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Activities

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Here you will find current project activities focused on different aspects of water resources monitoring, all variously employing AQUASTAT data. The projects featured here are carried out by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership and with support of national authorities (WaPOR and KnoWat) or international bodies (GEMI).

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This section also includes workshps and other capacity development activities in the field of water monitoring and water agricultural management which are an important component of the AQUASTAT commitment to maximizing the quality and international comparability of the data.

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Coping with water scarcity: The role of agriculture - Phase 1

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Background

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\"Italian

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Today’s agriculture uses 70 per cent of all fresh water withdrawals globally, and up to 95 per cent in several developing countries, to meet the present food demand. Moreover, to keep up with growing food demand and shifting diets within the next 30 years, FAO estimates that the effective irrigated area will need to increase by 34 per cent in developing countries, and 14 per cent extra water to be withdrawn for agricultural purposes. It should also be remembered that currently irrigated agriculture provides an estimated 40 per cent of the global food supply on 20 per cent of cultivated land. However, these figures might change dramatically if large scale production of biofuels enters into the picture.

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Historically, large-scale water development projects have played a major role in ensuring food supply for a rapidly growing population, and in contributing to poverty alleviation by providing food security, protection from flooding and drought, and expanded opportunities for employment. In many cases, irrigated agriculture has been a major engine for economic growth and poverty reduction.

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In arid and semi-arid regions, where water scarcity is almost endemic, groundwater has played a major role in meeting domestic and irrigation demands. In many regions, massive use of groundwater has been practised for some time for irrigation. However, groundwater mining and the lack of adequate planning, legal frameworks and governance have opened a new debate on the sustainability of the intensive use of groundwater resources.

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Most countries in the Near East and North Africa suffer from severe water scarcity, as do countries such as Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, and large parts of China and India. Irrigated agriculture, which represents the bulk of the demand for water in these countries, is also usually the first sector affected by water shortage and increased scarcity, resulting in a decreased capacity to maintain per capita food production while meeting water needs for domestic, industrial and environmental purposes. It is expected that the areas suffering from severe water scarcity will increase under the influence of a changing climate due to global warming.

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The conceptual framework

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Future policy decisions will increasingly need to reflect the tight linkage between water and food security, and be based on a clear understanding of opportunities and trade-offs in managing water for agricultural production. During an expert consultation, more than 30 experts from different countries, institutions and professional background were asked to provide recommendations on a range of technical and policy options that FAO should promote as an agriculture response to water scarcity in member countries.

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On the basis of this consultation, a conceptual and action framework was developed to help member countries in addressing the question of food security under conditions of water scarcity. The main elements of this framework are represented in a report that reviews a series of policy and technical options, and assesses the scope for adjustment in agricultural water use. The report also establishes a set of principles which should serve as a basis for the development of effective food security policies in response to growing water scarcity.

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WaPOR - Using Remote Sensing in support of solutions to reduce water productivity gaps

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\"Ministry

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FAO has developed, with the support of the government of the Netherlands, an open access, near real time database using satellite data. The geospatial layers provided allow the monitoring of water productivity and a wide range of applications that can benefit stakeholders from farmers to basin managers, to policy-makers, contributing to a better and more informed use of water resources and a sustainable increase in agricultural production.

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In its second phase now since January 2021, for a period of 5 years, the project will continue providing data with an expanded coverage and will respond to the growing demand for practical applications by operating in 10 countries where the project components will be executed.

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Project components

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The activities of WaPOR phase 2 center around 3 components:

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Find out more about WaPOR data by watching this short video, reading the project flyer and by exploring the WaPOR website as well as the WaPOR portal.

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WaPOR data can also be accessed through the AQUAMAPS portal, AQUASTAT’s online geospatial database on water and agriculture.

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To learn more about the uses of WaPOR data, browse through the WaPOR applications catalogue.

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KnoWat – Knowing Water better

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Towards a more equitable and sustainable access to natural resources to achieve food security

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\"Federal

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Overview

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All around the world, countries are struggling to adapt their agriculture and food systems to conditions of water scarcity, climate change and increased competition between users. According to the actual trends and projections, water scarcity is expected to increase. Particularly smallholders are the most vulnerable to changes in water access and availability. A strengthened focus on water governance for agriculture and food security is therefore crucial to address water scarcity in a changing climate.

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In this context, FAO, with the support of the Federal Government of Germany, is implementing the project “KnoWat - Knowing Water better” to strengthen water governance processes in Rwanda, Senegal and Sri Lanka, as pilot countries.

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Objectives

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The water resources assessment will focus on different aspects according to the country:

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In Rwanda, several scenarios of water allocation will be explored in the context of increasing competition among water users. In Sri Lanka the assessment will dig into issues such as environmental protection and economic growth and will analyze the different strategies to manage water in a more sustainable manner. In Senegal the project will seek to better understand the interlinkages between water and land.

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Outcomes

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Tools and methods

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In order to undertake the water resources assessment and to evaluate water management and allocation options, the project builds on the following tools and methods to which it will also contribute with new data and information:

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The assessment of water tenure, including the legal, institutional and policy frameworks will be instrumental in updating the AQUASTAT country profiles. The strengthened capacities on water accounting, auditing and tenure assessment will enable the countries to generate up-to-date information on agricultural water management which will inform decision-making at local and national levels, as well as global information systems such as AQUASTAT.

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For more information on the KnoWat project, check out the new website at http://www.fao.org/in-action/knowat/en/

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Project Coordinator
\nBenjamin Kiersch,
\nbenjamin.kiersch@fao.org

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IMI-SDG6: Monitoring Target 6.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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\"UN

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In September 2015, heads of state from all around the world gathered in New York to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, an ambitious plan of action for people, planet and prosperity, comprised of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It includes a dedicated goal on water and sanitation (SDG 6) that sets out to \"ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all\".

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The UN-Water Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6 - IMI-SDG6 brings together the United Nations organizations that are formally mandated to compile country data on the SDG 6 global indicators, and builds on ongoing efforts such as the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP), Global Environment Monitoring System for Water (GEMS/Water), FAO’s Global Information System on Water and Agriculture (AQUASTAT) and UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS).

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JMP and GLAAS were already tracking progress for drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (SDG targets 6.1 and 6.2, and part of 6.a and 6.b), but the many initiatives that monitored different aspects of the management of water, wastewater and ecosystem resources (SDG targets 6.3 to 6.6) lacked a coherent global mechanism. To meet this need, IMI-SDG6 was established in 2014 as an inter-agency initiative composed of FAO, UNECE, UN Environment, UN-Habitat, UNICEF, UNESCO, WHO and WMO.

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The focus of IMI-SDG6 is to integrate and expand existing monitoring efforts on wastewater treatment and water quality (6.3.2), water use (6.4.1) and scarcity (6.4.2), integrated water resources management (6.5.1) including transboundary cooperation (6.5.2) and water-related ecosystems (6.6.1). Since these indicators are new at the global scale, they are associated with a great need for awareness raising and capacity building at all levels.

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As a partner of the IMI-SDG6 initiative, FAO is the custodian agency for the monitoring of SDG Target 6.4 that aims at: \"By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity\". Two indicators were formulated to monitor this target:

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The monitoring of Target 6.4 relies largely on the data, the guidelines and the methodologies developed and provided by AQUASTAT.

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Moreover, while WHO and UN-Habitat are the custodian agencies for Target 6.3, also that target relies largely on AQUASTAT data, especially with regards to wastewater production, collection, treatment, use and discharge.

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Information, including methodological aspects related to the indicators of Target 6.4 for which FAO is the custodian agency can be found at the dedicated website.

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More information on IMI-SDG6 can be found in the Integrated monitoring initiative for SDG 6 web page.

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Coping with water scarcity: The role of agriculture - Phase 2

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Developing national Water Audits on Africa

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\"Italian

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A Water Audit is one of the tools recommended in the action framework (Phase 1) that can be applied on country or basin level. It provides a country administration or a river basin organization with a comprehensive methodology for assessing, analysing and reporting of the use of scarce water resources. On the supply side, the audit provides information about the water availability. On the demand side, it gives a detailed picture, on how the water is used, for which purpose, and with which value. A detailed assessment of agricultural water use, including its productivity, its value-in-use, and its efficiency during the water use process, gives countries handles to adapt water policies and improve water management plans for the future through strategic interventions to increase their capacity to cope with water scarcity.

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The expected outcome of the Water Audit is the development of a tailor made set of tools to assess the status of available water resources and their use, which will provide a sound basis for decision making regarding possible interventions for improved water management in general, and dealing with the agricultural component of water scarcity in particular.

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The outputs supporting the above mentioned outcome include, for each basin, a study on the current and projected surface water and groundwater resources availability and demand. This study will lead to a comprehensive report that forms the basis for future country water management and water policy to cope with water scarcity, and a summary report with a compilation of key options for decision makers. This output consists of the following components:

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Component 1

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An updated land and water resources database, supported by adequately performing water data processing and GIS software and hardware, with personnel trained in its operation and maintenance. This output is a prerequisite for most other activities of the project. It will contain geo-referenced time series on rainfall, river discharges and groundwater levels, base-line information including meteorological and (geo-) hydrological maps, soil maps, land use and land cover maps, irrigation maps, agricultural and gender disaggregated social statistics.

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Component 2

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A study examining trends of meteorological records, river discharges and ground water levels, providing insight in the extent to which water availability depends of variations in climate. The study includes also an assessment of the performance and effectiveness of the existing water monitoring networks with a view to possible network improvement and rationalization.

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Component 3

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A water use study for the area, that will include all water use sectors, but the major effort will address agricultural water use assessment. The agricultural water use assessment will involve analyses of the water supply and demand on different spatial scales including field level, scheme level and national level. This component involves several field campaigns to assess the dynamics of water productivity (including yield gap analyses for both irrigated and rainfed agriculture) and water use efficiency at different segments of the agricultural production process.

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Component 4

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A review on social, political and institutional factors that influence access to water and water services for men and women of different social groups. This review goes beyond the water sector and aims at understanding the dynamics of decision making that influences water management in general and water scarcity in particular. It should provide insight in the (un)equity of water supply and information on the effectiveness of water related legislation and policies. The availability of this document will give insight in the reasons for the existing water management situation and the avenues open for policy review.

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Component 5

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A spatially distributed water accounting tool, linked to the database (component 1), applied for water resources scenarios including a users' manual and personnel trained in its operation. This output will provide the information needed to evaluate the implications of changes in boundary conditions (population, climate and trade) for the performance of the existing and projected future water management infrastructure.

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Component 6

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Based on the components mentioned above, a comprehensive report will be written that forms the basis for future water management and water policy. A summary will be drawn from the comprehensive report that contains a compilation of key policy options for decision makers to address water scarcity and agricultural water management.

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Countries/River Basins

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1. Awash Basin Water Audit [Ethiopia]

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Awash River basin is the most developed river basin in Ethiopia: home to more than 12 million people, it covers about 100,000 km² ranging from 4,000 meters’ altitude of central highlands to the Rift Valley depressions at the border with Djibouti. The Italian funded project “Strengthening national water monitoring capacities, with emphasis on agricultural water management” (GCP/GLO/207/ITA)had made a pilot survey of water use in the upper Awash, which served as a basis for a methodology and a comprehensive survey of irrigation schemes carried on within the current Water Audit project. While about 1,750 irrigation schemes were expected to be covered in the survey, the project has managed to collect data on more than 2,100 irrigation schemes of all scales in Awash Basin. The project will come up with reasonably accurate information on actual irrigated areas and agricultural water uses, and make water balance studies, including other sectoral water uses.

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Project activities for the “Water Audit for Ethiopia” project are supervised by a Project Steering Committee (PSC) composed of members of Ministry of Water and Energy involved in the project, Awash Basin Authority, National Meteorological Agency, relevant departments of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development. In order to assure sustainability of the project, the Water Audit is executed in close cooperation with institutions at federal (MoWE, MoAR), regional (Regional Water and Agriculture Bureaus) and basin level (River Basin Authorities)

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2. Cubango-Okavango River Basin Water Audit [Angola, Botswana, Namibia]

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The Cubango-Okavango is one of the last near pristine aquatic ecosystems on the African continent, and indeed on earth. Home to 600,000 people in many ethnic groups and a noted destination for visitors from many countries, hosts one of the biggest Ramsar designated wetlands sites (the delta area). FAO has been providing support to the Permanent Okavango River Basin Commission (OKACOM) through implementation of the GEF funded EPSMO project (2000-2012) A basin water audit has been identified as a priority by riparian countries and SADC. The purpose of the audit would be to provide the Okavango river basin commission (OKACOM) with a comprehensive methodology for assessing, analysing and reporting of the use of water resources,that can be applied with regular intervals to monitor the state of a countries’ water resource base.

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The project builds on the work of the GEF funded Transboundary Diagnostic Assessment of the Okavango basin, and the national water accounting initiative that has been launched at country level by SADC. For Namibia and Botswana also national water accounts are available. On the basis of available information, indicators will be developed that describe the status of the water resource base and its use. In particular the audit will make use of integrated flow analysis carried out for the recently completed GEF TDA exercise and provide a key tool for monitoring implementation of the proposed Strategic Action Programme for the basin, also to be part-financed by the GEF.

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Workshops

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National training workshop on SDG 6.4 for Oman

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Muscat, Oman, 01/12/2019 - 05/12/2019

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FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture of Oman organized a national workshop to present the SDGs of which FAO is custodian agency as well as their respective data requirements. The purpose of this training was to lead the water session of the FAO-Oman national workshop on SDG indicators – SDG 6.4, bringing together the SDG methodology and data requirements from the GEMI project with the questionnaire and data management from AQUASTAT.

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Specific objectives of the workshop:

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Countries represented: Oman

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Sub-regional workshop on monitoring the SDG 6.4. indicators in Eastern Africa

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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 15/10/2019 - 18/10/2019

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In Addis Ababa, FAO provided a training on monitoring Sustainable Development Goal 6.4 indicators\nas part of its ongoing efforts to support countries in the area for making their water use in agriculture more efficient, equitable, and environmentally friendly. This training was designed to enhance the knowledge and experience in collecting and reporting water data and, in particular, analyzing the SDG 6.4.1 and 6.42 indicators on water-use efficiency and water stress.

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Specific objectives of the workshop:

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Countries represented: Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia\n, Kenya\n, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan\nand Uganda

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Sub-regional workshop on monitoring the SDG 6.4. indicators in Central Asia

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Almaty, Kazakhstan, 08/10/2019 - 10/10/2019

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The workshop was conceived in the framework of the ESCAP project \"Strengthening research and studies for improved quality of SDG statistics in Central Asia\", funded by the Russian Federation, which aims to strengthen the capacity of the countries of Central Asia to produce data for priority SDG indicators. In this framework UNESCAP, in collaboration with FAO, organized this workshop on water-use efficiency and water stress indicators for the countries of Central Asia. The objective of the workshop was to build the technical capacity of participants to compile SDG indicators 6.4.1 and 6.4.2 and report them at the national and international levels. It was designed for staff members including AQUASTAT National Correspondents, of national statistical offices and ministries responsible for the national compilation of indicators 6.4.1 and 6.4.2

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Specific objectives of the workshop:

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Countries represented: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

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Sub-regional workshop on monitoring the SDG 6.4. indicators in Southern Africa

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Gaborone, Botswana, 02/04/2019 - 04/04/2019

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This workshop was organized merging the SDG methodology and data requirements from the GEMI project and the AQUASTAT methodology on data collection and management to support Member States in achieving and monitoring SDG 6.4 indicators. This was the first joint workshop where the GEMI project and AQUASTAT worked together to integrate the SDG presentations and exercises with the AQUASTAT database and questionnaire.

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Specific objectives of the workshop:

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Countries represented: Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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2nd AQUASTAT workshop - Launching the National Correspondents Network

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Bari, Italy, 04/12/2018 - 06/12/2018

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This workshop represented the second opportunity for FAO-CBL technical team to discuss both the AQUASTAT database and the related questionnaire, as well as an occasion to familiarize with the SDG 6.4 target, in particular with its two indicators 6.4.1 on water use efficiency and 6.4.2 on water stress. This 2nd workshop gathered a new group of AQUASTAT national correspondents, most of them invited among those that compiled the questionnaire.

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Specific objectives of the workshop:

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Countries represented: Bahrain, Canada, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Palestine, Slovenia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Viet Nam.

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1st pilot AQUASTAT workshop - Launching the National Correspondents Network

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Bari, Italy, 25/06/2018 - 28/06/2018

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The workshop represented the first opportunity to discuss with the National Correspondents both content and format of the AQUASTAT questionnaire, the data collection process and its challenges. Participants shared their opinions, experiences and different approaches for data collection, which helped the AQUASTAT Programme to streamline the process for data acquisition and to improve the database content itself. The first pilot AQUASTAT Workshop gathered national correspondents from all over the world as well as international experts in water related domains, CIHEAM-IAM Bari and FAO-CBL technical teams.

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Specific objectives of the workshop:

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Countries represented: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Croatia, Egypt, Hungary, Italy, Jordan, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

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International Organizations: IWMI, LUKE, OECD, Eurostat and UNSD.

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Workshops to which AQUASTAT participated

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