Water for people.pdf - WHO Thailand Digital Repository

1 9 4 / C H A L L E N G E S T O L I F E A N D W E L L - B E I N GSecuring Food for a Growing World Populationproportion of water may not reach the crop plants because itevaporates or infiltrates during conduction, evaporates from the soil inthe field, or is used by non-productive growth such as weeds.Irrespective of the actual outcomes, it is important to highlight the factthat water allocations for agriculture will face increasing competitionfrom other higher utility uses – municipal, industrial uses and calls forwater to be left in the environment. Under these circumstances it iscrucial that the role of water in securing food be understood and thepotential for improving overall agricultural productivity with respect towater be fully realized.In this section, the facts about past, present and future water demandin food production and food security are discussed. Information has beencollected at the national level – much of this obtained through the Internet.For the purpose of discussion, three groups of countries are identified:developing countries, industrialized countries and countries in transition.Developing countries call for special attention because demographic growthrates are high and the potential demand for food is not yet satisfied. Thecountries are organized in regional groupings, that is: sub-Saharan Africa,Near East/North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, south Asia andeast Asia. It should always be kept in mind that aggregate and averagefigures tend to hide as much as or more than they reveal. Water problemsare always local or, at most, regional in nature, and may vary over time.Countries with large territories also have a large diversity of situations,including arid and humid regions and plains as well as mountains.This section is largely based on FAO’s technical report WorldAgriculture: Towards 2015/2030, the most recent edition of FAO’speriodic assessments of likely future developments in world food,nutrition and agriculture. The report provides information on a globalbasis, with more detailed emphasis on ninety-three developing countries.The section also relies extensively on the data, information andknowledge provided by FAOSTAT, the FAO statistical database, andAQUASTAT, FAO’s information system on water and agriculture. Thecontribution of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) inthe preparation of this section is acknowledged with thanks. Nationalvalues of key indicators in 251 countries are presented in table 8.1. Thesignificance of each indicator is highlighted in the relevant part of thediscussion by reference to this table.How the World Is FedThe world food system: sustained improvement in foodavailabilityBetween the early 1960s and the late 1990s, while world populationalmost doubled, the productive potential of global agriculture met thegrowth of effective demand. Figure 8.1 shows that total investment inirrigation and drainage tended to correspond to food prices. But evenwith the observed decline in food prices, the nutritional status of theworld’s population continued to improve. Clearly, some of the earlyinvestment in agriculture paid off and productivity gains were beingmade. Irrigation played an important role in ensuring the needed growthin food production. Today, as the food production issue becomes lesscritical, concern arises over future large-scale irrigation in terms of itsoverall performance and the political and institutional viability oftransferring the management of public irrigation schemes to users. Thesignificance of non-structural irrigation and water management reformwill grow as world agriculture in general becomes more responsive todemand. These issues are taken up later in the chapter.Figure 8.1: Food prices and investment in irrigation and drainageIndex(1961=100)200180160140120100Million US$3,0002,5002,0001,500Food price (indexed)Food per capita (indexed)Lending for irrigationand drainage (million US$)801,0006040500200 01950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000This figure shows that total investment in irrigation and drainage tendsto correspond with food prices. Lending does not include lending bycommercial banks to private farmers; it only includes lending by theWorld Bank.Source: Thompson, 2001.