Despite producing the majority of the world's food, many family and smallholder farmers live in poverty. Unequal land redistribution and little investment and recognition of their importance mean that small family farmers occupy only limited proportions of agricultural land in most countries, frequently under insecure and uncertain forms of tenure.
Water management is a key component to the success or failure of crops, and in the case of small family farmers, bad water management can mean catastrophic loss of livelihood. The climate crisis is leading to droughts and floods, rendering farms unviable and prone to crop failures.
When farmers and water users unite as cooperatives for community-based water management, it is easier for them to access government assistance such as loans and sophisticated agriculture technologies that can support irrigation in harsh times. It also increases the sustainability of the water and agricultural systems and ultimately boosts food production and security.