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one and has yet to attain widespread achievement. Consistent exclusion of women or other marginalized groups from these discussions, processes and roles means that there is inequity in the outcomes of interventions, and poverty has persisted amongst certain rural communities and marginalized groups. The result is that large numbers of people have not been able to cross the divide out of subsistence agriculture into making a profitable livelihood due to limitations over which they have no control. 4. How Should We Invest in Water Today? Agricultural water is a key aspect of the development challenge, and is an important entry point for addressing poverty and environmental issues. There is potential to greatly reduce the environmental impact of agriculture while improving the livelihoods of rural communities. Where there is economic scarcity, investments in infrastructure are urgently needed. However, such investments must no longer take the form of large dams, but rather should encompass a wide range of storage options, from better soil and water management to groundwater recharge, from small tanks and ponds to large dams. Improving storage essentially means improving farmers’ control of water — a critical way to aid in the adaptation to variability from climate change. By looking at options from a range of perspectives, including costs, it ensures that solutions better match the problems they are intended to address. In places with physical scarcity, investment is also needed in some similar forms of storage so that farmers have better control of water, as water control is key to increasing agricultural productivity with the same or less water input. It also means investing in new institutions and solutions for demand management (Chartres and Varma, 2010). Investment in innovative water and land management practices that encourage better water use more sustainably would also help to increase agricultural productivity. It is especially important that when policy advocates for a change in practices in areas that are environmentally fragile and support a large number of the vulnerable and poor, it is mindful of the precarious livelihoods of such communities. There are very real trade-offs involved, particularly for the very poor, when change is prescribed on the grounds of sustainability. While it is easy to propose better institutions and policies, implementation is rarely as easy, as change in water use is often surrounded by a complex political economy. However, this does not mean that change is not possible; it only means that political constraints must also be recognized in crafting new models. An example of this was demonstrated by the Jyotigram scheme in Gujarat in India, in which a power subsidy was created that encouraged groundwater extraction, but later could not be changed due to political lobbies (Shah et al., 2008). Later, an alternative approach was found in which the government separated electricity supplies for agriculture and household use. Although supplies to farmers were rationed, the approach was accepted because the quality of power supply was improved. The end result was a reduction in groundwater overdraft as well as electricity waste (Shah et al., 2008). Conclusions The goal to meet food needs while supporting social and economic development and simultaneously minimizing environmental degradation requires a mainstreaming of water issues. Agricultural water intersects with many other sectors and is also increasingly impacted by competing water use in other sectors. While the world will continue to face the task of producing more food to meet its future needs, there is growing pressure to ensure that business-as-usual approaches to water use in agriculture change. There is vocal concern from both environmentalists about the state of rivers and wetlands, and from governments who are faced with persistent poverty in rural areas where development in water infrastructure has not delivered its promised transformations. Investment in water as a solution to addressing these development challenges presents a new way of looking at agricultural water – as an enabler of wise use and transformation. 98 The Global Water Crisis: Addressing an Urgent Security Issue
References 2030 Water Resources Group, 2009. Charting Our Water Future: Economic Frameworks to Inform Decision-making. 2030 Water Resources Group. Available at: http://www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/Water/Charting_our_water_future.aspx. Brown, L., 2011. “The Great Food Crisis of 2011”, Foreign Policy, 10 January, 2011. Available at: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/ articles/2011/01/10/the_great_food_crisis_of_2011. CA (Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture), 2007. Water for Food, Water for Life: A Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. London: Earthscan, and Colombo: International Water Management Institute. Chartres, C. and S. Varma, 2010. Out of Water. From Abundance to Scarcity and How to Solve the World’s Water Problems. USA: FT Press. Nature, Editorial, 2010. “How to Feed a Hungry World”, Nature 466: 531–532. Published online 28 July, 2010 at: http://www.nature. com/nature/journal/v466/n7306/full/466531a.html. Peskett, L., R. Slater, C. Stevens and A., Dufey, 2007. Biofuels, Agriculture and Poverty Reduction. Overseas Development Institute. Available at: http://217.161.13.39/resources/docs/3441.pdf. Schiermeier, Quirin, 2011. “Increased Flood Risk Linked to Global Warming”, Nature 470: 316. Published online 16 February, 2011 at http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110216/full/470316a.html. Shah,T., S. Bhatt, R.K. Shah and J. Talati, 2008. “Groundwater Governance through Electricity Supply Management: Assessing an Innovative Intervention in Gujarat, Western India”, Agricultural Water Management 95(11): 1233-1242. UNDP, 2006. Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the Global Water Crisis. Human Development Report, 2006. New York: United Nations Development Programme. Available at: http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2006/. Yu, Chaoqing, 2011. “China’s Water Crisis Needs More than Words”, Nature 470: 307. Published online 16 February, 2011 at: http:// www.nature.com/news/2011/110216/full/470307a.html. Water, Food and the Development Challenge Part 2 99
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The Global Water Crisis: Addressing
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About the InterAction Council Estab
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Acknowledgements
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Foreword
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The undeniable seriousness of the g
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Foreword xiii
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The Global Water Crisis: Framing th
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Ethical considerations also need to
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3. Support Ratification of the UN W
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1 Water and Global Security
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Introduction Since the serious stat
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Jury and Vaux project that the numb
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5. The Potential for Conflict and t
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References Cullen, H., 2010. The We
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Introduction Water is an integral p
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shortage Statewide Regional Local N
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summer months. To alleviate the con
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References Department of Energy, 20
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Introduction Water, economic and en
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Economic analyses of ecosystem good
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• Managing for sustainability. De
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Richter, B.D., M.M. Davis, C. Apse
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Introduction Water is an essential
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early post-Cold War period, from a
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2.4. Water, conflicts, and institut
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Renaud et al. (2011) proposed a pre
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Carius, A., D. Tänzler and A. Maas
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Turton, A.R., 2004. “The Evolutio
Page 61 and 62: Introduction In the West Asia and N
Page 63 and 64: 2. Water in the WANA Region 2.1. De
Page 65 and 66: Following on this, during a persona
Page 67 and 68: Below are some suggestions for how
Page 69 and 70: plants through evapo-transpiration)
Page 71 and 72: WANA Forum, 2010b. Toward Supra-nat
Page 73 and 74: Introduction “The trouble with wa
Page 75 and 76: • Upgrading current water infrast
Page 77 and 78: 60,000 ventilation improved pit lat
Page 79 and 80: 5. The Bottom Line It is widely ack
Page 81: The Blue Economy: Risks and Opportu
Page 84 and 85: 2.1 A Human Development Approach to
Page 86 and 87: apparatus assists nation-states in
Page 88 and 89: By ensuring that the international
Page 90 and 91: 2.2 Water and Health Security Ganes
Page 92 and 93: 1.1. Human-induced Pollutants Domes
Page 94 and 95: Table.1. Water pollutants and human
Page 96 and 97: In many urban and semi-urban areas,
Page 98 and 99: 2.3 Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and
Page 100 and 101: 1. The Impacts of Poor Water, Sanit
Page 102 and 103: 77 64 2015 MDG target Coverage (%)
Page 104 and 105: 3. The Neglect of the WASH Sector a
Page 106 and 107: References Checkley, W., G. Buckley
Page 108 and 109: 2.4 Water, Food and the Development
Page 110 and 111: 2. Keeping Pace with Change Since t
Page 114 and 115: 2.5 Investing in Women’s Particip
Page 116 and 117: of agriculture resulting mainly fro
Page 118 and 119: their substantial contribution is p
Page 120 and 121: Although cultural constraints still
Page 122 and 123: UNEP, 2009. Water Security and Ecos
Page 124 and 125: 2.6 Water Governance Reform in Afgh
Page 126 and 127: 1.2. The Extreme risk of food secur
Page 128 and 129: Furthermore, within each basin, lan
Page 130 and 131: 3.2. Early doubts vis-à-vis progre
Page 132 and 133: transboundary water management conc
Page 135 and 136: 3 Will the Right to Water Alleviate
Page 137 and 138: Introduction A growing number of ar
Page 139 and 140: 2. Ethical Perspectives on State Ob
Page 141 and 142: References Barlow, Maude, 2007. Blu
Page 143 and 144: Introduction It is widely recognize
Page 145 and 146: Later in 2010, the UN Human Rights
Page 147 and 148: 3.2. Legislative Recognition Dozens
Page 149 and 150: Mandela, M., 2002. No Water, No Fut
Page 151 and 152: Introduction South Africans have a
Page 153 and 154: water per person per day. The appli
Page 155 and 156: References Bluemel, E. B., 2004.
Page 157 and 158: Introduction Water conflicts are nu
Page 159 and 160: 4. Water Policies and Their Impact
Page 161 and 162: y its interconnection to encompass
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Access to Water and Conflict: An In
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Response from the InterAction Counc
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As former U.S. President Mr. Bill C
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The InterAction Council Québec Dec
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List of Participants
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List of Participants: 29 th Annual
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