Water governance

Water governance refers to the policies, institutions, legal frameworks, financial mechanisms and decision-making processes that shape how water resources are managed and protected. Its primary goal is to ensure the sustainability of water systems by promoting responsible use, thereby maximizing the benefits derived from water for agriculture, food security, livelihoods and ecosystems, for current and future generations. Stronger water governance enables more transparent, equitable and efficient allocation of water resources.

Within the FAO Strategic Framework 2022–2031, governance is recognized as a cross-cutting accelerator for transforming agrifood systems. This transformation requires stronger, more transparent and accountable institutions, including adaptive and effective regulatory frameworks. These are required both within and outside agrifood systems, as governance shapes the links between agrifood systems and other sectors.

FAO’s work in water governance builds on the guidance provided by the Committee on Agriculture (COAG) in 2014 in Water Governance for Agriculture and Food Security, and it is now framed within the broader Conceptual Framework for Integrated Land and Water Resources Management.

The Conceptual Framework recognizes good governance as a foundational condition for sustainable, inclusive and resilient agrifood systems. It also promotes integrated, cross-sectoral and multiscale governance approaches that support coherent policy development, equitable access to resources and evidence-based decision-making under increasing water scarcity and climate risks.