One can’t grow much food without water. In fact, agriculture is the largest consumer of water; Using more than 70% of global freshwater supply, it gives a head start to any other sector. Clearly, water is critical for food production,and we need a lot of it to produce food for the growing population, but we tend to forget that it is an infinite resource. In the meantime, our demographic and economic growth together with the changing climate are making our water supplies scarce.
According to MIT’s assessment of future water stress, by 2050 more than half of the world’s population will live under water pressure. In this light, optimising water use in agriculture through solutions that value the water we have must be part of every country’s food security strategy.
That is why SIANI has continuously been involved in the World Water Week, fuelling the discussions on the intersection of food and water, and this year is not an exception. So, what do we bring to the water talks table this time?
1) Balancing competing interests and opportunities for better wastewater governance.
Focusing on wastewater as an underutilized resource, this event links together public health, ecosystem management, energy production and agriculture. These sectors can benefit from a more effective and innovative use of wastewater, but as in case of any natural resource, the conflict of interest is hard to escape. Come by if you find resolving policy collisions interesting.
2) Irrigating Forests with Wastewater – natural and effective water treatment?
Treated wastewater is generally returned to waterways downstream, eventually entering our oceans. But what if forests were part of the water treatment process – returning water upstream to be filtered through natural processes and to recharge groundwater and aquifers to be used again? This event is part of our continues exploration of the integrated landscape management concept, and this time we are focusing on the peri-urban dimension, looking at the ways cities can build a positive feedback loop to their surroundings.
SIANI has been engaged in work on antimicrobial resistance since 2015, evoking global public awareness about the issue, Helping to built discourse for the political process on AMR. Previously, we mainly focused on the use of antimicrobials in meat and dairy production, but this year we focus on those most affected and exposed to the risks – the land workers and people living in global production hotspots who are rarely heard in this context.
See you at the World Water Week!