FO:AFWC/2004/5

AFRICAN FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION

FOURTEENTH SESSION

Accra, Ghana, 18-21 February 2004

FORESTS AND WATER IN AFRICA: THEIR LINKS WITH FOOD SECURITY AND POVERTY REDUCTION

Secretariat Note

INTRODUCTION

1. Degradation of natural resources is a significant constraint to sustainable agricultural development in many developing countries. In particular, water scarcity is a major threat to achieving food security and reducing poverty. Better water management, therefore, is critical to reaching international targets to halve the proportion of people without access to drinking water by 2015.

2. In more than 40 countries, 1.1 billion people have insufficient drinking water and 2.4 billion have inadequate sanitation. If current predictions are accurate, by 2050, at least one in four people will live in countries experiencing chronic or recurring shortages of freshwater. In Africa, where freshwater availability is a critical factor in development, it is expected that 25 countries will experience water scarcity or water stress over the next 20 to 30 years.

3. Sustainable use and management of land resources, including watershed management, based on an integrated approach, a supportive legal framework, and a participatory process are widely seen as important in rural programmes to reduce poverty. In fact, because watershed management integrates various aspects of forestry, agriculture, hydrology, ecology, soils, physical climatology and other sciences, it provides guidelines for acceptable management alternatives.

4. The link between forests and water is complex and differs considerably, depending on factors such as precipitation, slope, soil conditions, vegetation and the scale and intensity of land use. A well managed forest improves water quality and regulates seasonal flows. However, forests also consume water and thus impact on its availability for other uses. Striking a balance between forests as a regulator and forests as a user of water becomes essentially an issue of determining acceptable trade offs.

THE AFRICAN CONTEXT

5. Freshwater is one of the most critical factors in economic development yet the amount availableper capitain Africa is only about 75 percent of the global average. Although the continent comprises 23 percent of the world’s land area, it has only 9 percent of freshwater resources and these vary considerably because of the extremes of climate and rainfall. For example, northern Africa and southern Africa receive only 9 percent and 12 percent respectively of Africa’s rainfall. On the other hand, the Congo River watershed, with 10 percent of Africa’s population, accounts for 30 percent of the run-off. One-third of inhabitants live in drought-prone areas and, with the projected increase from 794 million people in 2000 to 1231 million by 2020, the demand for water is expected to significantly increase.

6. In many African countries, population is often concentrated in productive uplands which are also important sources of water. For example, 80 percent of the population in Ethiopia live in the highlands where intense pressure results in inappropriate use that leads to severe soil erosion. A similar situation exists in Kenya, Eritrea and elsewhere. Studies based on successive satellite imageries indicate a significant decline in the water levels of Lake Turkana and a large increase in the delta of the Omo River that discharges into the lake. With reduced inflow and high rates of evaporation, the salinity of the lake has increased considerably, affecting local communities. The Gezira scheme, the largest irrigation scheme in Africa, faces serious problems because of the high silt load in the Nile River. Irrigation canals that were desilted once in four years now undergo this process every two years, impacting significantly on the income of farming communities. There are also several examples where irrigation schemes have lasted only half the time that was estimated when they were constructed, thereby undermining food production.

7. With the estimated increase in the number of countries that will experience water stress in the next 20 years, conflicts will worsen unless water management improves significantly. With several international water basins in Africa, failure to develop effective mechanisms to share water between the riparian countries could accentuate conflicts. Thus, efforts are being made to develop coherent policies and actions to manage water resources, for example, the Nile Basin Initiative, the Niger River Basin Management, Lake Victoria Development Programme, Fouta Djallon Highlands Management, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Shared Water Courses. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) can also be an important framework for regional cooperation to improve water resources management for social, economic and environmental security.

WHY FOCUS ON FORESTS AND WATER?

8. Livelihoods of millions of people are threatened due to inadequate access to water and sanitation. Four aspects are particularly important: water for production and income generation; water, sanitation, and hygiene for health; sustainable environmental management; and vulnerability to water-related disasters.

9. Where access to water is guaranteed and socio-economic development can take place, for example, in India, the incidence of poverty in irrigated districts is 60 percent less than in non-irrigated districts (World Bank). Similarly, improved water resources management in the Nile Basin is having a major effect on reducing poverty. In Africa, where levels of poverty are generally higher than in other regions of the world, the impact of recent floods and drought are having appalling consequences. Moreover, the fact that both resource users and governments often operate under short term priorities encourages unsustainable practices and amplifies the negative impacts on watershed management.

10. Lessons from successful watershed management schemes show that people and communities are best placed to judge what is needed and what can be financially sustained. For example, upstream farmers who follow sustainable practices, have a positive affect on water savings downstream. Similarly, conservation projects upstream will succeed if local farmers are given incentives to continue them. This requires money which downstream users can provide to invest in projects. In other words, interventions to conserve freshwater supplies need to consider both upstream and downstream users.

THE ROLE OF FORESTS AND FORESTED WATERSHEDS

11. The loss of forest cover and conversion to other land uses can adversely affect freshwater supplies and compound human disasters resulting from hydro-meteorological extremes.

12. Thus, it is important to understand the role of trees in water discharge; in the local water economy; in windbreaks and shelterbelts, especially with regard to moisture content and protection against wind; and in regulating streams and rivers.

13. Better forest and water management plays a key role in food security by making it possible to produce more food crops through irrigation and to provide other foods such as fish, bushmeat, fodder, mushroom, honey, edible leaves, roots and fruits. It can also help to alleviate poverty by providing healthy surroundings to urban and rural people, as well as sources of income, commercial opportunities, and employment. Given that watersheds supply about two-thirds of the world’s freshwater, implementing effective forest and water management practices will contribute significantly to improving food security and alleviating poverty.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND GAPS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF FORESTS AND WATERSHEDS

14. Many programmes related to forests and to watershed management have failed because of the limited scope of projects; insufficient attention to human activities and to the needs of people; inadequate institutional frameworks; and lack of secure access to or ownership of natural resources. Consequently, new concepts and approaches that paid particular attention to social and economic aspects were developed to reverse degradation and to improve agriculture and rural development.

15. Many countries in Africa have recently passed new policies for water and environmental management but these initiatives need to be harmonized across countries and with other sectors. Moreover, watershed management needs to be given a higher profile on national policy agendas, linking it more closely to water and rural development and to poverty reduction strategies. As importantly, implementation requires institutional capacity, and financing and enforcement mechanisms.

16. Opportunities exist for sharing concepts and lessons among countries, scientists from different disciplines, policy makers, and resource users. Morocco and Tunisia, for example, provide interesting case studies in catchment management at the local level and agroforestry practices in Kenya are improving watershed properties. However, successful watershed management practices at the local level are applied in relatively few instances in Africa.

CURRENT AND EMERGING ISSUES

17. The Commission may wish to take note of the following issues related to the relationship between forests, water and poverty alleviation in Africa:

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION BY THE COMMISSION

18. The following questions are submitted to the Commission for its consideration:

POTENTIAL FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS

19. The following action items are submitted to the Commission for its consideration:

(i) Potential follow-up by member countries

(ii)Potential actions for FAO and partners