IFAD, Rome, 22 March – In the north of Tanzania, Cecilia William used to depend on irregular rainfall to irrigate her crops. As a single mother, she struggled to grow enough to feed her family.

"Life was very difficult. I was not happy at all with the situation," recalls William.

It was access to water – through an irrigation system installed by the Tanzanian government and supported by IFAD – that finally changed her life. With regular access to water, William became not only a successful farmer but also an innovative entrepreneur, starting her own construction business with the additional income.

"Before I was in total darkness. After I was getting an income, that is when things changed," said William. "I started thinking about expansion, and a lot of plans came into my head."

William's story demonstrates just how essential water is for rural people, not just for their household use and drinking, but to sustain their main form of livelihood—agriculture.

It is estimated that 95 per cent of jobs in the agriculture and the inland fisheries sector are heavily dependent on water. Without access to water, smallholder farmers cannot afford to expand their farms and face the risk of losing their businesses.

This has major implications not only for them but for their communities and the cities that depend on them for food.

Saving time for women and girls

Water management and mobilization has other benefits as well. In the developing world, women often spend long hours transporting water to the home, watering homestead gardens, and caring for family members falling sick due to unsafe drinking water.

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This makes agriculture more knowledge-intensive, increasing the need for education and training and thereby implying better linkages between rural and urban areas.

Whether it is improving the livelihoods of rural people’s self-employment, increasing jobs or producing more food to feed the world aiming at achieving the 17 new Sustainable Development Goals – in all cases, water will be the driving force towards a more sustainable future for us all.

See: https://www.ifad.org/stories/tags/15509985