Directions for sustainable agricultural water investments


Book Description

Climate change, poverty, inequality, and other disruptive factors are changing the way water is used for agriculture. Although IFI investments are only one of the tools that can be used to address food and agricultural water security, they can be a critical catalyst for change. A research study carried out by the Stockholm Environment Institute, under the direction of the FAO Investment Centre, examines IFI investments and financing mechanisms in agricultural water over the last decade (2010–2019) and identifies emerging goals, areas of investments and innovations. The study aims to provide IFIs and international development agencies insight into what has and has not worked in agricultural water investments, while offering promising new mechanisms and investment priorities for the future. The analysis focuses heavily on public investment as provided by IFIs, but also considers the role of private and public-private investment, and farmers as private investors and entrepreneurs. This publication is part of the Directions in Investment series under the FAO Investment Centre’s Knowledge for Investment (K4I) programme.




Investing in agricultural water, sustainably


Book Description

Climate change, poverty, inequality, and other disruptive factors are changing the way water is used for agriculture. Although IFI investments are only one of the tools that can be used to address food and agricultural water security, they can be a critical catalyst for change. A research study carried out by the Stockholm Environment Institute, under the direction of the FAO Investment Centre, examines IFI investments and financing mechanisms in agricultural water over the last decade (2010–2019) and identifies emerging goals, areas of investments and innovations. The study aims to provide IFIs and international development agencies insight into what has and has not worked in agricultural water investments, while offering promising new mechanisms and investment priorities for the future. The analysis focuses heavily on public investment as provided by IFIs, but also considers the role of private and public-private investment, and farmers as private investors and entrepreneurs. This publication is part of the Directions in Investment series under the FAO Investment Centre’s Knowledge for Investment (K4I) programme.




Towards a new generation of policies and investments in agricultural water in the Arab region


Book Description

The Arab region needs a new generation of policies and investments in agricultural water. Agricultural water management has always posed challenges and opportunities in the Arab world. However, unprecedented and accelerating drivers such as climate change, population growth, and land degradation make agricultural water management a more urgent priority than ever before. In addition, as part of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development, Arab countries have committed to work towards an ambitious set of development targets, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Unless the right policies and investments are put in place, it will be difficult to achieve the SDGs, including ending hunger and providing clean water and sanitation for all. This paper is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Water Management Institute to foster dialogue on agricultural water policies and investments in the context of the FAO led Regional Water Scarcity initiative. The purpose of the paper is to frame the key challenges and opportunities in the sector – including emerging innovations in digital agriculture, water accounting, water supply and wastewater reuse – and to lay out broad strategic directions for action.




Shaping the Future of Water for Agriculture


Book Description

Agricultural water management is a vital practice in ensuring reduction, and environmental protection. After decades of successfully expanding irrigation and improving productivity, farmers and managers face an emerging crisis in the form of poorly performing irrigation schemes, slow modernization, declining investment, constrained water availability, and environmental degradation. More and better investments in agricultural water are needed. In response, the World Bank, in conjunction with many partner agencies, has compiled a selection of good experiences that can guide practitioners in the design of quality investments in agricultural water. The messages of 'Shaping the Future of Water for Agriculture: A Sourcebook for Investment in Agricultural Water Management' center around the key challenges to agricultural water management, specifically: - Building policies and incentives - Designing institutional reforms - Investing in irrigation systems improvement and modernization - Investing in groundwater irrigation - Investing in drainage and water quality management - Investing in water management in rainfed agriculture - Investing in agricultural water management in multipurpose operations - Coping with extreme climatic conditions - Assessing the social, economic, and environmental impacts of agricultural water investments 'Shaping the Future of Water for Agriculture' is an important resource for those interested and engaged in development with a focus on agricultural water.







Water and Sustainable Agriculture


Book Description

Irrigated agriculture, a vital component of general agriculture, supplies fruits, vegetables, and cereals consumed by humans and grains fed to animals. Consequently, agriculture is the largest user of fresh water globally, and irrigation practices in many parts of the world are biologically, economically, and socially unsustainable. Water management should balance the need for agricultural water and the need for a sustainable environment. Water-use efficiency is the prime challenge in worldwide farming practices where problems of water shortages are widespread. Currently, agriculture is undergoing significant changes in innovative irrigation, fertilizer technology, and agronomic expertise. These elements constitute a vital platform for sustainable agricultural success and for preventing environmental damage. This review presents several processes linked to environmental irrigation, balancing environmental protection with improved agricultural production.







Securing Water for Agriculture


Book Description

How can the world grow more food, increase incomes, reduce poverty, and protect the environment with growing numbers of mouths to feed and increasingly constrained resources? A big part of the answer lies in better management of agricultural water. Agricultural water management (AWM) encompasses irrigation on both a large and small scale, drainage of irrigated and rain fed areas, watershed restoration, recycling of water, rainwater harvesting, and better in-field water management practices. There is considerable scope for improving returns on water from agricultural use. The key economic challenge is to set up an incentive framework that encourages efficient water use and profitable high value agriculture. Evidence indicates that such a framework improves efficiency and accountability, raises productivity, and promotes sustainable and environmentally responsible resource use. At the same time, irrigation schemes pose a financial challenge: to recover costs at a rate sufficient to finance services to farmers. The broad challenge is to encourage both large- and small-scale private investment.




Growing Agriculture


Book Description




Guidelines for sustainable agricultural investments for Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya and Niger


Book Description

These guidelines have been drawn up as part of the AgrInvest-Food Systems Project (AgrInvest-FS), a collaboration between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) to promote private investments in African food systems that contribute to sustainable development objectives. The purpose of these guidelines is to serve as a reference and provide practical country-customized guidance to foster sustainable investments in agrifood systems in the four African countries covered by the AgrInvest-FS project of FAO-ECDPM.