Karen Villholth

Karen is the Sub-Theme Leader on Groundwater and Underground Solutions and is Principal Researcher on Groundwater Management stationed at IWMI-Southern Africa. Her keen interest in groundwater for development has prompted her to do research, consultancy and capacity building related to groundwater management and, in particular, groundwater use and management for agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Content authored by Karen Villholth

Blog Post
Blog Post
December 05, 2019
Time to act on global groundwater
Op-Ed in Thomson-Reuters: Groundwater is vital for food, drinking water and climate adaptation. But it's under threat. 700+ groundwater experts from more than 75 countries call for three urgent global actions.
Blog Post
Blog Post
August 19, 2019
It’s time to look underground for climate resilience in sub-Saharan Africa
Groundwater, a vital resource for farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, is impacted by climate change in ways we haven't yet studied in depth.
- Karen Villholth
Blog Post
Blog Post
March 21, 2018
The next great water crisis may be under our feet
As the world marks World Water Day, it is clear we need better groundwater governance to avoid the next big crisis.
- Karen Villholth
- Adam Hunt
World Water Forum and World Water Day
Blog Post
Blog Post
February 21, 2017
It’s hard to manage something you cannot see – can we feed billions from the ground up?
Irrigated agriculture can contribute to lasting deterioration of groundwater quality, preventing its use for drinking and endangering ecosystems and bio-diversity. If we're going to get global agriculture right, we'll need to promote good groundwater governance.
Agriculture and groundwater: feeding billions from the ground Up
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Blog Post
Blog Post
April 23, 2016
Is groundwater the key to increasing food security in Sub Saharan Africa?
Sub Saharan Africa is facing a food crisis due to drought. In the face of water and climate uncertainty, is groundwater irrigation the key to ensuring food security in the region?
- Karen Villholth
- Yvan Altchenko
Workshop to Expore Smallholder Irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Map
Transboundary Aquifer Map for Africa
Risk and variability
June 26, 2015
IWMI scientists have developed a map and inventory that shows the presently known transboundary aquifers in Africa. The map includes 80 aquifers and aquifer systems superimposed on 63 international river basins.
- Karen Villholth
- Yvan Altchenko
- Map
Groundwater drought risk in sub-Sahara Africa
Risk and variability
June 07, 2015
IWMI used an integrated management support tool called GRiMMS to assess and map the groundwater drought risk in the Southern Africa region. Groundwater drought risk refers to diminished groundwater access and availability.
- Karen Villholth