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Food and Agriculture Organization - FAO
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Water for Food Security
World population will grow from around six billion people today to more than eight billion by 2030. Almost the entire population increase will be in developing countries.
FAO projects that world food production needs to increase by around 60 percent to feed a growing world population.
Rainfed and irrigated agriculture will play a key role in ensuring food security for everybody.
Agriculture is by far the biggest water user, accounting worldwide for about 70 percent of all withdrawals, with industry using some 21 percent and domestic (municipal) about 10 percent. The competition for freshwater will increase.
While there will be no global shortage of water for irrigation, serious water problems will continue to persist in some developing countries and regions. Already several countries of the Near East and North Africa, as well as South and East Asia are using more groundwater than what is currently replenished.
Many of the around 840 million people in the world who still go hungry live in water-scarce regions.
FAO projects that by 2030, one in five developing countries will be suffering actual or impending water scarcity.
Agriculture in developing countries is under pressure to use water more efficiently. Better water management and improved technologies are needed to achieve 'more crop per drop'.
FAO's three basic concerns are:
to produce more food with less water; to protect water quality and the environment, including human health; to close the food consumption and production gap, particularly in Africa.
FAO's water activities include:
water resources inventories and evaluation;
development of a global water information system;
a programme for water policy formulation and river basin planning; improved water use technologies and management tools;
a programme on water development and irrigation expansion;
and water quality control, conservation and environmental effects projects.
Key publications and resources
- Crops and Drops - making the best use of water for agriculture
- World Agriculture: Towards 2015/2030 - Summary Report
- Water and food security country profiles
- Land-water Linkages in Rural Watersheds
- FAO's Land and Water Development Divison
Media contact:
Nick Parsons
Chief, News and Multimedia Service
FAO
Via delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy
Tel: +39-06-5705 32 76
Fax: +39-06-5705 61 67
E-mail: nick.parsons@fao.org
Contact name Erwin Northoff
erwin.northoff@fao.org
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 Atlas of International Freshwater Agreements
An atlas of international freshwater agreements (by the FAO and UNEP), containing an historical overview of international river basin management; a detailed listing of more than 300 international freshwater agreements; and a collection of thematic maps related to the agreements, their content, and the river basins they represent.
Language(s) English |
FAO Forestry Department
FAO Forestry Department is actively engaged in watershed management activities and the development of guidelines and approaches towards sustainable integrated watershed management around the world.
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FAO Newsroom Water Focus
Information about Water and the FAO as well as their activities at the 3rd World Water Forum in Japan.
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International Year of Mountains Web site
The crucial links between mountains, forests and water are the subject of much current debate between FAO and its partners at various levels. A summary of the key issues is outlined in the International Year of Mountains Web site
Language(s) English, French, Spanish Age group All |
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How to get involved?
