The Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) at Macfrut 2026 Expo: strengthening partnerships to tackle water scarcity in agriculture

The Macfrut 2026 Expo, held in Rimini, Italy from 21 to 23 April 2026, served as a meeting point for the global fruit and vegetable supply chain. The three-day event brought together producers, technology providers and international buyers, providing a platform to explore applied innovation, build strategic partnerships and create concrete business opportunities from field to table.

The Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) participated in the event with a team composed of Robina Wahaj, Senior Land and Water Officer, Rosaida Dolce, Water and Environment Specialist and George Akoko, Water Management Specialist. During the mission, the team contributed to strengthening collaboration with partners and promoted WASAG’s working groups and task forces, particularly those focused on sustainable agricultural water use and farmer-led irrigation development.

As part of the programme, Robina Wahaj participated in a roundtable discussion during the Governance and Climate Resilience workshop organized by the Land Reclamation Consortium for the Emilia-Romagna Canal (CER, Italy), a partner of WASAG. She presented WASAG and FAO’s global work and technical perspectives on advancing water governance and sustainable agricultural water management, including policy and institutional and technical aspects, the promotion of efficient water-use solutions, climate-resilient irrigation approaches and integrated management of water resources for agriculture.

The WASAG team also held a fruitful meeting with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), focusing on strengthening collaboration through joint initiatives, knowledge exchange and closer alignment of ongoing and future efforts on water scarcity and sustainable agriculture water use.

The participation of WASAG underscored the importance of collective action in addressing water scarcity as one of the most pressing challenges that agriculture faces globally, reaffirming the critical role of partnerships in building resilient and sustainable food systems.