Website launch for new FAO Land and Water project: “Increasing water productivity for nutrition-sensitive agriculture and improved food security and nutrition”
Good nutrition requires reliable access to safe soil and water for both food production and preparation as well as optimal sanitation and hygiene practices. Yet about one-third of the world’s population currently lives in water-stressed environments. Further, land degradation, water scarcity, flooding and less predictable rainfall patterns due to climate change are expected to undermine the productivity of smallholder farmers and exacerbate growing rates of malnutrition. It is argued that achieving Sustainable Development Goals 2 (end hunger and all forms of malnutrition), 3 (good health and well-being), 6 (clean water and sanitation) and 15 (life on land) will therefore require interdiscplinary strategies that recognize the interconnections among these goals.
Food system transformation through the adoption of sustainable farming practices has the potential to concurently address these four development goals and assist the hundreds of millions of people without adequate access to food or safe water for a healthy life by producing greater, more nutritious foods with less water. Expanded access to crops with high economic value can also lead to improved livelihoods for smallholder farmers and their families.
In this framework, FAO and IFAD aim to further these goals by implementing a three-year project, “Increasing water productivity for nutrition-sensitive agriculture and improved food security and nutrition”, in six pilot countries: Mozambique, Rwanda, Niger, Benin, Egypt and Jordan. The overall objective of the project is to improve dietary quality and diversity through the agricultural production pathway by strengthening the capacity of smallholder farmers to adopt sustainable water, soil, and agronomic management practices. These practices will contribute to increased yields, greater crop diversity, and improved nutrient-density and economic value of harvested crops, which will ultimately lead to expanded incomes and better health outcomes.
The website represents the main “repository” for all information related to the project and its outcomes. It serves as the primary communication channel for increasing awareness about the project and sharing lessons learned from project implementaion.