Feeding Everyone: A Case for Water Governance Reform

Abstract

"This is the assertion of 700 scientists and water professionals who contributed to the authoritative 2007 publication 'The Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture'. The 2008 food crisis has since thrust food security to the fore. World food reserves dropped significantly and millions were thrown further into poverty because of steep hikes in food prices. This crisis is likely to be replayed in future years with increasing frequency as populations rise and both climate and market forces shift more suddenly and violently. It seems too obvious to mention: without sufficient water we can not meet food security targets. Many people in India and China already threatened by water scarcity are acutely aware of the scale of the problem. Unfortunately, this knowledge does not seem to have permeated into the agricultural aid donor community. Despite widespread promotion of integrated water resources management and a holistic approach to all water issues from the scientific and professional communities, many donor countries still perceive water supply and sanitation as separate from agricultural water within donor agencies and developing country governments alike. As they focus water-related aid on water supply and sanitation, agricultural water is often ignored."