土地与水资源

"Accounting livestock water productivity: How and why?". Discover the new FAO Land & Water Discussion Paper!


Opportunities for quality food and the productive use of water and other resources to nourish and benefit the poor, as well as society as a whole, exist, but need to be well integrated into policy and development actions. Based on current trends, there is a need to harness the potential of water resources through a combination of efforts, such us improved coordination in the management of water across sectors to make better use of water resources in-line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

More than one fourth of the global population lives in countries experiencing high water stress, and the prospect of facing severe water scarcity at least one month a year is still a major challenge for many people worldwide. Persistent and severe droughts, exacerbated by climate change, cause increasingly serious water shortages in rainfed agriculture, posing a higher risk to the livelihoods of rural people, and ultimately resulting in reduced crop yields and livestock production. Increased coherence across all strategies which target the different sectors was recently noted by FAO Director-General QU Dongyou, in view of catalysing action for SDGs 2 and 6.4. He also highlighted how incentives can be a key element to promote water productivity and ecosystem protection. 

Since no “one-size-fits-all” approach exists to address water shortages and scarcity, solutions can only be context-specific by taking into account the different characteristics and challenges faced by countries at local level and in given periods of the year.

Improving water productivity in feed and animal production can ease pressure on water resources and therefore be an opportunity for increased food security and nutrition.

The Discussion Paper “Accounting livestock water productivity: How and why?" is the result of a renewed collaboration between the Land and Water Division and the Animal Production and Health Division of FAO. It presents the results of a review of livestock water productivity studies conducted to identify best practices in specific contexts and, highlight opportunities which increase consistency in methodologies on water productivity further. While the paper reveals opportunities for methodology development, it also discovers that the water productivity approach presents key opportunities to shape strategies for sustainable water management and nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices at producer level. As such, these strategies have major co-benefits with climate and can bring hand-in-hand policies on food security and climate change.

Download the publication here