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Small Grants Program |
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In August 2005, the Challenge Program on Water and Food put out a call for proposals to enhance the adoption of high potential interventions for increasing agricultural water productivity. The call was conceived to develop innovative ways in which research on water productivity might be followed through to achieve developmental impact, thereby bridging the gap between research and development and emphasizing impact and innovation. It was derived from a belief that innovative strategies for the management of agricultural water already exist that may influence or inspire the creation of policy that can improve agricultural water productivity
In total, 14 projects were selected based on their ability to identify existing small-scale or local-level water and/or agricultural management strategies or technologies that have the potential to improve agricultural water productivity at some wider scale.
All small grants projects share the following characteristics:
1. Innovative:
Refers to the discovery of novel ideas that hold promise for improving water productivity in agriculture, and their subsequent up-scaling and dissemination to end-users.
2. Research:
Relates to the identification of existing small-scale or local-level water and/or agricultural management strategies or technologies that have the potential to improve agricultural water productivity at some wider scale. Research is understood as a discovery exercise designed to uncover available technologies and/or strategies including those of
Indigenous origin:
- strategies that have been developed independently of research and/or development agency intervention
- strategies that have external origin, but which have been modified at the local level to meet community expectations and to conform to local-level institutions, but have the potential for scaling up
External origin:
- strategies that originate in research or development agencies which have demonstrated considerable impact
- strategies that originate in research or development agencies, which for whatever reason have thus far failed to be adopted into management and/or policy although they have the potential for considerable impact
3. Impact:
Refers to a discernable positive change that has resulted from the adoption of a new technology or some new knowledge. Projects will demonstrate (in terms of process and magnitude) how such impact has occurred at three levels so that it might be replicated elsewhere:
Policy level:
- projects influence or inspire policy, including where blockages exist to policy development
- stakeholders include policy makers, donors and lending institutions
Managerial level:
- projects provide options on how to institutionalize good outreach practices for high potential technologies and knowledge
- stakeholders include agricultural, land and water planners, extension officers, NGOs and CBOs
Community level:
- projects explore ways to unlock the potential of resource poor agricultural producers by enhancing the adoption of appropriate technologies, management strategies and information
- stakeholders include individual or multiple agricultural producers, particularly resource poor farmers, fishers and pastoralists
Results of the Competitive Call for Proposals
Small Grants Proposals invited to negotiate contracts
| Basin | Project Number | Project Title | Proposing Institution | Participating institutions |
| Nile | SG503 | Conditions for sustainable adoption of water and moisture system innovations in Nile river basin: case of Makanya watershed in Tanzania | Soil-Water Management Research Group, Tanzania | Association for Land-use, Environment care, Research and Technology transfer (ALERT) |
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| International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) |
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| SG509 | Sustainable Water Management for Food Security for Smallholder Farming Communities in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia | Institute for Sustainable Development, Ethiopia | Water Team, Mekelle University |
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| Both ENDS, Amsterdam |
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| SG513 | Teaching rural women water harvesting and conservation to increase food security and combat climate change in southern Uganda | St Jude Family Projects and Organic Training Centre |
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| Mekong | SG501 | Participatory water resource planning and development for economic sufficiency through learning alliance approach in the northeast of Thailand | Khon Kaen University, Thailand | Population Development Association (PDA), Thailand |
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| Local Wisdom Networks (LWN), Thailand |
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| Yodthip water groups, Thailand |
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| Ubonrachathani University (UBU), Thailand |
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| Ubonrachathani Rachapat University (URU), Thailand |
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| Community Organization Development Institute (CODI), Thailand |
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| SG502 | Demonstration and documentation of innovative market-based strategies to realize agricultural income through increased on-farm water productivity and market integration | International Development Enterprises Cambodia (IDE) | AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center, Taiwan |
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| IFDC – An International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development |
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| SG504 | Increasing water use efficiency by using mulch under SRI (System of Rice Intensification) management practices in Northeast Thailand | Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand | Thai Education Foundation |
| Indo-Gangetic | SG507 | Development and Testing of Training Materials and Information for Scaling up Dissemination of Micro-Irrigation and Associated Water-control Technologies Designed for Small Plot Systems | IDE-International (Nepal) | Society for Social Service (SSSP), Nepal |
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| SG508 | Selecting and scaling up water-efficient farming and groundwater recharge systems among 3,000 small scale farmers, Rajasthan | Humana People to People India | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) India |
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| SG512 | Sustainable dissemination of Low-cost irrigation technologies which impact lives of smallholders of Jharkhand, India | International Development Enterprises India | IWMI-TATA |
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| India Development Foundation |
| Andean | SG505 | Enabling Endogenous Potential for Improved Management and Conservation of Water Resources in Semi-Arid Andean Ecosystems | World Neighbors - Andes Area Program, Ecuador | Network for Community-Based Natural Resource Management (MACRENA), Ecuador |
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| Project for the Integral Development of Northern Potosi (PRODINPO) |
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| SG510 | Associated cropping and enhanced rainwater harvesting to improve food security and sustainable livelihoods of peasant farmer associations (Santander - Colombia). | Fundacion de expresion intercultural, educativa y ambiental - Fundaexpresion, Colombia | Nodo de Producción más Limpia de Santander, Colombia |
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| Asociación Municipal de Mujeres Campesinas de Lebrija (AMMUCALE), Colombia |
| Volta | SG506 | Improving catchment and use efficiency of water for high-value dry season crops | Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, Ghana | Winrock International |
| Karkheh | SG511 | Outscaling and upscaling community-based water management strategies in the Karkheh River Basin | Centre for Sustainable Development and Environment (CENESTA, Iranian NGO), Iran | ICARDA |
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| Local community organisations |
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| Agricultural Research and Education Organization (AREO), Iran |
| Limpopo | SG514 | Project for increasing agricultural productivity in Sekororo through RainWater Harvesting from roads | World Vision South Africa | Kodumela Area Development Programme (ADP), South Africa |