Beyondmorecropperdrop

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Setting the Stage
Water and land need to be managed at basin and landscape scale - reallocating water among users. The value to society generated by these multiple, interlinked uses of water needs to increase. This is often

Contents
WWF4- THEME 4. WATER MANAGEMENT FOR FOOD AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The rapidly expanding requirements of water for food production, both in rainfed andirrigated agriculture, have entailed very large water withdrawals, significant modification of flow regimes, and degradation of water quality—all with major implications for ecosystem health. Water, food, and the environment form a nexus, an inextricable web. Actions targeted at the local level and at a range of larger scales are needed in order to reconcile the tradeoffs associated with increased foodproduction imperatives and growing recognition of intrinsic environmental and biodiversity value as well as the amenities provided by robustly functioning ecosystems. The Water, Food, and Environment (WFE) Theme of the 4th World Water Forum aims to bring together a range of stakeholders to address the linkages between concepts and actions, and between actions and outcomes. Discussion and debatebased on real evidence from basins around the world is needed to build consensus on the way forward.

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The Water for Food and Environment Challenge
Why is so much water used for “irrigation”? Can we not reduce this to satisfy the needs of rapidly growing cities and safeguard the environment? Obviously, people need water for more than drinking, washing and other domestic needs Frank Rijsberman,Director General IWMI Photograph by Sanjini de Silva, IWMI alone. Few people realize how much more. As much as seventy times more water is required to grow a person's food than is required for domestic needs. Even more water is required to maintain the ecosystem services without which our lifestyle is not sustainable. That frames the challenge on water for food and environment: finding water forexpanding cities, often taken from agriculture; growing food for a growing population; providing jobs for the rural poor while sustaining the environment. If we fail in this challenge poor people will pay the price. Poor urban people are most affected by low access to safe and affordable drinking water and sanitation. For poor rural people, inadequate access to safe and affordable water is crucialfor domestic use as well as for their livelihoods. Degraded natural resources affect all people, but particularly the poor, in cities as well as rural areas. Is it possible to overcome this challenge? We believe it is. Communities in hundreds of “bright spots” demonstrate that technologies are available and effective if used appropriately. It requires a shift in how natural resources are managed.Many river basins, particularly in Asia, are already “closed” i.e. there is no additional water available for , development that does not take away water already being used by someone else.

This Document
This document has been produced for the 4th World Water Forum to provide ‘KEY MESSAGES’ which reflect valuable information, insight and opportunity for action within the framework of thewater-food-environment nexus. The document is based on the knowledge and experience of IWMI and a diversity of partners. The formulation of many of the messages and supporting evidence is derived from initial results of the wide-ranging study undertaken by the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. The main aim is to present opportunities in the waterfood-environment nexus, interms of specific interventions or intervention packages that have large potential net benefits for society. The document begins by SETTING THE STAGE by providing some key facts about the current water situation and issues to be considered for the future. The main body of the document focuses on presenting KEY MESSAGES which are clustered into three main categories: 1. CONTEXT MESSAGES - these tell...