Strategies to reduce rural poverty in the face of climate change will largely depend on improving water management in agriculture.

Groundwater storage can improve water security and help poor communities adapt to climate change.

Integrating wastewater into water resources management can help improve water security and quality.

A five-stage strategy could help reform water policies and institutions, to ensure water security and reduce poverty.

Better land and water management could improve yields and help developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Providing more and diverse water storage infrastructure is crucial to securing reliable water supplies in the face of climate change.

With water scarcity already affecting over a billion people, dryland populations should combine traditional and modern knowledge to manage water access sustainably, says Theib Oweis.