Water is crucial to economies and to livelihoods and it is central for poverty reduction strategies.  

Agricultural water is fundamental to agriculture-based rural livelihoods and sufficient availability and reliable access to water is commonly a constraint to production and other activities. In addition, water provides a centre around which other interventions can be organized. In this respect, increasing and improving investments in agricultural water management to support smallholders’ livelihoods is still a priority in rural areas. Therefore, there is a need to develop new models of planning and implementation for Agricultural Water Management (AWM) investments level, by recognizing the diversity and complexity of the country contexts and by tailoring interventions to rural population priorities and livelihood strategies. Any rural water development strategy will need to deal with multilocal diversified livelihood systems with limited capacities for agricultural investment, and a predominance of risk-avoiding strategies.