water is essential to all life. And yet one in three Asians lacks access to safe drinking water, and half the people living in Asia and the Pacific do not have access to adequate sanitation. Conflicts over sharing of scarce water resources are increasing at an alarming rate.

The "Water Voices" documentary series recognizes the power of good examples and lessons learned to inspire 'home grown' solutions to water problems.

Water is essential to all life. And yet one in three Asians lacks access to safe drinking water, and half the people living in Asia and the Pacific do not have access to adequate sanitation. Conflicts over sharing of scarce water resources are increasing at an alarming rate.

The "Water Voices" documentary series recognizes the power of good examples and lessons learned to inspire 'home grown' solutions to water problems.

Breaking Barriers
Hidden Paradise
The Connection
Waibulabula - Living Waters
Walking for Water
Water Tomorrow
Upstream Downstream