Locations
Integrated Water Resources Management to Enhance Resilience of Agriculture (ERA) and Food Security
Project summary
The Integrated Water Resources Management to Enhance Resilience of Agriculture and Food Security (IWRM-ERA) Project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), aims to rehabilitate and expand water infrastructure in the governorates of Taiz and Lahj. This includes traditional irrigation canals, water harvesting structures, community wells, and flood protection systems. The project's interventions also help to improve agricultural value chains and enhance access to water, which supports food security and local economic development in the districts of Al-Mawaset, Al-Selw, Al-Mosaymer, and Tuban.
In addition to rehabilitating and expanding water infrastructure, the IWRM-ERA project's interventions also focus on:
- Equipping communities with skills for value-added food processing to enhance market accessibility.
- Strengthening local economic development, especially for women.
- Enhancing community engagement in water governance and decision-making.
The project targets 70,569 community members, with a strong emphasis on the inclusion of women and sustainable development.
Stakeholders
The project is being implemented in close coordination with concerned parties at both the national and local levels, including:
- Local communities, including Water User Associations.
- The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Fisheries and its offices in the targeted districts and governorates.
- The Ministry of Water and Environment.
- The National Water Resources Authority and its offices in Taiz and Lahj.
- Local authorities in the four targeted districts.
Project Objectives
- Increase water availability for agriculture through the rehabilitation and construction of infrastructure.
- Strengthen the institutional capacity and water governance of Water User Associations and district authorities to address water and food security challenges.
- Improve agricultural production through enhanced and sustainable water supply and management based on integrated water resources management principles.
- Improve income by strengthening agricultural value chains and access to markets.
- Promote the participation of women in water resource governance through training on technical and leadership skills.
Key Achievements
- More than 140 stakeholders were involved in four introductory workshops to ensure that the project's priorities were aligned with local needs.
- Conducted a comprehensive hydrological study for the Tuban catchment, which aims to evaluate water availability across the entire catchment and identify potential sites for water infrastructure in the four targeted districts.
- Priority interventions related to water infrastructure have been classified into several packages, and the implementation of some has begun.
- Package 1: Work is underway to implement the first infrastructure package for flood and soil erosion protection at 199 sites. These interventions are expected to protect more than 32 hectares of agricultural land and target more than 2,800 farming families.
- Package 2: The contract has been signed with the contractor to implement this package for the rehabilitation of water tanks, and preparations are underway to start work soon.
- Work is underway to complete assessments and begin implementing interventions within the other intervention packages:
- Package 3: Rehabilitation of irrigation systems.
- Package 4: Supporting farmers with modern solar-powered irrigation tools.
- Package 5: Rehabilitation of the irrigation gate workshop and the gabion mesh factory in Aden.
- Package 6: Rehabilitation of agricultural terraces.
- A comprehensive framework for environmental and social management and site-specific plans have been developed and adopted. Safeguard assistants have been appointed to oversee implementation, which ensures that the project meets high environmental and social standards.
- 19 new Water User Associations have been established, and the capacities of more than 270 members have been built, including 41 women board members.
- To build institutional capacity, the project conducted needs assessments for four key water and agriculture offices in Lahj and Taiz. The results were shared with the project's implementing partners to help them strengthen these institutions.
- A socio-economic and market assessment study was completed regarding agricultural value-added options. The findings have been translated and are being used to develop district-specific action plans to increase local income.
- Two agreements have been signed with two local partners to implement project activities related to supporting initiatives for improving income and the food industry, improving access to markets, building the capacities of Water User Associations and local institutions, and training women on technical and leadership skills.
