From carbon pricing in food systems to biological assessments of inland waters, researchers from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) continue to tackle pressing challenges of equitable water use and food security. The following excerpts showcase publications from September and October 2025 — click on the links to read high-quality, open-access research.
Domestic wastewater treatment and agricultural reuse progress and reporting challenges
Safely treated wastewater is vital to meeting water demand — especially in drought-prone or water-scarce regions. A new data synthesis by IWMI’s Pay Drechsel and colleagues finds that the domestic sector generates 267.5 billion cubic meters of wastewater each year. About 63% is collected in sewers or septic tanks, but only half of that is treated, leaving 45% (121 billion meters) released untreated into the environment. While countries such as China and Egypt are making strides in industrial and agricultural reuse, untreated reuse remains widespread in low- and lower-middle-income countries. By analyzing the latest World Health Organization data, the study highlights uneven progress across regions and income groups, and the persistent data gaps that hinder global monitoring of safe water reuse.
Read the full article:
Domestic wastewater treatment and agricultural reuse progress and reporting challenges
Potential impacts of carbon pricing on vegetable cold chains
As countries look to cut emissions in food systems, carbon pricing is gaining traction as a potential tool. A recent review by IWMI’s Oluwadara Alegbeleye, Muluken Elias Adamseged and Aruni Athukorala explores how such policies could reshape vegetable cold chains, which are energy-intensive networks vital for keeping produce fresh and reducing food loss. While carbon pricing can encourage cleaner technologies and more efficient logistics, it can also raise operational costs and disrupt supply chains, affecting food prices, equity and public health. The study outlines enabling conditions and mitigation strategies, such as targeted subsidies and revenue recycling, to ensure carbon pricing supports a fair and effective shift toward low-carbon food systems.
Read the full article:
Potential impacts of carbon pricing on vegetable cold chains
Water footprints of irrigated crops in the Chirakchi Watershed, Uzbekistan
In southern Uzbekistan, farmers in the Chirakchi Watershed are struggling with an increasingly arid climate and reliance on irrigation. Establishing the water footprint of crops (WFP), a volumetric assessment of water use, can help identify ways to make farming systems more efficient and sustainable. This study by IWMI’s Zafar Gafurov and colleagues evaluates the green and blue water footprints of cotton, wheat, carrot and potato crops in the watershed. As green water — rainfall — decreases, there is an increase in blue water use — irrigation, which accounts for 90% of Uzbekistan’s freshwater consumption. To ensure water productivity in the face of climate change, the study recommends that farmers use water-efficient irrigation techniques and soil conservation measures.
Read the full article:
Water footprints of irrigated crops in the Chirakchi Watershed, Uzbekistan
Transforming agricultural water management through the water–energy–food nexus: trends, opportunities, barriers and solutions
Agricultural water management (AWM) is shifting towards a more holistic approach — one that centers water, energy and food to promote water use efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable food production. IWMI researcher Tinashe Dirwai and co-authors review current AWM practices through a transdisciplinary process to assess equitable and inclusive ways for these practices to transition towards this more holistic system. Traditional AWM practices face strain on water and energy supplies through increased stress on water resource scarcity. The review highlights barriers and solutions for moving towards an interconnected AWM system that fosters resilience.
Read the full article:
Smallholders’ perspectives on sustainable agriculture intensification in Northern Ghana
Food insecurity has been rising across developing countries, and at a higher rate in African countries. As more research is produced on the drivers of this insecurity, such as climate change, water scarcity and economic hardship, sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI) has emerged as a key intervention. To better understand smallholders’ perspectives in Sub-Saharan Africa, IWMI researcher Gerald Atampugre and colleagues conducted a study focusing on Ghana’s climate-vulnerable Guinea Savanna Agro-Ecological Zone. Based on the findings, the researchers recommend NGOs and government agencies reduce barriers to adopting SAI and increase smallholder education on its benefits, highlighting important steps towards advancing Sustainable Development Goal 2, which aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030.
Read the full article:
Smallholders’ perspectives on sustainable agriculture intensification in Northern Ghana
The global role of bioassessment in policy delivery and decision-making for inland waters
Biological assessment, or the evaluation of the condition of a waterbody based on the number of organisms present, is key to supporting freshwater management. IWMI’s John Simaika and co-authors performed a global survey of bioassessment practitioners to understand how bioassessment is used — or excluded — in freshwater governance. Many countries do not currently perform basic biological monitoring, largely due to capacity issues. The authors encourage increased global awareness and institutionalization of bioassessment standards to ensure monitoring and investment in water quality. Bioassessment provides a vital measure of ecological health and the impacts of pollution on freshwater ecosystems, offering insights that can be a catalyst in preservation efforts.
Read the full article:
The global role of bioassessment in policy delivery and decision-making for inland waters
