Petra Schmitter

Research Group Leader – Climate Mitigation & Adaptation Pathways

Research team

Water, climate change and resilience > Climate mitigation and adaptation pathways

Areas of expertise

Agriculture Adaptation Irrigation Hydrology

Petra Schmitter is a Principal Researcher at the International Water Management Institute and leads the Research Group on Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Pathways. Her main research focuses on developing suitable water solutions for smallholder farmers to improve their agricultural resilience and to assess the impact of scaling those solutions on water resource availability and quality at different scales.

Over the past 14 years she has mainly worked in interdisciplinary research for development projects in Southeast Asia, West and East Africa in the field of climate change adaptation, farmer-led irrigation, water productivity, irrigation scheme modernization, land degradation and hydrological modelling. She enjoys evaluating suitable technologies with smallholder farmers, PhD and MSc. students and uses the field evidence to drive changes in policy and development programs.

She holds a a PhD in Agricultural Science from the University of Hohenheim (2011) for which she received an Award for outstanding research, a MSc. in Water Resources Engineering from the K.U.Leuven – V.U.B.(2005) and a MSc. in Bio-Engineering in Environmental Technology from the K.U. Leuven (2004). She has over 100 publications and contributed to book chapters around climate smart solutions to improve agricultural production.

Current projects

Adaptation Insights

CGIAR Initiative: Excellence in agronomy

CGIAR Sustainable Farming Program

Developing a Comprehensive Strategy for Measuring and Monitoring Water Resource Risks and Impacts in Sustainable Irrigation Practices

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Irrigation and Mechanization Systems

Vegetable Irrigation for Climate Resilience Toolkit

Virtual Irrigation Academy (VIA) in Pakistan

WaPOR: Remote Sensing for Water Productivity

Latest news for Petra Schmitter

A farmer is working in his olive farm in Jordan. Photo: Omar Al-Hyari/Shutterstock

Blogs

Jordan harnesses satellite data to modernize irrigation

The newly developed Irrigation Performance Assessment and Diagnostic Tool uses satellite imagery to track water consumption at scale, enabling smarter irrigation planning ...

January 8, 2026

A farmer using solar irrigation through the IWMI S-FLID project. Photo: IWMI

Blogs

How adaptive scaling can transform food systems in the Global South

Built on two decades of research, the Adaptive Scaling Ecosystem framework helps scale innovations across complex economies ...

November 19, 2025

In the media

Africa’s water challenge and the solar-powered solution

In this World Water Week 2025 episode of PIDG Pulse, IWMI’s Petra Schmitter joins experts to explore solutions for Africa’s food and water challenges ...

August 25, 2025

In the media

Water: The overlooked link in food systems

If water systems management is not prioritized, efforts to build resilient food systems in Africa will fall short ...

July 26, 2025

Maurice Owino, a smallholder farmer in Siaya County, Kenya, in his land. His solar-powered irrigation pump has boosted yields and increased resilience to drought. Photo: SunCulture

News

IWMI and climate tech startup SunCulture establish landmark partnership to advance sustainable solar irrigation in Kenya

The pioneering partnership aims to scale solar irrigation for climate-resilient agriculture and safeguard Kenya’s water resources ...

May 6, 2025

Sunti Nepali pulls paddy rice seedlings for transplanting into rice fields in Chobar, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Publications

May-June 2024 Research Journal Roundup

Roundup of research, journal and other academic articles from May and June 2024 ...

July 31, 2024

Publications

December 2023 – February 2024 Research Journal Roundup

A selection of IWMI's recent contributions to global research ...

March 27, 2024

Two farmers work in rural Tajikistan as part of a Water User Association in Central Asia. Madeline Dahm / IWMI

Publications

October-November research journal roundup

A roundup of IWMI research produced during October and November 2023 ...

December 22, 2023

Bengali farmers harvest rice paddies. Photo: Neil Palmer / IWMI

Publications

September-November 2022 Research Journal Roundup

Roundup of research, journal and other academic articles from September to November ...

December 13, 2022

Packing mangoes. Photo: Hamish John Appleby

Publications

April 2022 Research Journal Roundup

Every month, IWMI researchers collaborate on studies that explore the deeply interconnected relationships between humans and water systems ...

May 19, 2022

Publications

March 2022 Research Journal Roundup

“Irrigation water management in the space age” and more: A roundup of IWMI contributions to research articles and journals in March 2022 ...

April 29, 2022

Farmer harvesting rice in Ethiopia. Photo: Petterik Wiggers / IWMI

Publications

December 2021 and January 2022 Research Journal Roundup

From antimicrobial usage to kitchen gardening: A roundup of IWMI contributions to research articles and journals in December 2021 and January 2022 ...

April 1, 2022