Water, food and development The CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food

Alain VIDAL, CPWF Director

Re-greening the Uganda “Cattle Corridor”

Community corralling of cattle for 2 weeks

permits pasture establishment

Local organizations invest in up-scaling of pasture regeneration

Termites destroy any attempt to reseed degraded pasture

Multiple use water systems: empowering the poor with water

Local government, NGO, CBO and private support to innovation

Individual multiple water-use decisions

Support of national water policies and

laws (eg India)

Food crisis: a poverty “countdown”

3 billion poor below US$2.5/day2 billion suffer from malnutrition1 billion suffer from hunger 75% of them are rural poorAlleviating hunger means reducing rural poverty

Reducing rural povertyIncrease farmers income and resilienceAnd NOT transform the rural poor into urban poor

The resilience challenge

Food producing communities and ecosystems should be able to cope with local and global changes (climate, economy, demography, migrations…), ie become more resilient (persistent, adaptable, transformable) Achieved through improved water

productivity (more food with less water) together with empowerment, equity, market access, health and preservation of ecosystems

CPWF aims to increase the resilience of social and ecological systems through better water management for food production

Through its broad partnerships, it conducts research that leads to impact on the poor and policy change

Food security at household level

Livelihoods of the poor

Health: nutrition, reduced pollution, reduced disease

Environment: water quality, sustainability of wetlands

CPWF contributes to…

CPWF Phase 2(2009-2014)

Focusing on achievable impacts in 6 river basins

Phase 2

Focusing the strategy in Phase 2

Focusing on science content found most promising and with development impact within the 15 year CPWF time frame, and contributing to future CGIAR megaprograms

All research is interdisciplinary, includes cross-scale analysis and focuses on resilience

1-2 development challenges in specific parts of each basin

1 development challenge = USD 5-6 million into 4-5 projects

Expected minimum budget of USD 60 million for one challenge per basin ; aiming for USD 90 million and two challenges

Andes – Benefit-sharing mechanisms

Due to climate, land use and cover changes, base flows have changed and pollution increased, reducing poor peoples’ access to water

Research aims to develop social and economic mechanisms that both help upstream poor farmer communities and increase the quantity and quality of water available for downstream communities, hence reducing water-related conflicts

Local adoption and scaling up and out of these Benefit-Sharing Mechanisms will be adapted to cultural, social or political constraints

Mekong – Dams and livelihoods

Uncoordinated massive development focused on hydropower generation Cumulative impact of multiple dams barely known No plans to improve local and downstream benefits

Research will optimise reservoir management to minimise downstream negative impact and improve livelihoods for resettled populations, small-scale farmers and fishing communities

Communities will increase their fisheries and agricultural potential through the development of multiple use reservoirs. Capacity of dam administrators to negotiation will improve the sequential management of dams so as to maximise dams benefits

Nile – Rainwater management in Ethiopia

Poor soil moisture control and fertility management, and low quality seeds are major causes of the low performance of rainfed farming in the Ethiopian Highlands

Research will develop appropriate, landscape level, rainwater management methods across three agro-ecosystems ranging from rainfed agriculture to livestock farming mixing together

The developed systems will address the multiple needs of rural communities, improve water productivity, and generate more resilient livelihoods

Volta – Small reservoirs, rainwater and livelihoods

Resource-poor farmers rely on rainfed agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods. 1,700 small reservoirs could provide farmers with a dry season water supply, but often fail because institutional and technical mechanisms are absent in the communities.

Research will explore the institutional and technical aspects of small-reservoir development and maintenance, embedded within a wider rainwater management system combining crops and livestock

Improved design and management of multiple use small reservoirs will increase benefits for communities, combined with better rainfed crops and livestock productivity.

Limpopo – Small reservoirs, rainwater and livelihoods

Low rainfed agricultural output (40% of agriculture), and policies emphasizing land allocation to the poor, meaningless if they do not have water and institutional support. Promising are small reservoirs providing security against increasing climate variability

Research will help design of small reservoirs for multiple uses, and explore and integrate other rainwater harvesting technologies

Livelihoods of small-scale farmers improved by development and adoption of a rainwater management system based on small reservoirs for multiple use systems (MUS)

Ganges – Floods and salt in the Delta

In the coastal belt of the Ganges Delta, the farming system is characterised byFrequent flooding amplified by climate changeSaline intrusion damaging crops and water quality

Research aims to develop agriculture and aquaculture farming able to alternate between saline and flood conditions

Formal and informal institutions will ensure impact through the introduction of saline-tolerant rice varieties, a broader saline management system that relies on sluice gates and predictive modelling

Secondary development challenges

Andes (7 small basins) Strategies for Andean communities to adapt to global change

Nile (Egypt) Multiple use of agricultural wastewater in the Delta

Ganges delta The integrated management of groundwater

Mekong The sustainable management of upland agricultural water

Thank you

Alain Vidal, CPWF Directora.vidal@cgiar.org

www.waterandfood.org