 Let me introduce you to Neymar. Neymar is a small holder farmer in Tanzania. Like many others, she relies on irrigation for her food and incomes. But this is what she told me. Sister, because of where my farm is located, my turn took it what is at night, but I couldn't do so. In the dark, I was getting assaulted. That left me speechless, but prompted me to understand what the real problem was. Irrigation accounts for three quarters of the world's water use, half of which is unsustainable. Despite such overuse, 800 million people do not have enough to eat, and three out of four farmers live in poverty. A fundamental problem is that technical solutions often overlook cultural and personal issues. It is precisely these human factors that determine whether farmers adopt or abandon such systems. In my research, I investigate both technical and human factors to understand how people manage the natural resources and how it can be improved. By knowing what motivates people, what constrains people, what benefits people, I can find solutions that are directly relevant to them. To do so, I run statistical models, but I also listen to people's stories that give me a deeper insight into the reality on the ground. By speaking to Neymar and another 150 farmers, I came to understand the power, poverty, and water nexus. Powerful farmers would cut water to others. These would have no option but to abandon the system or work as cheap labor. Powerful farmers would have more water, and with more water, they would grow more crops. With more crops, they would have more money. With more money, more power, with more power, more water. In this case, as in many in Africa, the solution was not to bring more water into the system, but to change water governance. I proposed a quota system that reserves seats in the irrigation committee for women, young, and very small farmers. Farmers like Neymar cannot have a say in how water is allocated, so the system can deliver food and incomes for all. Tonight, I have shared with you my experience in Africa, but the reality is that I use this combined technical and human approach across all my projects. What keeps me motivated is to see how my work contributes to bring water users and researchers closer together for a common goal, and that is to use our natural resources in a way that takes less from the environment and delivers more to the people.