Widespread recognition of water scarcity threat, especially in agriculture …but much can be done
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Transcript of Widespread recognition of water scarcity threat, especially in agriculture …but much can be done
A vision of water for food challenges and opportunities beyond 2020
Jonathan Woolley, Director CPWF
Widespread recognition of water scarcity threat, especially in agriculture…but much can be done
Opportunities (examples): Better management of rainwater Sharing of resources, not just waterInnovative ways for people to work together.
Main points
Agriculture is a huge water user, and a huge opportunity
2 - 5 litres
daily
20 – 500 litres
daily500 – 3000 litres
per kg2000 l/day - vegetarian diet5000 l/day - grainfed meat diet
Opportunity: better management of rainwater
Action to deal with the water crisis
Today
CA Scenario
Practices like today
Comprehensive Assessment (CA) scenario: Policies for productivity gains, upgrading rainfed, revitalized irrigation,
trade
Range of Agricultural Water Management Options(source David Molden, IWMI)
8
Upgrading rainfed systems
Rainwater management has a high potential for increasing livelihood resilience through crops, fisheries and livestock
Opportunity: sharing of benefits from water
Win-win situations are rare in water. Need to share.
Sharing goes beyond WATER sharing, to assigning water to higher value uses, and sharing the BENEFITS with those who give up water.
Example: urban-based trust funds invest in upland farming practices
Sharing: Locally
Local adaptation to climate change
“Sharing” at present is export of food from water rich to water scarce countries. Only about 6% of agricultural water use involved
Climate change to 2070 is predicted to increase cereal production in temperate latitudes, while reducing it in tropical latitudes
Total food production likely to be sufficient until 2070. How will it be shared?
Sharing: International
Opportunity: ways of working together
Resolving complex issues
Far
from
Certainty
Ag
reem
en
t
Close to Far from
Clo
se to Simple
Plan, control
Zone of Complexity
Technically Complicated Experiment, coordinate expertise
SociallyComplicated Build relationships, create common ground
Source: Patton, 2007
Formulaic solutions have limited applicability
Past success is no guarantee of future success
Expertise can help but is not sufficient; relationships are key
Uncertainty of outcome remains
New ways of working
Diversity of people increases innovation
“Complex multi-sector problems need new ways of working: The really important issues facing society … cannot be tackled by any organization acting alone” Huxham and Vangen, 2005
“While hierarchies are not vanishing, profound changes in the nature of technology, demographics, and the global economy are giving rise to powerful new models of production based on community, collaboration, and self-organization rather than on hierarchy and control.”Tapscott and Williams, 2006.
CPWF: www.waterandfood.org
CA: www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Assessment/