Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

Dr Amanullah left almost nothing for others to add. He has listed almost every possible intervention that we can think of for saving water in agriculture. I will mention couple of that may help us on both water saving and climate change.

1. Rethinking Farming Systems. Need to adapt our farm planning to the changing climate. Crops that need less water and can tolerate medium to long term droughts be made part of crop rotations. Like Sisal crop that many African countries are growing fore several decades is now also being Introduced in China and other Asian countries.

2. Rebuilding Soils. In most of the developing countries, organic matter in agricultural lands have declined to alarming levels.  Improving farm biodiversity together with mulching, composting particularly vermi-composting can enhance water holding capacity of soils.

3. Redesigning Irrigation Methods. With declining supplies of irrigation water, it doesn't make sense to continue with irrigation methods like flood irrigation. Farmers have to develop indigenous, innovative and low cost more efficient irrigation systems.  

Dr Shahid Zia

RBDC, Pakistan