Page 15 - Vol.36-No.9 issue

IRRIGATION

HOW TO OVERCOME WATER

CHALLENGES IN AGRICULTURE

More than three billion people live in Mapping the moisture the rural poor can benefit substantially
agricultural areas with high to very high from irrigation and endorses its cautious
levels of water shortages and scarcity, FAO is the custodian of SDG Indica- expansion. Between 2010 and 2050, har-
and almost half of them face severe con- tor 6.4.2, which measures the pressure vested irrigated areas are projected to
straints. Furthermore, available freshwa- of human activities on natural freshwa- grow in most regions of the world and to
ter resources per person have declined ter resources, and SOFA offers the first more than double in sub-Saharan Africa,
by more than 20 percent over the past spatially disaggregated representation potentially benefiting hundreds of mil-
two decades globally, underscoring the of how things stand today - which, when lions of rural people.
importance of producing more with less, meshed with historical drought fre- The report notes that, in some cas-
especially in the agriculture sector, the quency data, allows for a more holistic es, small-scale and farmer-led irriga-
world’s largest user of water. assessment of water constraints in food tion systems can be more efficient than
Improved water management, sup- production. large-scale projects. That’s a promising
ported by effective governance and About 1.2 billion people - 44 percent path for sub-Saharan Africa, where sur-
strong institutions - including secure of them in rural areas and the remainder face and underground water resources
water tenure and rights, underpinned in small urban centers in the country- are comparatively undeveloped and
by sound water accounting and auditing side - live in places where severe water only 3 percent of cropland is equipped
- will be essential to ensure global food shortages and scarcity challenge agri- for irrigation - and where expanding
security and nutrition, and contribute culture. Around 40 percent of them live small-scale irrigation can be profitable
to the Sustainable Development Goals in Eastern and South-eastern Asia, and and benefit millions of rural people.
(SDGs), according to The State of Food a slightly higher share in Southern Asia. However, many factors impede adop-
and Agriculture (SOFA) 2020 - a flagship Central Asia and Northern Africa and tion, including lack of secure water ten-
report published today by the Food and Western Asia are also severely affected ure and access to finance and credit. In
Agriculture Organization of the United - about one of every five people live in Asia, declining large-scale state-funded
Nations. agricultural areas with very high water surface irrigation have led to farmers
“With this report, FAO is sending a shortages and scarcity, compared to less tapping directly into groundwater, plac-
strong message: water shortages and than 4 percent in Europe, Latin America ing excessive pressure on the resource.
and the Caribbean, Northern America
scarcity in agriculture must be ad- and Oceania. Addressing these issues will require
dressed immediately and boldly if our investing in modernizing old irrigation
pledge to achieve the SDGs is to be tak- About 5 percent of people living in schemes, as well as effective policies.
en seriously,” FAO Director-General QU sub-Saharan Africa live in similar condi- Full-fledged water markets involving
Dongyu emphasized in the foreword of tions, meaning that about 50 million peo- the sale of water rights are relatively
the report. ple live in areas where severe drought rare. However, when water accounting
Paths for action range from investing has catastrophic impacts on cropland and auditing is well performed, water
in water-harvesting and conservation and pastureland once every three years. tenure and rights are well established,
in rainfed areas to rehabilitating and About 11 percent of the world’s rain- and the active participation of benefi-
modernizing sustainable irrigation sys- fed cropland, or 128 million hectares, ciaries and managing institutions is pro-
tems in irrigated areas. These must be face frequent drought, as does about moted, regulated water markets can in-
combined with best agronomic prac- 14 percent of pastureland, or 656 mil- duce efficient and equitable allocation of
tices, such as adopting drought-toler- lion hectares. Meanwhile, more than 60 water, while promoting its conservation.
ant crop varieties, and improved water percent (or 171 million hectares) of irri-
management tools - including effective gated cropland is highly water stressed. Did you know?
water pricing and allocation tools, such 11 countries, all in Northern Africa and -The average amount of freshwater per
as water rights and quotas - to ensure Asia, face both challenges, making it ur- person in 2017 was about 43 000 m3 in
equitable and sustainable access. Water gent and necessary to adopt sound wa- Oceania, while barely reaching 1 000 m3
accounting and auditing must be, how- ter accounting, clear allocation, modern in Northern Africa and Western Asia.
ever, the starting point for any effective technologies and to shift to less thirsty
management strategy. crops. -Total water withdrawals per capita are
Achieving the internationally agreed highest in Central Asia, reaching almost
2 000 m3 per person in 2017, compared
SDG pledges, including the Zero Hunger Mathematics of water to less than 130 m3 in sub-Saharan Afri-
target (SDG 2), “is still achievable,” the “The inherent characteristics of water ca.
SOFA emphasizes - but only by ensuring make it difficult to manage,” the SOFA re-
more productive and sustainable use of port notes. -In least developed countries, 74 per-
freshwater and rainwater in agriculture, “Water should be recognized as an cent of rural people do not have access
which accounts for more than 70 percent economic good that has a value and a to safe drinking water.
of global water withdrawals. price,” it says, noting that customary -91 countries have national plans for
FAO’s SOFA report in 1993 also focused practices leading it to be treated as a rural drinking water, but only nine have
on water issues, and today it is striking free commodity often create market fail- allocated sufficient funding to imple-
how the findings presented then remain ures. A price that reflects the true value ment them.
valid and relevant today. While the pre- of water, by contrast, sends a clear signal -Around 41 percent of current global
vious report focused on irrigation, the to users to use water wisely. At the same irrigation occurs at the expense of envi-
new edition broadens its scope to cover time, policy and governance support to ronmental flow requirements, which are
water-related challenges in rainfed ag- ensure efficient, equitable and sustain- essential to sustain ecosystems that pro-
riculture, which represents more than 80 able access for all is essential. vide life-supporting functions.
percent of land under cultivation and 60 “Water management plans need to -Biofuels require 70 to 400 times more
percent of global crop production.
be problem-focused and dynamic,” the water than do the fossil fuels they re-
report recommends. SOFA notes that place. Circle 18 on enquiry card
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