Reference material

Third World Water Forum

FAO has been actively involved in the organization of several major events that took place during the Third World Water Forum held in Kyoto, Japan, March 2003. Several of the background documents presented during the forum were prepared and funded in co-operation with the Japanese Government through project GCP/INT/861/JPN, notably:

	Unlocking the water potential of agriculture - Discussion paper
	Unlocking the water potential of agriculture - CD-ROM
	Unlocking the water potential of agriculture - Fact sheet
	Issue paper for the Ministerial meeting on Water for Food and Agriculture - Prepared jointly by FAO and the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
	Draft version of the Ministerial Recommendation - Finalised and adapted during the Agricultural Ministers Meeting, coordinated by FAO and the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Fifth World Water Forum

During the Fifth World Water Forum FAO coordinated three sessions on the Multiple Uses and Function of water services. Using the same water or infrastructure for multiple uses and functions is a local practice largely spread. This multiplies the benefits to people and community. The first session discussed the context in which these practices appear - livelihood, irrigation, domestic systems, hydro-power and ecosystems services - and the associated cost-benefits. The second session focused on bridging the gap between different water sectors to develop comprehensive strategies on multi-services to provide more water services and benefits to people at lower costs. The third session was a wrap up session to take the findings of the first two sessions to the political level. A summary of the session is given in the document More MDGs per drop.

Institutional mapping

Institutional mapping consists of assessing the different roles and responsibilities of institutions dealing with the management of irrigation and drainage of paddy cultivation systems and the interactions among them. The institutional mapping for the ESPIM-project is carried out in co-operation with the International Programme for Technology and Research in Irrigation and Drainage (IPTRID). The institutional settings in the different countries are evaluated by applying the IPTRID capacity needs assessment guidelines, that include the following aspects:

• Roles, functions and responsibilities of the institution;
• Organizational structure;
• Financial resources;
• Human resources and level of expertise;
• Interactions among the institutions.

Institutional mapping of irrigated agriculture in relation to paddy rice production systems under a monsoon regime has been carried out for three different countries:

	The Kingdom of Cambodia
	The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
	The Kingdom of Thailand

Environmental implications of water saving techniques in China

Due to water scarcity in China, water saving techniques are widely adopted in irrigated rice areas in the southern and central provinces of China. Measures include, among others, canal lining, volumetric charging of water, and drainage water reuse. The Zhanghe Irrigation System, a large rice-based irrigation system located in Hubei in the central of China, is a good example where water saving irrigation techniques for paddy rice are implemented. The use of water saving techniques in the Zhanghe Irrigation System led to a sharp improvement in water use efficiency without negative effects on yields and production. However, the environmental effects of these techniques have not been well documented. The Wuhan university, in co-operation with FAO-RAP and the ESPIM project, did an assessment to document and evaluate the environmental effects of water saving techniques in the Zhanghe Irrigation System.

Study on Environmental Implication of Water Saving Irrigation in Zhanghe Irrigation System