FAO News 20/03/2020

World Water Day 2020 is an opportunity to put a spotlight on FAO’s work and research for a more sustainable use and management of water resources through a selection of titles below. 

• World Water Development Report 2020 – Water and Climate Change (forthcoming 22 March)
  The World Water Development Report is the UN-Water flagship report on water. This yearly report, published by UN-Water/UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme, aims at informing the water and climate community about the challenges, opportunities and potential responses to climate change through water. FAO contributed to the report with expertise on agriculture and food security.
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• Land and water governance to achieve the SDGs in fragile systems
  This paper demonstrates how land and water governance, through the adoption of an open dialogue with the public and the use of non-discriminatory regulations, can help improve the resilience of fragile environments where water scarcity and land degradation threaten sustainable development.
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• Change in water-use efficiency over time: Analysis and interpretation of preliminary results in key regions and countries.
  This paper gives indications on the interpretation of the data of the SDG indicator 6.4.1. The analysis of both developed and developing countries shows an inverted U-shape relationship between water-use and economic growth. As per capita GDP increases, water-use per capita tends to decrease, thanks to a mix of technical, managerial and institutional developments resulting in an increase in water-use efficiency.
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• Field guide and policy guide to improve water-use efficiency in small-scale agriculture the case of Burkina Faso, Morocco and Uganda
  These guides, based on case studies, provide practical measures and real-term applications as well as policy recommendations to improve water use efficiency including when and how often to irrigate based on water use records. A field guide to improve crop water productivity in small-scale agriculture in the countries analysed is also forthcoming.

Further reading

• Forests: nature-based solutions for water – Unasylva 251
• Land degradation neutrality for water security and combatting drought – Briefing note
• Water use in livestock production systems and supply chains
• FAO’s work on water (web article)