Chung-Te Tzou

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• Objective: to promote sustainable water resource use for agriculture in the Asia Pacific region through regional, national and basin level analysis and knowledge synthesis with particular focus on selected river basins.

• Project Period: May 2009/31 August 2012• Government/Partner Agency/Countries:

– PRC: Irrigation and Drainage Development Center, Ministry of Water Resources– Thailand: Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment– Vietnam: Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development– Malaysia: Division of Irrigation and Agricultural Drainage, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based

Industry

• Total Budget: USD 783, 7932

Project Overview 1

Project Overview 2

• Background information• We need to double food production with scarcer water and land resources,

while protecting ecosystems: we must improve agricultural water productivity

• Estimated investment needs are enormous: many investments or reforms are not performing as hoped

• Investment excessively focused on irrigation, forsaking equity and productivity gains and water conservation policies, strategies and investments still often founded on a misunderstanding

• Financial needs for capital investments, maintenance and mgt are huge

• Key questions:

• What are the mechanisms that help us to allocate and manage water in a way that will improve food security and economic development?

• How do we help agriculture respond to declining water allocations and other challenges?

• If there is an agreement on main strategies, how to make them happen?3

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Project Overview 3: Short history of the project/countries

Four National / Local Dialogues

based on the results of the case studies

- Outputs -Two publications:

Issues & challenges Possible actions & solutions

Four Case Studies

focusing on selected river basins

- Issues on water -Allocation, Pollution, Flood,

Watershed management, Environment, Supply/Demand management,…

- Challenges on water -Basin level coordination,

Legal & Institutional reform,Productivity Improvement ,…

- Development policy -Agriculture & Rural areas,

Other sectors, …

- Multi-users networking -Central and local government,

Local decision makers,Water users, NGOs, …

- Review and analyze -Experience, Good/bad practice,

Current mechanisms, …

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Project Overview 4: Short history of the project/ regional level

Workshop / E-conference

based on the outputs of in-country activities

Knowledge Synthesis

with regional partners

- Outputs -Community of practice,

Two regional technical publications on1) Existing status, issues & challenges

2)Synthesis of recommendations

- Inputs from 4 countries -Case study reports,

Dialogue outcomes, …

- Inputs from other sources - Information collection from

experts, bibliography, …

- Regional networking -Relevant partner organizationssuch as ICID, IWMI, GWP, …

- Share & Discussion -Information share & exchange

on experiences and findings - Review and analyze -

Existing status, future issues,suitable actions, …

Project Overview 4

• Beneficiaries• Ultimate beneficiaries, farmers. Immediate beneficiaries: Decision-

makers, managers, investors, farmers, other water users

• StakeholdersDecision-makers, managers, investors, farmers, other water

users

• Links with other projects and programmes• FAO Strategic Objective F2 – Countries address water scarcity in agriculture

and strengthen their capacities to improve water productivity of agricultural systems at national and river-basin levels, including transboundary water systems– TCP/RAS/3303 – Capacity building on irrigation modernization– TCP/RAS/3304 – Revitalizing Asia’s Irrigation– TCP/RAS/3207 – Water Investment Frameworks

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Project Framework

• Outputs1.Centers of excellence established in a number of

river basins

2.A knowledge network on water allocation

3.Case studies and supporting analysis and dialogue

4.A publication on review of existing status, challenges and issues

5.Synthesis of findings and recommendations

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Progress of the Project as of March 2013 -1

• 2012 activities:• National concluding workshops completed February 2012,

including testing of policy questions• Project results and findings presented at WWF6, Marseille,

March 2012 (Economic, food and water security: a framework for action)

• 2nd meeting of Regional Advisory Team (Anand, India), June 2012

• Presentation of draft policy brief at World Water Week, Stockholm, August 2012

• Project final workshop, Bangkok, August 2012• Final report completed• Drafting of policy brief• Advanced draffting of technical publication

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Progress of the Project as of March 2013 -2

• Outputs produced:• Case Studies and dialogues

– All completed• Website up and running: communitu of practice, 300 subscribers www.asia-water.org• 1st and 2nd Regional Advisory team meeting

– May 2011, Peking University. June 2012, Anand• E-conference

– May-July 2011• Main technical publication

– First draft completed October-November 2011 and being finalized

– Economic, Food and Water Security Framework for Action: being refined

– Policy Brief- final draft

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Challenges

• Difficulties and strengths of the project;– Small budgets for country-level work: was

overcome by good linkage with national policy agenda (but failed in Viet Nam). But even in Viet Nam work is influencing new programs and investment by WB.

– Excellent mobilization of regional community for regional work extending influence of project

– Excellent linkages and coordination with normative and policy work and other projects of RAP/Water

• Problems encountered and solutions adopted– Delays at inception solved by project extension

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Recommendation• Observation of the project, lessons learned, current and

future work plan– The project has already had a major impact at policy level: WWF6 Marseille,

Asian ADB Irrigation Forum, March 2012, Stockholm Water Week 2012, and will be the basis for key messages on Economic, Food and Water Security at 2nd Asia Pacific Water Summit (Chiang Mai, May 2103)

– Significant impact at national level according to national concluding workshops: China (new policy), Malaysia, Thailand (less so VN)

– Basis for work under WB-FAO-ADB flagship report and country studies and policy dialogues on irrigation modernization in China, VN, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and soon Philippines

– Finalize, print and launch Policy Brief and framework for Action at 2nd Asia Pacific Water summit

• Suggestions– Main technical publication: final draft being completed. To be made a FAO-

RAP publication for major impact

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Financial Information

• Budget Breakdown/Project Status Report

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