| Sumario: | Water scarcity, climate variability, land degradation, and increasing competition over water resources are intensifying pressures on rural livelihoods, agricultural productivity, and ecosystem sustainability, particularly in smallholder farming systems. These challenges are closely linked to food insecurity, declining soil and water resources, and persistent social inequities. Addressing them requires a shift from fragmented, sector-specific interventions toward integrated, climate-resilient, and socially inclusive water management approaches. This training manual presents a comprehensive framework for Integrated Water Management Solutions, grounded in the principles of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). The manual aims to strengthen the technical, analytical, and participatory capacities of practitioners, including Woreda experts, development agents, and academicians, to design, implement, and promote integrated water management interventions that are locally appropriate, gender-responsive, and governance-aware. It emphasizes the integration of surface water, groundwater, soil moisture, and climate-smart water technologies to enhance water availability, productivity, and resilience at household, community, and landscape levels. Core training components include IWRM concepts and principles; water harvesting and storage systems with a focus on small-scale agriculture; groundwater recharge and shallow well management; soil moisture conservation and residual moisture utilization; climate-smart water technologies; and the development of bundled, scalable intervention packages. The manual further addresses governance, gender equity, and community engagement as essential enablers of sustainable water management outcomes. The training adopts a participatory and experiential learning approach, combining theoretical instruction with case studies, experience sharing, and practical assignments. By emphasizing systems thinking, local context, multiple water uses, and inclusive decision-making, the manual supports the design of integrated solutions that maximize impact under conditions of climate uncertainty and resource constraints. Overall, this training contributes to building resilient water systems, improving livelihoods, and promoting sustainable and equitable water resource management in diverse agro-ecological and socio-institutional contexts.
|
|---|