Ahmed is a young farmer of 25 years who lives in the Draa Valley, in the South East of Morocco. He started in 2012 with one hectare of water melons, and gradually expanded over the years to five hectares. According to Ahmed, water melons were introduced in the region in 2006 and attracted both foreign investors and young local farmers. Whereas the young farmers usually cultivate a couple of hectares of watermelons, which they sometimes combine with vegetables used for the family consumption, foreign investors often cultivate large land plots, and only produce water melons. Once they have pumped up the groundwater and exhausted the fertile soil they can easily move to another land plot. While observing dropping groundwater levels, the tribe to which Ahmed belongs decided in 2016 to ban the settlement of foreign investors in the region. This essay is a first attempt to explore and describe this action. To do so, we rely on various field visits which were carried out over 2019 and early 2020. These insights were combined with multiple in-depth phone interviews with three young farmers who are part of this collective action and 20 phone interviews with water melon farmers and laborers who are from other villages in the region. All farmers and laborer’s we talked to are men. When asking if there are also young female farmers, we were told that they rare in the region. The various answers of the interviewees lead us to focus in this essay on the motivations, perceptions and values, which led to this ban and related new practices of groundwater management.

This blog discusses the heightened risks facing the Jebel Aulia Dam (JAD) amidst the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023. The war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has targeted critical infrastructures, including the JAD, a key strategic point for water management, irrigation, and hydropower generation. Due to military activities, the dam's operators abandoned their posts, leaving the dam's gates in fixed positions, which poses severe flood risks as inflows from upstream bodies like Lake Victoria increase. The blog highlights the socio-economic significance of the JAD, emphasizing its role in agriculture, fishing, and local trade. It draws comparisons with other recent dam failures to illustrate the catastrophic potential of dam failures during wartime. The analysis underscores the compounded impact of climate change and conflict on dam safety, revealing that, without proper operation and maintenance, there is a high risk of flooding that could devastate surrounding communities. Urgent flood preparedness measures, early warning systems, and improved maintenance are needed to mitigate potential disasters and protect livelihoods.

With their white sandy beaches and clear turquoise waters, it's natural to envision life on the islands of the Maldives as an aquatic paradise nestled in the Indian Ocean. But this paradise comes with challenges. Drinkable water, despite the seemingly water-abundant environment, is in short supply, particularly on the small, remote outer islands that are far removed from the bustling life of the capital, Malé. Climate change, urban development and water pollution have all resulted in a fragile and largely contaminated water system, making daily life hard for island residents.

Blog by Marloes Mul - Associate Professor IHE Delft as part of the first webinar 'Working with Smallholders and Women Farmers' of the WaterPIP Knowledge and Action Network webinar series 'Watering the Margins'.