FAO calls attention to the vital role of water in agriculture

This year's World Food Day theme, "Water: source of food security", points to the essential role of water in food production for a world population expected to reach eight billion by 2030.

Each year on the anniversary of its founding, 16 Oct., 1945, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) draws attention to the problem of hunger and malnutrition in the world.

World Food Day 2002 will be marked by a ceremony at FAO Headquarters in Rome, featuring a keynote address by President Hugo Chavez Frmas of Venezuela, a message from Pope John Paul II, and speeches by FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf and Italy's Minister of Agricultural and Forestry Policies Gianni Alemanno, FAO said in a statement.

Speakers will highlight the importance of better water management practices in agriculture production. Agriculture uses about 70 percent of all freshwater withdrawn from the earth. More and more water will be used for irrigation, as world food production increases to feed a growing population. Water used for agriculture must be managed wisely. An FAO study of 93 developing countries indicates that some water-scarce nations are already withdrawing water supplies faster than they can be renewed. Ten countries are already in a critical state, according to FAO.

At the FAO headquarters' ceremony, Director-General Jacques Diouf will award the World Food Day 2002 medal to the winners of a schools' poster competition, organized by the UN Women's Guild. Earlier in the day, upon the arrival of President Chavez, Diouf and his guest will water an olive tree on FAO's premises to symbolize the importance of this year's World Food Day theme.

The Director-General will appoint several new goodwill ambassadors to work with FAO's campaign against hunger. Famous soccer player Roberto Baggio (Italy) and Olympic athletics champion Debbie Ferguson (Bahamas) will be the first celebrities from the world of sports to be appointed FAO Ambassadors. In a move that will bring the number of goodwill ambassadors to 15, the Director-General will also appoint American singer Dionne Warwick, Italian artist Massimo Ranieri and the Associazione Nazionale Italiana Cantanti. This is a soccer team that includes renowned Italian singers acting in a benevolent capacity. FAO currently has ten Ambassadors: Nobel Prize winner Rita Levi Montalcini, singers Magida Al Roumi, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Al Bano Carrisi, Gilberto Gil, Mory Kanti, Miriam Makeba and Youssou N'Dour, actresses Gong Li and Gina Lollobrigida.

This year, World Food Day 2002 will have a special dimension as FAO joins with the international community to promote the sustainable use and management of water as an essential global resource. In more than 150 countries, there will be events marking the World Food Day 2002.

Non governmental organizations will meet at FAO to discuss the problem of water scarcity in food production. This meeting is sponsored by FAO and the Italian Association of NGOs.

Meanwhile, FAO Assistant Director-General Louise Fresco said that irrigated crop production is set to increase by more than 80 percent by 2030 to meet the future demand for food in developing countries.

"An increase by 80 percent can never be met with an increase of 80 percent more water", said Fresco said in her remarks at a ceremony in Rome in March where FAO and the World Meteorology Organization for the first time received the "Water and Agriculture Prize" from the Italian government.

"With the growing competition for water from other sectors and the strongly increased costs in the development of new water sources, it is estimated that only 12 percent more water can be made available for agriculture, Agriculture needs to become more productive and needs to produce more crop per drop," Fresco said.

The great global challenge for the coming years will be how to produce more food with less water, Fresco said.

"Under irrigated crop production, substantial scope is still available to increase water productivity. It is expected that through further advances in agricultural research and the development of more performing varieties, the yield per unit of irrigated land will be further increased by at least 35 percent, from the present 3.8 ton/ha to 5.2 ton/ha. Moreover, the introduction of more efficient irrigation technologies, such as drip and sprinkler irrigation, will considerably reduce present losses. Irrigation methods should become more effective to increase water efficiency."

Under rainfed conditions, water harvesting techniques, the preservation of soil moisture through conservation farming and the adoption of drought resistant and drought tolerant crops, give adequate scope to increase crop water productivity, Fresco said.

"Biotechnology is one of the new techniques that can play an innovative role in this, in particular in identifying key characteristics in drought resistance and other drought characteristics for rainfed crops," she said.

The development and adoption of innovative water technologies will require investments and supporting research activities in irrigation, drainage and water conservation techniques as well as adequate support to farmers to adopt such new water control technologies.

Ms. Fresco said reform of national water policies, secure water rights and water access for all users was needed to achieve effective water management. Capacity building and training will create the local institutions and organizations that need to be established to insure equal access of all to safe and clean water for drinking as well as food production and income, she said. (Food and Agriculture Organization)