Water and Soil Accelerator (WASA)

WASA is a cooperative initiative led by IWMI and implemented through a consortium of technical and delivery partners, including multiple CGIAR centers. It is a three-year rapid-response initiative co-designed to scale evidence-based water and soil management interventions across rainfed agri-food systems, with a focus on farm-to-landscape approaches for sustainable agricultural water management.

Operating within the former Feed the Future (FtF) Zones of Influence (ZoI) in Malawi and Zambia, WASA addresses the critical vulnerability of rural communities, where 85–90% of the population depends on rainfed agriculture that is increasingly threatened by erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts and degraded soils. Rather than piloting new technologies, the project focuses on rapidly scaling proven interventions, including climate-smart conservation agriculture, watershed management, nature-based solutions and community-based natural resource governance, to make a lasting impact. Its overarching goal is to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices from farm-to-landscape level, improving agricultural productivity, strengthening local capacities and institutions, and expanding equitable access to resources and knowledge for smallholder farmers, particularly women, in resource-constrained settings.

Through collaborative scaling efforts, WASA contributes to the United States Government’s Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS) and Global Water Strategy (GWS), while addressing the urgent climate and systemic challenges affecting food, water, energy, and agricultural systems.