The Global Framework for Action to Cope with Water Scarcity in Agriculture in the Context of Climate Change – in short, the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) - is a Partnership established in April 2017 and hosted by FAO, consisting of government agencies, international organizations, research institutions, advocacy groups and professional/membership organizations.

The Food and Agriculture of the United Nations (FAO) Representation in the Syrian Arab Republic teamed up with the National Agricultural Policy Center (NAPC) and the General Organization of Remote Sensing (GORS) to conduct technical training session on the use of remote sensing technology to evaluate the effect of irrigation on agricultural production.

FAO-RNE in collaboration with the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), has recently activated a NENA Regional Network of field actual Evapotranspiration (Eta) monitoring. The objective of the NENA ET-Network is to build a common understanding and methodology on Eta measurements in the field and through Remote Sensing (RS) for agricultural-related applications.

A vicious cycle of droughts and flooding has trapped Somalia in a difficult situation over the last few years. Prolonged dry spells have all too often been followed by disastrous floods, jeopardizing or even destroying the livelihoods of many already vulnerable rural Somalis.

With the aim to develop knowledge, capacity building and guidance on ways in which water management can be gender transformative and positively influence on food and water security in Myanmar, FAO initiated a project entitled “Gender, Water, and Food Synergies in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals”.

The San Jorge - Charanal sub-basin, located in the district and province of Frías, Piura coastal region, and the Atunmayo - La Peca micro-basin, located in La Peca district, Bagua province, Amazonas region, rainforest area, have serious environmental deterioration problems that affect the capacity to catch and reserve rainwater for productive activities conducted in both places.

The Australian Water Partnership is supporting its partners – the Food and Agriculture Organization and Charles Sturt University – to implement a project seeking to enhance biodiversity services in irrigation systems of Southeast Asia.

This project is part of the Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity launched by FAO in 2013 to support the countries of the NENA region (Near East and North Africa) to address two of their most urgent challenges: food security and water security for sustainable economic and social development in a context of water scarcity.

Livelihoods across a large portion of sub-Saharan Africa are dependent upon rainfed agriculture, with only a small percentage of arable land benefiting from irrigation. Agricultural growth has been constrained by the pressures placed on land through rapid population growth, migration, displacement caused by localized conflict, price volatility, desertification and flooding, among other factors.

Although cholera is endemic in Yemen, the last few years has seen infections spike to a scale not witnessed in living memory. Lack of maintenance of water infrastructure, plus aquifer depletion, are largely to blame.