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REWAS - REal WAter Savings tool

Copyright licence

Year of publication 2025

Place of publication Bangkok, Thailand ;

Pages 36 p.

Author Kaune, A.; Droogers, P.; van Opstal, J.; Steduto, P.; Perry, C.;

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Category Manual / guide

ISBN 978-92-5-139240-9

To cite or share https://doi.org/10.4060/cd2914en

Synopsis (short abstract) 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.

Cite this content as:

Kaune, A., Droogers, P., van Opstal, J., Steduto, P. & Perry, C. 2025. REWAS - REal WAter Savings tool. FAO, Bangkok.

https://doi.org/10.4060/cd2914en

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