Land & Water

News

12/10/2009
The shrinking of Lake Chad, which is bordered by 4 African countries (Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad), is already an ecological catastrophe but it is fast becoming a very human disaster as well. The 30 million people who live in the...
20/03/2009
Farmers need help to grow more food with less water
20 March 2009, Rome/Istanbul – FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf has called for more attention to be paid to water management in agriculture and for increased support and guidance for farmers in developing countries to tackle water scarcity and the related problem of hunger. “The future of water is in a more...
11/03/2009
The 5th World Water Forum was held in Istanbul, Turkey, from March 16th to 22nd, 2009. A variety of events throughout the week aimed to focus on just one overarching theme: “Bridging Divides for Water”. The main theme of the 5th World Water Forum (WWF5) was Bridging Divides for Water. A...
30/01/2009
Biotechnology tools can play a valuable role in addressing the challenge of water scarcity in developing countries, but many applications of biotechnology relevant to water scarcity have not yet delivered practical solutions to farmers. This was one of the main messages...
21/01/2009
International meeting to prepare for next World Water Forum
21 January 2009, Rome - Delegates from more than 60 countries are meeting in Rome (21-23 January 2009) to continue negotiations on a global plan of action for adapting to global changes that affect how countries manage freshwater resources. The meeting is part of preparations for the 5th World Water Forum,...
14/07/2008
17 December 2008, Sirte, Libya - A three-day pan-African ministerial Conference pledged today to promote water development throughout the continent to fully exploit Africa's agricultural and hydroenergy potential. In a final Declaration, the Conference, on Water for Energy and Agriculture in Africa: the Challenges of Climate Change, noted that water is...
14/07/2008
Water is the lifeblood for the people of Afghanistan, not just for living but also for the economy. The economy has traditionally been dominated by agriculture, which now accounts for over half the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and employs 66% of...
14/07/2008
FAO, IIASA and partners release a new Harmonized World Soil DB
Soil information, from global to local scale, has often been the one missing biophysical information layer, which absence added to the uncertainties of predicting potentials and constraints for food and fibre production. The lack of reliable and harmonized soil data has...
12/05/2008
Interventions for improving livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa
FAO and IFAD have recently produced a report where they argue about the existing potentials for well-targeted, local interventions in water that can contribute to the rapid improvement in the livelihoods of the rural poor in SSA. The same interventions that can...
06/03/2008
Tropical coastal deltas represent one of the most diverse and rapidly changing biophysical regions in the developing world. These deltas are home to large population centers such as Dhaka, Yangon and Bangkok, and are significant centers of agricultural production and industrial development. Coastal deltas also contain critical ecosystems such as...