Local government can be the pivot to make this happen.

This paper stimulates debate and improved understanding of the critical importance of water security in the lives of the world's poor and provides a conceptual framework to help explain the relationship between poverty and water security. It also proposes constructive steps towards improving water security for the world's poor.

A water crisis on our immediate horizon is destined to hurt, even kill, millions of children, and the window of opportunity to do something about it is rapidly closing. There is, however, a glimmer of hope that could turn into rays of sunshine. Water is a commodity, and we have just come through some painful times dealing with the shortage of another commodity—energy. For those who lived through the "energy crisis," this book offers a brief trip down memory lane.

In the book's four Parts, the interdisciplinary approach to many issues contributes to the relationship between water and poverty. Part I includes articles on the conceptual and methodological issues concerning poverty reduction through water resources development. It also offers analysis of quantitative measurements of poverty reduction, including some approaches for creating a Water Poverty Index. Part II considers the institutional frameworks for management of water and poverty reduction. Topics range from community-based decision making to international leadership. Part III encompasses discussions on participatory irrigation management and the privatization of urban water supplies and sewerage and the link to poverty. Case studies from India, Turkey, and Jordan make up Part IV. The studies present diverse water management and development practices for poverty reduction, including realistic pricing and effective irrigation practices, the use of water as an engine for sustainable development, small and large scale strategies for reducing the risks and uncertainties in water availability and food security, the economic value of improved water supplies, and the positive impact of small-scale development projects.

This volume reviews the evolution of ten years’ learning and discovery about water scarcity, livelihoods, and food security within the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food. It draws on the experiences of over 100 projects conducted in ten river basins in the developing world. The book describes how the program’s design evolved from an emphasis on water scarcity, water productivity, and water access to an emphasis on using water innovations to improve livelihoods and address development challenges in specific river basins. It shows how the research was used to foster change in stakeholder behavior, linking it to improved knowledge, attitudes, and skills, which were fostered by stakeholder participation, innovation, dialogue, and negotiation. The authors describe development challenges, their drivers and their political context, how to address them through technical, institutional, and policy innovations; and the consequences of change at different scales, time frames on equity, resilience, and ecosystem services. Overall, the work represents a major synthesis and landmark publication for all concerned with water resource management and sustainable development.