Climate change will have an adverse effect on the world’s poorest populations, who rely on agriculture, because it will put more strain on the world’s food systems. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, droughts, and floods mean that traditional, rain-fed farmers will have a more difficult time sustaining their income than ever before. Farmers using climate-resilient irrigation, however, have revealed an approach to producing greater quantities of food through reduced amounts of water and land. Compared to traditional rain-fed agriculture, farmers using climate-resilient irrigation can produce more food in less time and feed an estimated additional 1.4 billion people by 2050. As the world's population grows in the next 30 years, the need for sustainable irrigation to provide food security and strength becomes vital. Examples of farmers benefiting from using climate-resilient irrigation abound across the globe. For instance, in Senegal, farmers can now grow crops all year long because of better access to water, including during dry seasons. Modern irrigation methods in Turkey have replaced inefficient methods of flooding crops. Improved irrigation systems are resulting in higher yields, greater food production, and increasing abundance among farmers. Such improvements ultimately clear the way for reducing water-related stresses on farmers' ability to grow crops, diversify their crops, and maintain a stable food price. Farmers in rural areas are therefore able to achieve their financial independence from poverty. The Mekong Delta in Vietnam is a region heavily reliant upon rice farming (the ‘Rural Bowl’). However, the water-based nature of rice farming causes another issue for Vietnam, as floods that continue to release methane gas, a greenhouse gas that adds to these problems for one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations. There are currently about 1.4 million rice-farming households in the area, and parts of the Mekong Delta are facing drought, flooding from saltwater intrusion, and rising sea levels. Using climate-smart agriculture techniques, the Sustainable Agriculture Transformation Project (SATP) of Vietnam will reduce water and methane emissions while improving environmental conditions. Several techniques will be used to do this, such as alternate soaking and drying, which will enable farmers to occasionally allow a section of their fields to dry out for brief periods of time without endangering the crops that provide their livelihoods. Sensors and smartphone technology will also allow farmers the ability to manage their irrigation precisely, thereby helping improve yield, lower costs, and generate higher incomes. Since the program has already resulted in a reduction of approximately 1.5 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent, Vietnam has plans for further expansion of these practices by an estimated area of 1 million hectares by the year 2030.
Climate-resilient irrigation in the Sahel Region of West and Central Africa is transforming lives. This region faces rapid population growth, conflict, and extreme environmental stress due to longstanding droughts and unpredictable rainfall patterns that threaten rural livelihoods. Since only 2% of crops in the Sahel are irrigated, climate change will affect nearly half of the region’s population. The Sahel Irrigation Initiative Support Project (SIISP), funded through the World Bank’s International Development Association, is bridging this gap by providing improved methodologies for irrigation, such as drip irrigation systems, sprinkler systems, solar pumps, and large-scale collection of surface water. These new irrigation technologies will enable hundreds of thousands of farmers to attain higher yields, continuously generate more revenue, and access health care and education services they did not previously have, all while boosting income and food security. Turkish modern irrigation systems are known for their climate-resilient design and can be found in Konya, a province situated in the central region of the country. Due to chronic water shortages, depletion of groundwater, and broken or bottlenecked irrigation infrastructure, small farmers are pushed into poverty or difficult financial situations in the Turkey area. The entire irrigation system infrastructure in use throughout Turkey has been restored by the new Turkish Irrigation
Modernization Project, which replaced outdated or inefficient systems with modern composite-type systems, high-efficiency atomizer and drip systems, and a fully renewed subsurface pipeline network. As a result of the new irrigation technology and reconstitution of previously damaged irrigation systems, many small farmers have begun investing in their housing, children’s education, and a higher quality of life.
Indonesia has seen much of the agricultural infrastructure being reconstructed and modernized with the introduction of an extensive irrigation system rehabilitation program. One such example is the Strategic Irrigation Modernization and Rapid Rehabilitation project (SIMUR), which has helped to improve approximately 350,000 farmers’ lives in 10 provinces through the rehabilitation of irrigation and drainage systems as well as through the introduction of climate-smart agricultural practices. Some of the climate-smart agricultural practices used are Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), Organic Pest Management (OPM), and the use of Climate Resilient Seeds (CRS), which have been found to increase the yield of crops while reducing carbon emissions. New innovative irrigation service agreements are promoting transparency and accountability in irrigation delivery to farmers, allowing for lower costs and improved water delivery.
In low-income countries, smallholder farmers provide 80% of all food consumed daily by over 500 million people. Through their creativity and ability to overcome challenges due to the changing environment through the use of the existing funds, the World Bank has invested money into irrigation solutions every year for 20 years. Through working together with countries around the world, the World Bank has supported 7 billion dollars for irrigation projects, which help advance sustainable water management. For instance, climate-resilient irrigation is a viable and scalable way forward in meeting the needs that exist in the world today, surrounding climate change. This approach will provide farm owners with the tools to respond to changing climate conditions, provide them with an opportunity to conserve our limited freshwater supply, reduce our carbon emissions, and promote rural economic development. The widespread introduction of climate-resilient irrigation is necessary to maintain a healthy and sustainable environment for future generations if the world wants to thrive and enjoy access to all of its products.