Water for Food
Modernizing agriculture
for a climate-smart future


Agriculture is a thirsty business, accounting for 70 percent of global freshwater withdrawals—
and climate change makes it harder for farmers to produce enough to feed the planet. The
2030 Water Resources Group (WRG) advances sustainable water use in agriculture and builds
food systems that are more resilient in the face of a changing climate.




ALIGNING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY WITH
CLIMATE GOALS
WRG is an impact-focused global partnership between the private and public sectors. As a trust fund housed within
the World Bank, we provide a platform for businesses, governments, and civil society to work together to close the
gap between water supply and demand.

Together with our partners, we are driving the adoption of water-efficient agricultural practices. These include
micro-irrigation to enhance water efficiency, improved cultivation methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and
market innovations to expand mechanization and boost productivity.

We also improve the sustainability of agricultural value chains and facilitate well-functioning markets where farmers
have access to critical inputs, services, financing, and technologies. This helps increase farmers’ yields and income,
ensure a stable food supply for communities and countries, and protect vital water resources.




WATER FOR THE FUTURE: LOW METHANE RICE
Our public-private collaboration models have unlocked new possibilities. We are leveraging these successes
to pursue bold solutions that were previously out of reach. Our new Low Methane Rice initiative builds on the
success of the Uttar Pradesh PRAGATI Accelerator by replicating the accelerator in the key rice-growing regions of
South and East Asia for transformative impact—substantially reducing global methane emissions while improving
agricultural productivity and water efficiency at scale.
EXAMPLES OF OUR WORK
Scaling climate-smart rice cultivation in India
In Uttar Pradesh, where the cultivation of wheat, rice, and sugarcane by
small farmers dominates, WRG is helping change farming practices to save
water and improve yields. Agriculture in the state uses two to three times
more water per ton of food produced than the global average and is one
of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. WRG is supporting the
state to reach 1 million smallholder farmers over five years, increase the
area under micro-irrigation fivefold, increase the area under direct seeded
rice tenfold, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent.


                                             Boosting agricultural productivity with water-efficient
                                             technologies in Bangladesh
                                             In the water-scarce Barind Tract of Bangladesh, WRG is supporting water-efficient
                                             and sustainable production of mango, rice, and other key crops through farmer
                                             hubs that provide advanced irrigation technologies and practices, and connect
                                             farmers with suppliers and markets. The project aims to reduce groundwater
                                             abstractions, lower carbon emissions, and boost agricultural productivity. Over the
                                             past five years, the project has trained 19,500 farmers and impacted an additional
                                             58,500 beneficiaries linked to farmer households. Rice production has increased by
                                             about 400 kilograms per hectare and mango productivity has increased 200-fold.




FIRSTS IN IRRIGATION
Over the past decade, we have developed and implemented first-of-their-kind solutions, empowering farmers
in Africa and Asia to enhance productivity while using water more efficiently. These successful initiatives can be
replicated and adopted in other regions.

                                 World’s first and largest          New financing model for            South Africa’s first
FIRSTS




                                 community drip irrigation          smallholder farmers to             automated water
                                 project in Karnataka, India        access modern irrigation           administration system for
                                                                    systems in Kenya                   six major irrigation systems


                                 Reduced water                      Benefited 500                      Reduced water distribution
RESULTS




                                 abstraction by 24                  smallholder farmers                losses by up to 20 percent
                                 million cubic meters
OUTCOMES




                                 Model replicated                   Pilot contributed to the           System expanded across
                                 across an additional               broader development                21 major irrigation schemes
                                 100,000 hectares                   of farmer-led irrigation
                                                                    development




                                               FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR WORK
           WRG works with governments, corporations, and civil society to address water risks affecting food, cities, and ecosystems.

                                                www.2030wrg.org             2030wrg@worldbank.org