Blue Paper.pmd

Through a process of research synthesis, review, and dialogue, the Assessment is bringing together scientists from over 90 institutes worldwide with policymakers, development professionals, and water users. The results of this process will enable farming communities, governments and donors to make better-quality water decisions in the near future and over the next 25 years. Partners: The Comprehensive Assessment is an initiative of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), convened by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). It is made possible through support from the governments of Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Japan and Austria; FAO, the OPEC fund, the Rockefeller Foundation. New partners are welcome. More information about how you and your organization can participate in the Assessment process is available on our website or you can contact us at the address given below. Mailing Address: PO Box 2075, Colombo, Sri Lanka Tel. : 94-11-2787404, 2784080 Fax. : 94-11-2786854 E-mail : comp.assessment@cgiar.org Website: http://www.iwmi.org/assessment The Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture takes stock of the costs, benefits, and impacts of the past 50 years of water development for agriculture, the water management challenges communities are facing today, and teh solutions people have developed. The results of the Assessment will enable farming communities, governments and donors to make better-quality investment and management decisions in the near future and over the next 25 years. Investing in Water for Food, Ecosystems and Livelihoods Sustainably meeting the food and livelihood needs of a growing population will require some very difficult choices about how water is developed and managed in the next 25 years. More food will be necessary, and more food translates into more water for agriculture. More water for agriculture will in many cases mean less for the environment. So how do you manage water for food and the environment? And how do you do so in a way that also reduces poverty? In the following pages we review several policy and water investment options-along with their livelihood and environmental implications. This paper presents issues being addressed by the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, an international research program that brings together scientists, development professionals and stakeholders from around the world. This is the first time science has been focused at this level and intensity on answering questions related to water, agriculture, poverty and environmental conservation. The Assessment is at the mid-way mark and won't be complete until 2006, but already we have evidence to suggest which approaches are the most promising. Our intention in sharing these preliminary findings is to raise awareness that water in agriculture is a pressing issue, that business as usual is not an option, and that there are potential solutions, but they are not necessarily the ones that have received the most attention. How much water do we need to feed people? By 2025, there will be an estimated 2 billion more people to feed. Growing more food means using more water. To produce one kilogram of grain, plants must transform between 500 and 4000 liters of water-depending on the type of crop, the climate, and water and land management practicesinto vapor through the process of evapotranspiration (ET) (see table 1). Depending on their diet and where their food is grown, each person is responsible for the conversion of 2000 to 5000 liters of liquid water to vapor each day. The daily amount of water we drink (2 to 5 liters) and use for washing, sanitation, and other household tasks (50 to 200 liters per person) seems insignificant when compared to the amount of water we eat