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.
Related documents
Key Achievements
- Established 19 new Water User Associations and supported other 26 existing ones and built the capacities of over 1,440 members.
- Rehabilitation of a market, installation of new nursery in Al-Mosaymer, upgrading another existing nursery in Tuban and distribution of 186 agriculture handheld machines to WUAs in Taiz.
- In Taiz and Lahj women’s engagement expanded, with about 604 women trained in Lahj and 822 women in Taiz.
- In Taiz and Lahj 127 training rounds were delivered on water governance, food processing and marketing for WUAs and government institutions.
- In Taiz and Lahj 8 NWRA and Agriculture Offices, and 45 WUAs were strengthened through provision of equipment to enhance their operations and sustainability.
- 1,085 households supported through individual small initiatives in Lahj.
- 896 home gardens, established in Taiz enhancing food security and livelihoods.
- In Taiz, a total of 335 households were supported with rehabilitation of their agricultural terraces.
- Installation of 12 solar powered water pumping systems for irrigation in Al-Mosaymer.
- Rehabilitation of 13 rural road sections covering 1,657 meters improving access to markets and services for farming communities.
- 202 flood protection and agricultural land protection interventions were completed across the targeted districts protecting 164 hectares of land and supporting more than 2,500 households.
