In response to a growing demand for high-quality and internationally-comparable statistics, FAO develops, implements and promotes methods and standards to guide national data producers in generating and using sound statistics. In particular, the Organization is committed to provide national statistical systems with internationally recognized definitions, concepts and classifications as well as methodological guidance for the production of high quality statistics related to food and agriculture.
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Abstract: These guidelines are intended to assist countries in understanding the agronomic parameters involved in the computation of the agricultural component of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 6.4.1 on the change in water use efficiency over time. They provide a detailed explanation of the calculation process for calculation by countries willing to generate a more accurate estimation using their national data. The guidelines provide the minimum standard method using an estimated or default value proposed by FAO, as well as the available methodologies to progressively improve the accuracy through a monitoring ladder for countries that have more comprehensive and accurate data on their main crops areas and productions.
Lead authoring unit/office: Land and Water Division (NSL)
Abstract: On the road to Glasgow COP26, FAO Land and Water Division, as coordinator of the UN-Water Expert Group on Water Scarcity, is now releasing a new Brief on Water Use Efficiency (WUE) to advance climate goals through water-energy nexus lens, across all sectors, to ensure sustainable use of freshwater in preventing water scarcity. This Brief provides an analytical basis for water-related policy interventions to implement Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 6.4.1, increasing water-use efficiency across all sectors and addresses: who will benefit from the adoption of water-use efficiency measures? what’s the difference between water efficiency and efficient use?
Lead authoring unit/office: Land and Water Division (NSL)
Abstract: The global indicator on water stress tracks the level of pressure that human activities exert over natural freshwater resources, indicating the environmental sustainability of the use of water resources. A high level of water stress has negative effects on social and economic development, increasing competition and potential conflict among users. This calls for effective supply and demand management policies. Securing environmental flow requirements is essential to maintaining ecosystem health, resilient, and available for future generations. This indicator addresses the environmental component of target 6.4. In this report, you can learn more about the progress on the level of water stress globally, by country, and by major basin. More information and the methodological guidance can be found at: www.fao.org/sustainable-development-goals/ indicators/642 This report is part of a series that tracks progress towards the various targets set out in SDG 6 using the SDG global indicators. To learn more about water and sanitation in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6, visit our website: www.sdg6monitoring.org
Lead authoring unit/office: Land and Water Division (NSL)
Abstract: The global indicator on water-use efficiency tracks to what extent a country’s economic growth is dependent on the use of water resources, and enables policy and decision-makers to target interventions at sectors with high water use and low levels of improved efficiency over time. This indicator addresses the economic component of target 6.4. In this report, you can learn more about the global and country progress on water-use efficiency. More information and methodological guidance can be found at: www.fao.org/sustainable-development-goals/ indicators/641 This report is part of a series that tracks progress towards the various targets set out in SDG 6 using the SDG global indicators. To learn more about water and sanitation in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6, visit our website: www.sdg6monitoring.org
Lead authoring unit/office: Land and Water Division (NSL)
Abstract: 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.
Lead authoring unit/office: Land and Water Division (NSL)
Abstract: This document presents the results of a validation of the version-2 of the WaPOR database, produced by the FRAME consortium partners, eLEAF and VITO. The report summarises the work done by the validation partner (ITC-UTwente) to assess the quality of the new V2 core data components, currently used to estimate and derive agricultural water productivity for Africa and the Near East. WaPOR represents a comprehensive open access data portal that provides information on biomass productivity (with focus on food and agriculture production) and evapotranspiration (evaporative losses and water use) for Africa and the Near East in near real time covering the period from 1 January 2009 to date. WaPOR offers continuous data on a 10-day average basis across Africa and the Near East at three spatial resolutions. The continental level-1 data (250m) cover entire Africa and the Near East (L1). The national level-2 (100m) data cover 21 countries and four river basins (L2). The third level-3 data (30m) cover eight irrigation areas (L3). The quality assessment focused on the core data of the WaPOR database i.e., the evaporative loss components: plant transpiration (T), soil evaporation (E) and interception (I) combined in ETI, the net primary productivity – NPP, the total (TBP) and above ground biomass productivity (AGBP) and reference evapotranspiration – RET.
Lead authoring unit/office: Land and Water Division (NSL)
Abstract: These guidelines are intended to assist countries to participate in the assessment of SDG 6.4.2 on water stress by contributing data and information on environmental flows (EF). These data are necessary for calculation of the SDG 6.4.2 (UNSD, 2017) indicator on water stress, for which countries are required to submit information to FAO who is custodian of this SDG indicator. This guideline provides a minimum standard method, principally based on the Global Environmental Flows Information System (GEFIS), which is accessible via http://eflows.iwmi.org, and is the approach that will be used to generate the country EF data that will make up the global 6.4.2 report. Countries that have more comprehensive and accurate EF data will be able to make use of that data when checking the global dataset produced by FAO and also to add additional details to their Voluntary National report on SDG 6.4.2.
Lead authoring unit/office: Land and Water Division (NSL)
Abstract: This webinar presents the AQUASTAT Programme, the data available and the updated methodology. The annual questionnaire on water and agriculture is also detailed as part of the data collection through the recently established AQUASTAT National Correspondents network. The webinar was recorded as part of a series on Water Accounting organized by the FAO Near East and North Africa Regional Office.
Lead authoring unit/office: Land and Water Division (NSL)
Abstract: Through the UN-Water Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6 (IMI-SDG6), the United Nations seeks to support countries in monitoring water- and sanitation-related issues within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in compiling country data to report on global progress towards SDG 6. This document serves as a step-by-step monitoring methodology for SDG Indicator 6.4.1 "Change in water use efficiency over time". It explains how to monitor the change in water use efficiency over time, including definitions, computational steps, and recommendations on spatial and temporal resolutions. Last updated: July 2019.
Lead authoring unit/office: Land and Water Division (NSL)
Abstract: Through the UN-Water Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6 (IMI-SDG6), the United Nations seeks to support countries in monitoring water- and sanitation-related issues within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in compiling country data to report on global progress towards SDG 6. This document serves as a step-by-step monitoring methodology for SDG Indicator 6.4.2 "Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources". The guidelines intend to assist countries in the assessment on water stress by contributing data on environmental flows (EF) which are necessary for the calculation of SDG 6.4.2, indicator on water stress. Assessing environmental flows improves water management by ensuring a sustainable water supply that meets the needs of people, agriculture, energy, industry and the environment within the limits of availability. Last updated: February 2019.
Lead authoring unit/office: Land and Water Division (NSL)
