Policy News - October 6, 2004

Using every drop

The global need to find extra water for irrigation could drop to zero if farmers as well as business and government leaders take steps to improve water productivity by 40% over the next 25 years, according to a discussion paper released in August at World Water Week in Stockholm (Sweden). The paper marks the halfway point of work done by the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, an international scientific research program focused on questions related to water, agriculture, poverty, and environmental conservation. The assessment won’t be completed until 2006. The paper includes several policy and investment options designed to increase water productivity. Better tillage methods; drought-resistant seeds; water harvesting schemes; and small-plot technologies, such as manually operated treadle pumps, could double crop yields in many areas of sub-Saharan Africa, where most farmers depend on rain-fed agriculture, the researchers write. Investing in Water for Food, Ecosystems and Livelihoods is written by David Molden, coordinator of the assessment, and Charlotte de Fraiture, principal researcher at the International Water Management Institute. The paper is available at www.iwmi.org/assessment.