Jean Mtethiwa understands just how critical water management is in Malawi - a landlocked, droughtprone country that is heavily dependent on subsistence rain fed agriculture. This sector employs about 87 percent of the work force. The Malawi Government has placed a high priority on small-scale irrigation in an attempt to increase agricultural production and to enrich the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers. Malawi could potentially irrigate up to 400,000 hectares of farm land, but only 62,000 hectares have been developed, according to one study. The consequences of this have been frequent food shortages, poverty and a high prevalence of nutrition-related diseases.