Balancing the water demands of agriculture and conservation

People consume between 2000 and 5000 litres of water per day for agricultural purposes. As the global population grows, the demand for food – and therefore water – increases. In many places, this means less water for the environment. Water must be managed to meet food security, poverty reduction and environmental objectives.

Water security is essential to food security and poverty alleviation, allowing people dependent on agriculture to move beyond subsistence farming. However, increased use of water for agriculture can have serious impacts on the environment. The Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture brings together scientists, development experts, water users and policy-makers to share experiences, discuss controversial issues and build consensus around issues of water, food, livelihoods and the environment.

Findings so far indicate that it is possible to minimise the trade-offs between the environment and agriculture. Six possible pathways are proposed for managing water scarcity:

• Changing eating patterns towards foods that use less water in production. People should be made aware of the environmental consequences of their eating habits. However, it is unlikely that large numbers of people will change the way they eat. Furthermore, a more varied diet is a benefit for many undernourished people.
• ‘Virtual water’. Importing food reduces the use of water to grow food in a country. By trading food, countries are also trading water. Trade in food (and virtual water) from water-rich to water-poor countries could reduce water shortages. Water does not usually enter into trade decisions, so it is unlikely that the full potential of virtual water trade has been considered.
• Using waste and saline water for agriculture. This can be a useful option, but usually occurs because there is not enough freshwater available after urban use. This approach does not produce extra freshwater that could benefit the environment and there are also concerns about health risks and salinization (the accumulation of salt in agricultural soils).
• Improving irrigation efficiency. Preventing leakages from irrigation systems may be good for farmers, but the amount of wastage is less than commonly thought. This is because often leaked water is in fact returned to ecosystems or available for other uses.
• Increasing water productivity. Growing more food with less water remains a potential solution in many places. A number of actions – improved on-farm practices, reducing land and water degradation, improving irrigation service and policies that give incentives –can improve water productivity. Assistance should be directed to water scarce, poor producers.
• Upgrading rainfed systems. Much of the potential for productivity gains is in rainfed systems in the semi-arid tropics, where yields are low and poverty persists. There are many strategies for using a little water to overcome drought that increase productivity. For example, low cost pumps and drip kits can be used for small-scale irrigation.

Whilst these solutions can all bring benefits, increasing water productivity is the key to reducing global water scarcity in the next 25 years. This approach allows water to be made available for the environment and for urban uses. These interventions should target poverty through assisting the poorest people, reducing vulnerability to short-term drought and improving women producers’ access to irrigation. Institutional support is important: tenure rights are vital incentives for farmers to make long-term investments to improving productivity. If poor farmers are to improve their livelihoods without ecosystems being destroyed, there must be changes to the ways in which water is managed.

 

Source(s):
‘Investing in Water for Food, Ecosystems and Livelihoods’, Blue Paper, Stockholm 2004, Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, by D. Molden and de C. Fraiture, 2004 Full document.

Funded by: The Food and Agriculture Organization, the governments of Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Japan and Austria, the OPEC fund, the Rockefeller Foundation

id21 Research Highlight: 12 January 2005

Further Information:
David Molden
Coordinator - Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture
PO Box 2075
Colombo
Sri Lanka

Tel: +94 11 2787404 or +94 11 2784080
Fax: +94 11 2786854
Contact the contributor: comp.assessment@cgiar.org

Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, IWMI

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