Water is an essential element for the existence of all elements present on this planet. Human beings are constituted for a large part of water; without it we cannot survive. Moreover, humanity needs to feed itself. But in order to do so, vegetables and fruits, corn and wheat, and animals need water to grow and be alive. In terms of food security and poverty reduction, water is indispensable!

 

Sadly, it is mostly vulnerable people (for example poor people, persons with a disability, old people, women, ethnic minorities, etc.) that face problems accessing water. In this sense ensuring that persons with a disability can access water is simply a human decency and has a huge impact on those who are most disadvantaged.

 

“50,000 people, including 10,000 disabled people, die every day as a result of extreme poverty” (KAR, 2005).

 

It seems quite ironic that people with disabilities are ignored or overlooked as they are estimated to make up about 15% of the world population corresponding to 1 billion people. In addition, people with disabilities are often among the poorest of the poor (WHO, 2011).

 

“20% of the world’s poorest people have disabilities” (UN Enable, 2009).

 

Disability is already gaining some attention in the sectors of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Public Health (prevention of water-borne diseases), and Disaster Management (flooding). This is however hardly the case for agricultural water management. We believe that people with a disability can contribute significantly in the field of agriculture and that this has many benefits for both the individual and society. We demonstrate this through case studies of people with disabilities who are included in the mainstream agricultural sector. At the same time we are searching for other world-wide examples of people with a disability working in agriculture and in this way learn how to better include people with a disability in agricultural water management!