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KnoWat - Knowing water better

Towards a more equitable and sustainable access to natural resources to achieve food security










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    Booklet
    World Food Day: Water is life, water is food
    Leave No One Behind: Get involved, 16 October 2023
    2023
    Tips and actions for individuals, governments, private companies and corporations, schools, civil society and academia and more. We all need to stop taking water for granted and start managing it wisely. Governments, the private sector, academia, farmers, civil society and individuals need to work together towards a food and water secure world. Every one of us can make a difference. World Food Day 2023 shines a spotlight on water as the foundation for life and food. It raises awareness worldwide about the importance of managing water wisely as the availability of this precious resource is threatened by rapid population growth urbanization, economic development, and climate change. The campaign also looks at solutions to produce more food and other essential agricultural commodities with less water, while ensuring water is distributed equally, our aquatic food systems are protected, and nobody is left behind.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture 2021 – Systems at breaking point
    Main Report
    2022
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    Satisfying the changing food habits and increased demand for food intensifies pressure on the world’s water, land and soil resources. However, agriculture bears great promise to alleviate these pressures and provide multiple opportunities to contribute to global goals. Sustainable agricultural practices lead to water saving, soil conservation, sustainable land management, conservation of natural resources, ecosystem and climate change benefits. Accomplishing this requires accurate information and a major change in how we manage these resources. It also requires complementing efforts from outside the natural resources management domain to maximize synergies and manage trade-offs. The objective of SOLAW 2021 is to build awareness of the status of land and water resources, highlighting the risks, and informing on related opportunities and challenges, also underlining the essential contribution of appropriate policies, institutions and investments. Recent assessments, projections and scenarios from the international community show the continued and increasing depletion of land and water resources, loss of biodiversity, associated degradation and pollution, and scarcity in the primary natural resources. SOLAW 2021 highlights the major risks and trends related to land and water and presents means of resolving competition among users and generating multiple benefits for people and the environment. The DPSIR framework was followed in order to identify the Drivers, Pressures, Status, Impact and Responses. SOLAW 2021 provides an update of the knowledge base and presents a suite of responses and actions to inform decision-makers in the public, private, and civil sectors for a transformation from degradation and vulnerability toward sustainability and resilience.
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    Booklet
    KnoWat project results and activities
    Rwanda, Senegal and Sri Lanka
    2023
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    The project “Knowing water better: towards a more equitable and sustainable access to natural resources” (KnoWat) has built stronger water governance processes in Rwanda, Senegal and Sri Lanka. KnoWat has strengthened national capacities in water accounting and water productivity in agriculture, using the latest remote sensing technologies and training hundreds of water experts. This short publication summarizes the key accomplishments of the project, which was implemented by FAO in close cooperation with partners at global, country and local levels, and funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture of Germany (BMEL). KnoWat has also developed and tested a methodology for assessing water tenure to shed light on the rules and regulations governing access and allocation of water resources. This information is crucial for improving water use, ensuring the equitable allocation of water resources and increasing the resilience of societies to climate change. Our capacity to manage and use water resources efficiently and equitably requires us to understand the quantity and quality of water that is available and the rules that govern access to water. Around the world, countries struggle to adapt agricultural and food systems to conditions of water scarcity, climate change and increased competition between resource users. A greater focus on water accounting and water governance is crucial for addressing water scarcity in a changing climate to ensure food and water security for all. It is hoped that the project will improve our understanding of water and will strengthen the institutions and people responsible for managing a resource that is critical to the livelihoods and food security of all people and a foundation of natural ecosystems.

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