The network is designed to promote the development, communication and effective use of knowledge, innovations and technologies in all aspects of soil and water management. These will include aspects of land management and conservation with bearing on the quality of soil in relation to agricultural production. On the water side, the network will also be involved in climatic and hydrological studies aimed at increasing the understanding of the processes for achieving adequate availability of water for plant-growth. More specifically the network is promoting research work as the following aspects:

1. Agricultural intensification is being given priority in order to overcome the environmental, land and water constraints. This calls for increasing the efficiency of use of soil-moisture through rainwater harvesting and supplementary irrigation using precision technologies. The UN Secretary General recently said that “We need a blue revolution in agriculture that focuses on increasing productivity per unit of water – more crop per drop”.
2. It is now recognized that adequate availability of plant nutrients is in many places the best way to achieve more crop per unit of water – and vise versa. Many countries have initiated soil fertility re-capitalization initiatives and programmes, which provide opportunities for SWMnet.
3. To assist the fertility re-capitalization initiatives and programmes, research and development work will also be required on how to improve the social, environmental and economic performance of inorganic fertilizer, so as to increase the use of fertilizers in the different countries.
4. Development and commercialization of small-scale irrigation is another major opportunity for the work of SWMnet in different countries.