CGIAR

For a food-secure future

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
Science for better livelihoods in dry areas

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Water and Food Security International Conference: Water and Food Security in the Dry Areas Water and Food Security in Dry Areas

posted by administrator on Wed, 02/27/2013 - 12:22

 

 

 



International Conference:
Policies for Water and Food Security in the Dry Areas

Cairo, 24-26 June 2013.
 

 

 

Objectives

Sound policies for food security and agricultural water management are critical for national economies – and particularly for dryland areas, where water resources are already scarce, and declining rapidly.

The development of such policies requires an assessment of the current state of knowledge; the lessons learned from R&D programs in different countries; and a better understanding of the inter-relationships between water policies, food security, employment and the environment.

 

  • Theme 1 - Incentives for sustainable and efficient water allocation and management
  • Theme 2 - Interactions between water management, food production & employment opportunities
  • Theme 3 - Policies for enhancing food security

 

Various countries will present lessons learned on these three themes. 

 

The conference will examine the effectiveness of current and alternative water and food policy options, and identify strategies to enhance land and water productivity, food security, employment generation on and livelihoods.

  • Assess the opportunities and risks associated with current water policies and practices
  • Identify trade-offs between different policy objectives (e.g. food security,employment, poverty reduction, environment conservation)
  • Examine the impacts of water policies on food security and employment in agriculture, and identify ways to integrate water policies into programs for sustainable development
  • Share case studies on policies to enhance adopt on of water-saving technologies
  • Promote the use of integrated approaches to increase water productivity in agriculture, and food security in dry areas
     

Who should attend?   

Policy makers, researchers, development agencies, NGOs, donors, and the private sector will share ideas on how to develop more effective policies to improve food security, job creation and water management in dry areas.

 

Call for Papers

We welcome conceptual papers, empirical research, case studies and success stories. Papers should focus on one of the conference’s emerging issues and potential solutions.

Abstracts (maximum 500 words) should be submitted by 20th April 2013, presentation on at the conference, authors will be requested to submit full papers by 15th May 2013.

 

Conference Themes

 

Theme 1 - Incentives for sustainable and Efficient Water Allocation and Management

Policies must improve efficiency in water allocation, and reduce financial and environmental costs of water delivery and use. The conference will explore new approaches (e.g. opportunity cost pricing, consumption-based charges) for creating incentives for efficient use of water; cost-rationalization on policies; and their impacts on productivity, efficiency, food security and environmental sustainability.

 

  •  Farm level incentives for the adoption of water-saving technologies
  • Water-costing policies, criteria for costing, impacts on water use, allocation on and sustainability measuring and valuating agricultural water productivity and its effect on food security and employment
  •  Economic and social feasibility of rainwater harvesting for crop and livestock production
  •  Institutional arrangements for water governance and allocation, performance of water user associations in managing irrigation systems
  •  Gender implications of water scarcity in dry areas, women’s role in water management
  • Institutional reforms to strengthen implementation of water costing schemes.
  •  cross- and intra-sectoral allocation of freshwater
  •  impacts of trade policies on water use and food security
  •  effectiveness of polices to address the risk (vulnerability) of reduced water supply due to climate change

 

Theme 2 - Interactions between water management, Food production & Employment Opportunities

Appropriate water policies can encourage the sustainable expansion of irrigation, creating employment and income opportunities in agriculture. For example, agricultural intensification on (e.g. higher yields, multiple cropping) increases demand for agricultural labor. Irrigation development creates new demand for labor for construction and maintenance of canals, wells, and pumps.

 

This theme will cover:

  • Investments in improved water management, effects on employment, livelihoods, and food security
  • Water use, sustainable growth and development
  • Models exploring linkages between water, food security and employment
  •  The role of energy policies in water management in agriculture

 

Theme 3 - Policies for enhancing food security

Case studies of integrated research approaches, and large-scale food security and

water management projects:

  • Success stories on enhancing national food security
  • Improvements in water allocation and distribution
  • Water charges
  •  water user associations and their roles in systems maintenance and distribution
  •  Improved management for environmental sustainability
  • Equity between upstream and downstream users
  • Adoption of water-efficient technologies
  • Role of women in water management in agriculture

 

Contact:
Conference secretariat: To register or submit an abstract, please contact: CWFDA@cgiar.org

 

 

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