Call for articles: Making good use of scarce water

With climate changing, water is becoming the most critical natural resource. Much more than an economic resource, it is vital for the survival of every living being. Moreover the population is growing and competition for water between different sectors is intensifying.

 

Agriculture is the biggest water user, with irrigation accounting for 70% of global water withdrawals. The Green Revolution has led to the vast increase and overexploitation of ground and surface water for irrigation. The demand for increased production in areas that were traditionally rainfed has forced farmers to increase their use of irrigation. But water scarcity has motivated farmers to search for new options to manage water.

 

Key to our understanding of water is that it is a finite resource. It is not saved merely by using less of it. It is saved only if it is kept in a recoverable form. And the role of biodiversity across landscapes is crucial for this, regulating the movement and quality of water above, below and on the earths’ surface. The challenge is to create water efficient farming systems within landscapes that maintain healthy water cycles. What measures are being taken to address this challenge? What is the role of policy in safeguarding the water resources, for its safe and efficient use in agriculture, human and animal consumption?

 

Issue 31.3 of Farming Matters will look at efficient ways of using water for agriculture. Many farmers have created their own solutions, through bettering traditional management or by adapting or creating new technical alternatives. We invite you to share your experiences with strategies for efficient water management: water harvesting; cheap and efficient irrigation systems; agronomic practices such as the System of Rice Intensification; or revitalising the use of traditional drought tolerant seeds and crops. Do also share your strategies that take a landscape perspective and your stories about innovative water governance systems that encourage a fair distribution and efficient use of water in agricultural landscapes.

 

Articles for the September 2015 issue of Farming Matters should be sent to the editors before 1st of June 2015

 

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Source: Agricultures Network