23 August 2012: In an effort to help policy makers identify how to invest in smallholder agricultural water technologies, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has developed a web-based, decision-making mapping tool.

IFPRI researchers argue that farmers in Africa and Asia can increase their resilience to climate change and increase productivity by 50% through more effective watering of crops. The Investment Visualizer helps users choose from nine irrigation options based on varying climate, crop prices, and costs of implementing water management approaches.

It produces maps with supporting figures to illustrate the impacts of adopting irrigation methods, including the number of people who could be reached through adoption and the impacts on staple and cash crops. The tool uses disaggregated hydrological and agronomic models with food supply and demand analysis alongside crop optimization to assess where irrigation may be profitable. The Investment Visualizer fits within a larger effort, the AgWater Solutions Project.

IFPRI is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [IFPRI Press Release] [Investment Visualizer Website]