Water, Land and Ecosystems |

Uniting agriculture and nature for poverty reduction

WLE is a global research-for-development program working through partnerships to provide sustainable solutions for people and societies.

Research

113 research projects in 79 countries carried out in collaboration with more than 350 partners

Solutions

Evidence-based land and water management innovations for sustainable intensification of agriculture at scale

Impact

333,000 farmers use new technologies and 2,9 million hectares are under improved use or management

Highlights

Blog Post
March 07, 2017
Rural Women Diplomats - Mediation of a longstanding conflict in the Volta River Basin
In rural settings, women are not typically seen as political activists or public figures involved in front-line negotiations. Yet, a new CGIAR study shows they help resolve potential conflicts around land and water use.
- Nathan Russell
- Jennie Barron
3 comments
Blog Post
May 16, 2017
Why is sustainability not yet second nature?
This week marks the launch of the new CGIAR research portfolio. Izabella Koziell, Program Director, lays out the ambitions of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE).
- Izabella Koziell
Blog Post
May 28, 2017
High-tech insurance product boosts smallholders’ resilience to floods and droughts
Providing crop insurance for smallholder farmers has been difficult in the past, leaving them vulnerable to floods, droughts, and other disasters. Now, satellite technology is making it affordable for insurance companies to provide coverage, reducing farmers' risks.
- Giriraj Amarnath
The Economist Sustainability Summit: Technology and the race for resources
2 comments

News

Partner News
March 21, 2016
Migration, water and the trajectory of rural change in South Asiaread original article on external website
Across South Asia today, male out-migration is a fact of life, particularly in the poorer Eastern states of India such as Bihar, not to mention Nepal and Bangladesh. This has led families to pursue a dual livelihood strategy, depending on both farming and migrant wage work, with neither able to fulfill their minimum needs alone, let alone provide opportunities for economic upliftment.
Partner News
IndiaClimateDialogue: Climate impacts hit 750 million South Asians over 10 yearsread original article on external website
Almost 750 million people in South Asia were affected by floods, droughts, extreme rainfall, heat waves and sea-level rise — all impacts of climate change.
Partner News
Pinpointing untapped irrigation potentialread original article on external website
A baseline for revitalization of smallholder schemes in South Africa

Thrive

Blog Post
June 02, 2017
Never provoke a sleepy peatland
Almost 80 percent of the island of Borneo was covered with this old growth rainforest in 1973. Today, only 28 percent remains. A new Atlas of Deforestation and Industrial Plantations to map and reduce deforestation rates.
- Madeline Dahm
Blog Post
May 28, 2017
High-tech insurance product boosts smallholders’ resilience to floods and droughts
Providing crop insurance for smallholder farmers has been difficult in the past, leaving them vulnerable to floods, droughts, and other disasters. Now, satellite technology is making it affordable for insurance companies to provide coverage, reducing farmers' risks.
- Giriraj Amarnath
The Economist Sustainability Summit: Technology and the race for resources
2 comments
Blog Post
May 22, 2017
Protecting biodiversity to ensure the future we want
The Asia-Pacific Regional Assessment for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has been drafted and is ready for external review. Get involved!

Publications

Brief
2017
Building resilience through sustainable groundwater use.
CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). 2017. Building resilience through sustainable groundwater use. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). 12p. (Towards Sustainable Intensification: Insights and Solutions Brief 1). doi: 10.5337/2017.208
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Journal Article
2017
Monitoring and evaluation of climate resilience for agricultural development – A review of currently available tools
Douxchamps, S.; Debevec, L.; Giordano, M. ; Barron, J. 2017. Monitoring and evaluation of climate resilience for agricultural development – A review of currently available tools. World Development Perspectives: 10–23. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2017.02.001
- Download
Book
2016
The Ganges River Basin: status and challenges in water, environment and livelihoods
Bharati, Luna; Sharma, Bharat R.; Smakhtin, Vladimir. (Eds.) 2016. The Ganges River Basin: status and challenges in water, environment and livelihoods. Oxon, UK: Routledge - Earthscan. 327p. (Earthscan Series on Major River Basins of the World)

Upcoming Events

Event
August 02, 2017
Earth Overshoot Day 2017
Event
August 27, 2017 — September 01, 2017
Stockholm World Water Week 2017