Closing the Knowledge Gap: Integrated Water Management for Sustainable Agriculture

22-26 November 2010, Johannesburg, South Africa

In much of the African, Caribbean and Pacific region, agriculture remains a strong option for spurring growth, overcoming poverty, and enhancing food security. Increased agricultural sustainability is vital for stimulating other parts of the economy. Despite this importance, however, agricultural growth in the region remains highly variable and the need exists for strategic investments to accelerate growth, while at the same time taking advantage of the opportunities presented to the sector through regional collaboration. This will require not only addressing the constraints facing the sector, but also responding to emerging challenges such as climate variability and change.

Climate variability and change pose key challenges to agricultural producers within ACP who are forced to cope with short term dry spells and longer term droughts. Too many farmers throughout the region lack access to a reliable water supply, and many lack the tools and facilities required to manage water effectively. Most farmers rely on rainfall, which leaves them at risk of partial if not complete crop failure. According to FAO, irrigation makes it possible to increase crop yields by 100 to 400%. The potential of agricultural water management has not yet been tapped in most of the ACP countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa 95% of the land is cultivated by rain-fed agriculture as only 4% of the farmlands are irrigated. Public investment in agricultural water in sub-Saharan Africa has been only a small proportion of the total investment in the water sector - just 14% of African Development Bank (AfDB) lending to the water sector as a whole between 1968–2001 (Peacock, Ward, and Gambarelli, 2008).

Investments in agricultural water management will be essential to ensure access to an affordable, reliable water supply. This would be an important first step in enabling many poor, small-scale farmers to increase agricultural productivity, enhance their livelihoods and improve food security overall. Up to now, only nine African countries have fulfilled the goals of the Maputo declaration (2003, renewed in 2005) by which African countries pledged to invest 10% of their national budgets in agriculture by 2010. Agricultural Water management, thus, constitutes an important sector for African countries, within the framework of this Declaration. The situation for the Caribbean and the Pacific is equally critical.

In the various ACP regions, initiatives have been launched to promote integrated water resource management. Capacity building through experience-sharing and information programmes for all actors concerned is a prerequisite to better water management. Innovative information and knowledge support systems will be needed to capture and disseminate synergies between improved technologies, improved water management, institutional support, human capital development and improved markets – all leading to more efficient use of the available productive water resource for improving agricultural productivity and growth.

Objectives

The overall seminar objective will be to contribute to improved information and knowledge support systems on agricultural water management for food-security and poverty-reduction in rural communities in the various AEZ of the ACP countries. The specific objectives of the seminar will be to:

• share experiences and information on best practices in IWRM in the various Agro-ecological zones of the ACP countries
• identify information and communication needs & requirements and propose guidelines for the implementation of water management activities and programmes
• encourage participating organisations to adopt improved knowledge on IWRM communication methods and strategies for reaching out to their clients
• mobilize the stakeholders to advocate for increased public investments for sustainable water resources management