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Book (stand-alone)Technical bookCrop water productivity options to achieve real water savings
Training manual
2025Also available in:
No results found.Water scarcity continues to grow in many Asian countries as the gap between water demand and supply is projected to increase due to population growth, economic development, land degradation and climate change. The agricultural sector is the largest user of freshwater, and within this, irrigation is the largest consumer. Solutions to reverse water scarcity should focus irrigated agriculture, but many improved irrigation techniques to save water for other uses (such as domestic use and the environment) often actually increase water use at the basin level. This training manual provides a review of water saving technologies and examines the concept of understanding real water savings versus local savings. In this training manual, readers will learn how to use the REWAS and WEAP software tools to estimate real water savings and water productivity at both the irrigation system scale and the basin scale, respectively. -
Book (stand-alone)Manual / guideREWAS - REal WAter Savings tool 2025
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No results found.Water shortages in the Asia-Pacific region critically impact food security, as irrigated agriculture accounts for nearly 90 percent of freshwater withdrawals. The lack of reliable freshwater for irrigation directly affects farmer productivity and incomes. Traditionally, efforts to save water in agriculture have focused on improving irrigation techniques (e.g. drip irrigation, sprinklers). However, evidence shows that while these methods reduce water withdrawals, they often lead to increased water consumption at a larger scale. Instead of focusing solely on field-level water savings, it is crucial to consider water availability for other sectors, which is known as "real water savings."To bridge this gap, the REal WAter Savings (REWAS) tool was developed. It provides a practical approach for evaluating the larger-scale impacts of field-level crop-watering interventions. Based on FAO's principles of water accounting and productivity, the REWAS tool emphasizes the reuse of drainage, runoff, and groundwater percolation by downstream users rather than viewing them as losses.This document explains the concepts underlying the REWAS tool and provides examples of its successful application in various contexts. It also offers guidelines for assessing the basin-scale water savings of field experiments. By applying these concepts, stakeholders and decision-makers can better manage agricultural water systems at a broader scale, leading to real water savings across regions. -
Policy briefPolicy briefReal water savings in agriculture 2023
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No results found.Irrigated agriculture consumes the largest share of water for human use by far, signifying that it is within the irrigation sector that solutions to address and manage water scarcity must be found. Unfortunately, overcoming the water crisis through agricultural interventions is not simple, and increasing attention is now being paid to common misconceptions and overly simplistic (and often erroneous) views in agricultural water management. In particular, the role that ‘increasing water use efficiency’ can play in tackling the water crisis is dominated by misunderstandings related to hydrology, economics, and human behaviour. This policy brief is based on extensive work carried out by FAO and FutureWater under the Asia Pacific Water Scarcity Programme (WSP). It clearly explains the complexities associated with efforts to increase water use efficiency and the importance of utilising water accounting and consistent use of terminology in developing water management interventions. A practical new tool is introduced that provides clear and practical guidelines on how to mplement ‘real’ water savings in agriculture by selecting suitable interventions that enhance crop water productivity.
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Book (stand-alone)Technical bookContribution of terrestrial animal source food to healthy diets for improved nutrition and health outcomes
An evidence and policy overview on the state of knowledge and gaps
2023Also available in:
No results found.Diverse foods derived from livestock production systems, including grazing and pastoralist systems, and from the hunting of wild animals, provide high-quality proteins, important fatty acids and various vitamins and minerals – contributing to healthy diets for improved nutrition and health.Livestock species are adapted to a wide range of environments, including areas that are unsuitable for crop production. Globally, more than a billion people depend on livestock value chains for their livelihoods. Small-scale livestock farmers and pastoralists make up a large proportion of livestock producers. Well integrated livestock production increases the resilience of small-scale farming systems. Livestock also provide other important ecosystem services in landscape management, provide energy and help to improve soil fertility. Rangeland or grassland ecosystems occupy some 40 percent of the world’s terrestrial area. Livestock keepers raise grazing animals to transform grassland vegetation into food.Challenges related to high resource utilization and pollution, food–feed competition, greenhouse-gas emissions, antimicrobial resistance and animal welfare as well as zoonotic and food-borne diseases, accessibility and affordability need to be solved if agrifood systems are to become more sustainable.FAO’s Committee on Agriculture requested a comprehensive, science- and evidence-based global assessment of the contribution of livestock to food security, sustainable food systems, nutrition and healthy diets, considering environmental, economic and social sustainability. The assessment consists of four component documents. This first component document provides a holistic analysis of the contribution of terrestrial animal source food to healthy diets for improved nutrition and health outcomes over the course of people’s lives. -
Book (stand-alone)Technical bookThe small-scale fisheries and energy nexus
Opportunities for renewable energy interventions
2023Also available in:
No results found.Renewable sources of energy are gaining traction worldwide. Solar, wind power, biomass energy and geothermal heat energy are already used in applications in food value chains. Renewable energy can provide energy solutions in situations where there are challenges with traditional energy supplies. Renewable energy also has the capacity to reduce the carbon footprint of food value chains and help mitigate against climate change. Yet, the link between renewable energy and small-scale fisheries and aquaculture is not well documented. This publication introduces the current situation and proposes a way forward with regard to the use of renewable energy in small-scale fisheries. It provides general guidance for decision-makers and development specialists on the choices, benefits and challenges related to renewable energy use and uptake in small-scale fisheries. The publication will contribute to the implementation of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) and the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Alleviation (SSF Guidelines). FAO’s objectives relate to better production, better nutrition and a better environment. -
BookletCorporate general interestPerfil de Sistemas Alimentares - Moçambique
Catalisando a transformação sustentável e inclusiva dos sistemas alimentares
2022Also available in:
Os sistemas alimentares estão intimamente ligados às nossas vidas – através dos alimentos que ingerimos, da nossa nutrição e saúde, dos nossos meios de subsistência, dos nossos empregos, do meio ambiente e dos recursos naturais do planeta. O principal desafio para os sistemas alimentares é produzir alimentos nutritivos para todos, preservando a nossa biodiversidade e o meio ambiente, além de garantir a distribuição equitativa da riqueza. Este Perfil dos Sistemas Alimentares fornece um resumo dos principais problemas do sistema alimentar em Mozambique e destaca soluções potenciais para a sua transformação sustentável e inclusiva. É o resultado de uma análise sistêmica e de uma consulta das partes interessadas que fez parte de uma avaliação global dos sistemas alimentares em mais de 50 países, a partir de uma iniciativa conjunta da UE, FAO e CIRAD que visa catalisar a transformação sustentável e inclusiva dos sistemas alimentares.