Negotiating the waters
Water is a scarce resource, and it will be even scarcer in the future. We drink it, use it to process and cook food, or to cool things down. It is essential in terms of sanitation and hygiene, and even has cultural and ceremonial uses. But agriculture is the biggest user of water, and modern technology has made agriculture even thirstier.
Yet efficient use of water is not only about technologies. This issue of Farming Matters looks at how this finite resource is shared within households, communities, watersheds, countries and regions. It shows practical experiences and background information on how negotiation for water happens in different parts of the world - and how this ensures that water reaches all users.
Farming Matters | 26.3 | September 2010
Table of contents:
-
2 - 2written by Edith van WalsumAs I am writing this editorial, Pakistan is being hit by the most serious floods in 180 years, while Russia suffers from an unprecedented drought. Unequal distribution of water is not new, but the ferocity of fluctuations and contrasts between situations is.
-
3 - 3written by Jorge Chavez-TafurMr Saruni Duya’s eight-acre farm, near the village of Nguruman, in southern Kenya, produces mangos, bananas, cucumbers, and also many different “Asian vegetables”, most of which are meant for the market.
-
4 - 5Water: The need to work together
-
7 - 7Local resources / From the Brazilian GMO campaign / Payment for Environmental Services (1) / Payment for Environmental Services (2) / More to read
-
8 - 9written by Peter LabanWe all use water: we drink it, use it to grow, process and cook food, to make other products and cool things down. Water also plays a key role in conserving nature: ecosystems depend on flows of water. The availability (and quality) of water is of concern to everybody. But different uses and different interests and priorities have led to many tensions, conflicts and scarcities all over the world. Water is a resource we need to care for, nurture, manage and govern. Doing so involves getting everybody around the water table.
-
10 - 13written by Gopal Datt Bhatta , Nilhari NeupaneTraditional water management systems in Nepal have been efficient mechanisms for distributing water. But currently they are threatened by new developments such as migration, or even by development projects. How sustainable are these traditional systems, and can they maintain social capital while promoting greater equity?
-
14 - 17written by Mireille VermeulenInterview > Anuradha Mittal - A recent report from the Oakland Institute shows the important role that the World Bank and its institutions have played in the processes of land acquisition (or land grabs) recently experienced in many countries. In an interview with Farming Matters, its executive director, Anuradha Mittal, questions the role of such institutions and calls for policies which focus on food sovereignty.
-
18 - 20written by Julio TresierraFrom farmers to hydroelectric power stations, the number of downstream water users is large and diverse. But the quantity and quality of the water they receive depends on what is done upstream. Upland communities can now get compensation for their role, following business agreements from which everybody benefits.
-
21 - 21written by Anil GuptaWe have now reached a point in which negotiations to find any common ground for our shared resource use have become so difficult that wars seem the only alternative. Yet, Anil Gupta feels that peace is possible - through shared use patterns, and the creation of frugal cultures that impose an artificial scarcity on those who are used to wasteful resource use.
-
22 - 22written by Mundie SalmIn our June 2005 issue, an article explained how GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems) was being developed to safeguard the world’s most valuable traditional agricultural systems, reflecting rich biodiversity, knowledge systems and cultures. David Boerma, now working on a large GIAHS initiative funded by the German government in Tanzania and Kenya, explains how the concept has moved on since then.
-
23 - 23Solidarity subscriptions / New East African magazine / Our December issue: Partnerships for learning / Readers’ panels
-
24 - 25written by Mourik Bueno de Mesquita , Mamoudou HassaneThe livelihoods of small-scale farmers depend on fair access to water, yet their interests are often not taken into account, nor their voices heard.
-
26 - 28written by Idzenga AukeUsing ram pumps is a simple way of getting water uphill. But, as AIDFI’s work in the Philippines shows, it is crucial to involve all stakeholders in the process of building and installing such pumps. By working closely with villagers and professionals, AIDFI has helped to increase the availability of water in many villages, and is now also working in other countries.
-
29 - 29written by Mundie SalmWhen Project WET first began in north central United States in 1984, it aimed to find tools to explain about groundwater processes to schools and communities. Now, 25 years later, the centre produces a wide variety of water resource materials and training programmes for educators in over 50 countries. Sandra DeYonge, Vice President of publications, explains the universality of teaching this subject: “Regardless of culture or geography, one thing that connects us all is water!”
-
30 - 31written by ILEIA editorial teamNew books from Institute of Development Studies, Greenpeace International, Earthscan and others
-
32 - 35written by Barbara van KoppenWater is generally taken from different sources, and used for multiple purposes. The multiple-use water services approach, MUS, contrasts sharply with the sectoral divides that are common within the water sector, which view domestic use, irrigation and sanitation in isolation rather than as a whole. Pilot projects in different parts of the world show the many advantages of integrating multiple uses and priorities.
-
36 - 37Managing a scarce resource such as water requires innovative practices, and collaboration and coordination at different levels. These are some of the many interesting examples we have found from different parts of the world.
-
38 - 38written by ILEIA editorial teamThe March 2011 issue of Farming Matters will look at the specific role which youngsters play in family farming.
-
39 - 39written by Abraham Haile MehariThis issue of Farming Matters contains many examples of people working together to manage their water resources in an efficient way. The message is important. We live in a world where the pressure on water resources is growing and where many of the surface water resources are overcommitted. Yet there are still many opportunities that are not utilised. It is this gap between crisis and opportunities that should concern us.
-
40 - 41written by Frank van SchoubroeckA large percentage of the country is below sea level. Keeping the land dry requires a comprehensive system of dykes and dams, which have made Holland famous. But water management is also based on traditional governance structures. While the Dutch water boards are centuries old, they still have the responsibility for preventing floods.
-
42 - 43Do markets work for small-scale farmers? HIVOS and IIED are planning a series of provocative seminars, to take place over the coming months, in order to encourage a debate on the policy priorities and practices around this controversial issue.
-
44 - 44Back cover photo
-
1 - 1Cover photo
Print this