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In the face of increasing global food demand and climate variability, effective and efficient water management for agriculture is becoming crucial. Irrigation plays a vital role in ensuring food security, supporting livelihoods, and enabling sustainable development, particularly in regions where rainfall is insufficient or unpredictable. However, irrigation expansion is limited by the decreasing water availability.
Countries adopt different strategies to ensure food security while addressing limited water availability. These strategies include coordinated or decentralized irrigation expansion, selection of priority crops, identification of acceptable trade-offs between water use and agricultural output, improving water use efficiency and increasing crop water productivity. The aim is to meet water demand without compromising the fundamental sustainability objectives. However, the strategy chosen to achieve this objective depends on several factors.
To support countries in the process, the Land and Water Division of FAO has embarked into a new initiative to map irrigation potential and needs (IRMA), thus setting directions for irrigation planning and development. The approach introduces a multi-criteria framework to assess the potential and needs of irrigation to serve sustainable and long-term food security.
The event aims to present the IRMA approach and its application in a number of countries. It provides an overview of the approach, its different components, its results at global and country levels, and aims to initiate a discussion on how results can be used. |
PROGRAMME (CET) | 15.00 – 15.05
Opening remarks
by Land and Water Division Director/Deputy Director, FAO
15.05 – 15.15
Setting the scene: the Irrigation Potential and Needs Mapping (IRMA) Initiative
by Maher Salman, Senior Land and Water Officer, Agricultural Water Management Team Lead, Land and Water Division, FAO
15.15 – 15.25
The schematic overview of the IRMA approach
by Eva Pek, Land and Water Officer, Land and Water Division, FAO
15.25 – 15.40
Mapping existing irrigated and rainfed areas – Global and country perspective
by Paolo D’Odorico and Blair Jones, University of California, Berkeley
15.40 – 15.55
Biophysical suitability: unlocking the irrigation potential
by Maria Cristina Rulli, Politecnico di Milano
15.55 – 16.10
Needs and benefit criteria
by Camilla Simongini, Water management specialist, Land and Water Division, FAO
16.10 – 16.20
The IRMA platform: building the IRMA online tool for global and country visualization
by Gianluca Franceschini, Information Technology Officer, Digital FAO and Agro-Informatics Division, FAO
16.20 – 16.30
Q&A session
16.30
Closing | |
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