Food & Climate
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) welcomed today the adoption of the Rome Declaration on Water Scarcity in Agriculture.
It aimed at addressing water scarcity increasingly exacerbated by the climate crisis – one of the world’s greatest challenges affecting global food security, natural resources and the lives and livelihoods of millions of people, particularly in vulnerable regions.
The Declaration on Water Scarcity in Agriculture was adopted by Ministers, Heads of Delegations and partners of the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) gathered in Rome on occasion of the High-Level Rome Water Dialogue, taking place on the sidelines of FAO’s annual World Food Forum.
The WASAG initiative was launched at the United Nations Climate Conference in Marrakesh in 2016 to support countries in addressing water scarcity challenges, according a statement that “Food & Climate” platform received.
The urgency to address water scarcity
The Declaration on Water Scarcity in Agriculture highlights the urgency to address water scarcity and water stress, in particular, in the agriculture and food sectors; and it commits to strengthening collaboration at all levels and mobilizing greater political support and resources to address the effects of water scarcity on global food security.
It also recognizes FAO’s key role in continuing to lead and host WASAG and in providing day-to-day support for its effective functioning and operational management.
In his address to the High-Level Dialogue, the FAO Director-General QU Dongyu underscored that agriculture, which uses over 70% of freshwater withdrawals is particularly vulnerable to water scarcity. He also noted that the impacts of the climate crisis, such as changing rainfall patterns, record-setting heat waves, and more frequent and longer droughts, further exacerbate the situation.
The Director-General cited the grim projections that by 2050, more than half the global population will live in areas at risk of water scarcity at least one month a year.
Examples
Many countries have current water scarcity. For example, Farmers in the Basra region in southern Iraq depend on the Chatt el Arab River, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet, and its freshwater canals for domestic use and to irrigate their land. But the Chatt el Arab is showing increasing levels of pollution and salinisation, while its flow is weakening year by year.
Sewage discharges and industrial waste have reduced its rich ecosystem to a trickle and made its water unsafe to drink. In 2018, more than 150,000 cases of poisoning linked to the consumption of water from the Chatt el Arab were recorded in Basra. The incident sparked public outrage and nationwide protests against the lack of access to drinking water, according to “Action contre la fim”.
And in September, drought and the influx of tourists have led to severe water shortages on the Greek island of Naxos. Most locals work in agriculture. While the island uses desalination plants to provide water for the tourists, farmers cannot rely on this solution. Without water, some fear the farming sector could die off, according to “DW“.
Also, In August 2024, Morocco announced it will purchase $ 27.5mn of desalination technology from the US, which promises to benefit tourism (around 7.0% of GDP) as the sector has been hampered by government water use restrictions in the past.
Climate change will make water scarcity an increasing risk to all sectors of the Moroccan economy but particularly agriculture (around 10.0% of GDP), which will only receive a small positive effect from desalination, as 80.0% of cultivated areas remain rainfed, according to “Fich solution”.
“The solutions we develop must reflect the interconnected nature of water security, agrifood systems and climate resilience,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said, stressing that addressing water scarcity is critical for building more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable agrifood systems.
Addressing water scarcity requires integrated water resources management. For this reason, the 43rd Session of the FAO Conference in July 2023 endorsed the FAO biennial theme for 2024-2025 “Integrated water resources management for the Four Betters and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. Addressing water scarcity is a corporate priority, and WASAG is central to FAO’s Water Journey.