Farmer-led irrigation schemes. PDF | Print | E-mail Written by Erick Akasa Saturday, 25 August 2012 09:31 A new study by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR consortium research center, released ahead of Stockholm World Water Week has found that small-scale irrigation schemes can protect millions of farmers from food insecurity and climate risks in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The result of the study is, according to experts good news, coming as it does at a time food prices escalate globally due to the failed monsoon season in Asia and the “super drought” in the US. According to the report, Water for wealth and food security: Supporting farmer-driven investments in agricultural water management, expanding the use of smallholder water management techniques could increase yields up to 300 percent in some cases, and add tens of billions of US dollars to household revenues across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
One example of an innovative farmer is Purushottam Patel, in Gujarat, India. Feeding a Thirsty World. Food, Trade and Water. Producing food requires massive quantities of water. Agricultural production consumes seventy percent of water. As people are removed from poverty, they tend to consume higher quantities of water intensive foods, such as beef and dairy products. Based on today’s water productivity and consumption patterns, feeding the malnourished and additional 3 billion people expected in 2050 would require we triple that amount of water used in irrigation (SIWI, 2005) .
This would empty many of our rivers and aquifers. The global eating disorder Increased commodity prices in 2008-2009 have driven 110 million people into poverty and added 44 million more to the undernourished (UNEP 2009). The problem is that half of what is grown in the field is either lost before people get a chance to eat or wasted after it is purchased. Wasted food, wasted water In the US as much as 30 percent of food, worth some USD 48.3 billion, is thrown away.
Regional crisis, global trade solutions. Is nexus thinking finally taking off? The connections with local interests and concerns must be addressed when using nexus thinking. Photograph: Luong Thai Linh/EPA Among the diverse sessions on offer at World Water Week in Stockholm, I've noticed a thread of common thinking: nexus thinking.
The water-food-energy nexus, which places ecosystems and their services to people at its very heart, isn't just an abstract theory - it really is being applied to the way the water community is tackling the issues. Such alignment and the debates it generates have been a long time coming, and it's certainly exciting to be in the middle of it. Personally, I think the nexus is a really useful way to apply an integrative cross sector approach to water security. Focusing on the nexus makes it easier for us to make integrated water resource management operational, and the discussions at World Water Week reflect this. I can relate the nexus thinking I'm seeing at the conference to our work on the ground in river basins.
Let's take an example. Meat consumption draining world’s water supply - New York food justice. The world’s leading water scientists fear severe water shortages may dramatically impact how the world eats in years to come. Excessive food waste, drought, and overconsumption are all to blame for water shortages, which are expected to increase worldwide in the years to come. “There will not be enough water available on current croplands to produce food for the expected 9 billion population in 2050 if we follow current trends and changes towards diets common in western nations,” water researcher Malik Falkenmark said. Falenmark and his colleagues at the International Water Institute (SIWI) released their findings today at the start of World Water Week conference which is taking place August 26-31st in Stockholm, Sweden. The study warns that meat consumption is currently draining the world’s water supplies at an alarming rate. No Water, No Food Security.
July was the hottest month on record in the U.S. and with it the price of maize jumped 23 percent. According to very rough estimate made in a blog from the Wall Street Journal, this means just $33 more at the register next year for the average U.S. grocery shopper. But it means much more for poor people in developing countries, who already spend up to 60 percent of their income on food. Why the surge? Well, a combination of low rainfall and high temperatures during the growing season means fewer crops and higher prices. To prevent large-scale drops in food production, countries need to be able to take stock of water resources and know how productively those resources are used. This week, global water and agriculture experts are meeting at World Water Week in Stockholm to take stock of the best current knowledge and the most promising ways forward.
In support of multi-sector solutions that work at the nexus of food and water, the World Bank is also doing its part. The Link Between Food and Water Footprint. Thursday, August 23, 2012 - Raw Team Feature World Water Week1 kicks off on 26th August with a theme of water and its relationship to food security. It’s perfect Raw material, so we thought we’d look at the relationship between food and water in a bit more detail. Water, water everywhere… We call it the ‘blue planet’ for a reason – over two thirds of the Earth are covered in water, most of which is found in our vast oceans (97% to be precise).
Although only a small percentage of water is fresh, it is as vital as oxygen, keeping us hydrated and allowing us to grow food. And yet our blue planet is under strain with many aquatic environments showing tell-tale signs of over-use and exploitation. A jack of all trades We don’t just drink the stuff – water is also a vital component for producing all manner of things, from iPads to jeans to (you guessed it!) You’ve heard of a carbon footprint, right? What makes up your water footprint? So what’s the big deal with water and meat? Our sources. Waste Food, Waste Water. World Water Week—an annual conference in Stockholm dedicated to discussing the management of global water resources—opened Monday with a message about cleaning your plate.
Food waste, according to experts at the conference, accounts for significant water waste. A third to a half of all food grown globally either sits untouched on our plates or rots before it even gets there. A new report from the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) states that 40 percent of food purchased in the U.S. is thrown away. (And a new documentary called Taste the Waste highlights the problem—see the trailer below).
An Italian food market. Photograph by Michael Moore. This is a horrible habit when you consider that nearly one billion people in the world already suffer from hunger and malnourishment. This is why food security is inextricably linked to water security. We currently use about 70 percent of available global freshwater to irrigate crops and produce food. Not to mention improved irrigation. Water and Food Security are linked. News Drought, Shortages, Rising Food Prices for World Water Week 27 August 2012 ANALYSIS - This week is World Water Week - a week when governments, environmental organisations, industry and agriculture is turning its attention to the importance of this vital resource, writes Chris Harris.
It is ironic and apposite that it is taking place at a time when the US in particular is experiencing one of the worst droughts it can remember and when once again parts of Eastern Europe have also been hit by drought to say nothing of the common regions for water shortage in Africa. Part of the aim of this focus week is to turn attention on the regions where populations do not have supplies of safe water to drink and water for sanitation. In Europe, Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said that water and sanitation is one of the four Millennium Development Goals being targeted with a cash injection of €266 million. This is likely to have a direct effect on European feed, livestock and meat markets. World Food Security: Invest In Small-Scale Irrigation. * S. Asia, Africa vulnerable to climate, food prices * Small-scale irrigation could boost crop yields 75-275 pct * Better water management needed as demand outstrips supply By Nina Chestney LONDON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Farmers in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly taking up small-scale irrigation schemes as drought threatens the security of food supplies, a report by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) said.
"With food security back on the international agricultural agenda, and climate change increasing the uncertainty of rainfall, it is an opportune time to reconsider investments related to irrigated agriculture," the study said on Friday. Small-scale irrigation technology, such as motorized pumps and hosing to access groundwater, could cost a sub-Saharan African smallholder $250 or more but could improve crop yields by between 75 and 275 percent, the report said.
Small-scale irrigation schemes usually cover areas less than 2 hectares. Also on HuffPost: