World Bank Support for Irrigation Service Delivery : Responding to Emergent Challenges and Opportunities

This evaluation seeks to inform the World Bank’s efforts to support client countries to deliver sustainable irrigation and drainage services and achieve development impacts. The results of this evaluation can help the World Bank improve strategic approaches in an evolving context. Irrigation service delivery is increasingly challenged by multiple factors that are driving demand for agricultural production, water scarcity, and variability in water precipitation. These factors include population growth and urbanization leading to increasing demand for agricultural products, and greater competition for water resources from domestic and industrial users. Untreated urban wastewater released into water bodies affects irrigation water quality. Water availability is increasingly variable because of the effects of climate change.