The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for food and agriculture

Managing systems at risk

CONTENTS

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
List of tables
List of boxes
List of figures
List of maps
What SOLAW says
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Executive Summary

The challenge of land and water
Land and water for sustainable intensification
Meeting the challenges – business as usual is not enough
Conclusion
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1 Status and trends in land and water resources

The present status of land and water
Land and water resources in rainfed agriculture
Land and water resources in irrigated agriculture
Forests, rangelands, inland fisheries and aquaculture
Agricultural demand towards to 2050
Implications for irrigated agriculture
Implications for rainfed agriculture
Conclusions
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2 Socio-economic pressures and institutional set-up

Socio-economic dependency on land and water
Basic systems of allocation
Policy responses to date
Institutional approaches and performance
iv The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture
Environmental consequences of past policy choices
Investments in land and water
International cooperation on land and water
Conclusions
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3 Land and water systems at risk

Growing competition for land and water
Degradation of land and water: impacts and causes
Anticipated impacts of climate change
Systems at risk
Conclusions
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4 Technical options for sustainable land and water management

Improving rainfed productivity
Managing soil health and fertility
Soil moisture management for rainfed areas
Integrated approaches to improving productivity in rainfed systems
Sourcing water for irrigated agriculture
Modernizing irrigation systems
Increasing on-farm water productivity
Managing environmental risks associated with intensification
Land and water approaches in view of climate change
Prospects for implementation
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5 Institutional responses for sustainable land and water management

The overall policy environment
Securing access to land and water resources
Defining national strategies
The role of knowledge
Strengthening international partnerships
Enhancing international cooperation and investment
Lessons for the future
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6 Conclusions and main policy recommendations

Ensuring sustainable production in major land and water systems
Policies and strategies for sustainable land and water management
Reforming international cooperation in land and water management
Looking ahead

Annexes
A1 – Country groupings used
A2 – Environmental externalities associated with irrigated agriculture
A3 – Country programmes for sustainable land management
A4 – Core land and water indicators by country or region
Glossary of terms and definitions used in this report
List of global maps presented in this report
References
Index
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The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of FAO.

ISBN978-92-5-106614-0

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Recommended citation for this book:
FAO. 2011. The state of the world’s land and water resources for food and agriculture (SOLAW) – Managing systems at risk. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome and Earthscan, London.

© FAO 2013