Impacts of climate change on agriculture related to water supply
and IWRM strategies to help reduce them in the MENA and LAC
regions
Impacts of climate change on agriculture related to water supply
and IWRM strategies to help reduce them in the MENA and LAC regions
4th International Conference of Agriculture and Bio Engineering
ICABE4, September 6, 2015
Eng. Agr. Carmen CaprilesPresentation: Gabriela Prada Cairo -
Egypt
AbstractThe present research has the analyze the impacts that
global warming will have on water supply in the next decades. The
study focus mainly in comparing two regions; the South American
region and the Middle East and North Africa region, with the aim to
contrast the one of the regions with very fragile ecosystems, one
with more water availably with the most arid region and how an
average of 2C rise at global level can be devastating for life in
many places, furthermore we have already start experience the signs
of climate change and what we can expect the next years. Water is
vital for life on Earth and the actual climate conditions help to
maintain water in liquid and solid state, an un balance of forcing
in the atmosphere would lead to a drastic reduction of water. In
the field of agriculture we are aware that most of our crops will
thrive by combining precipitation with irrigation, but as changes
happen we need to identify more effective and efficient ways to use
water at the same time it will be crucial to protect and restore
natural sources of water and find better ways to store it and to
use it in order to guarantee this pleasure resource for the next
generations. Since the problem is a global problem we will analyze
some of the international agreements already existing on water and
why is important to raise the ambition and have all countries
respect this treaties. The study concludes with recommendations of
policies and measures that can be taken at local, national and
international level in order to take care of the resource.
Impacts of climate change on agriculture related to water supply
and IWRM strategies to help reduce them in the MENA and LAC regions
Abstract1) Introduction2) Background3) Objective4) Theoretical
frameworkWater sources in the world Water supply in Latin-American
(Overview)Water supply in the MENA Region (Overview)Defining
Integrated Water Resources ManagementTools and instruments for
IWRMChallengesClimate risk management within the IWRMWhat can be
done? 5) Conclusions6) Recommendations
1) IntroductionThe present study has the aim to explain how
climate change is affecting water supply for different uses
especially agricultural needs basically and what this means for
food production, based on scientific data and a close analysis of
the lattes events that had had a great impact on local populations
and how this picture will change in the next decades if we do not
take the needed measures to be ready, therefore we will also focus
on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) as a tool that can
help us make a more effective and efficient use of water in
agricultural activities.
2) BackgroundThe present study will focus on two regions; the
region of Latin-American and the Caribbean LAC and the Middle East
North of Africa MENA region under the characterization stated by
the World Bank. We focus on this two regions because evidence
suggest that their water supply in the next decades due to global
warming, the first one, the LAC regions is the one of the regions
with more fresh water availability in the other hand the MENA
region has the most arid ecosystems, nevertheless the basic
agricultural principles and methods apply to both and the
recommendations for a more effective use of water for productive
uses can apply to both regions, under the premise that taking
measures early can help deal with tougher problems at a long term.
This study is based on secondary sources of information
nevertheless very reliable sources in order to have a bigger
picture of the problem and give important inputs to take the needed
measures, the study also aims to show that the problems are very
alike but more research is needed to understand what can be done in
specific cases at lower or more local scales.
3) ObjectiveThe main aim of the present study is to raise
awareness of the future of water supply for agriculture on two
regions of the planet, Latina-American and the Caribbean (LAC)
region and the Middle East - North Africa (MENA) region and
proposing IWRM as a viable mean to face climate change impacts on
water at long term.
Water sources in the world Volume (km2)Share of world
reservesShare of total water(%)Share of fresh water(%)Atmospheric
water12,9000.0010.01Glaciers end permanent snow
cover24,064,0001.7468.7Ground ice in zones of permafrost
strata300,0000.0220.86Water in rivers2,1200.00020.006Water in lakes
(fresh, 91,000 km2)176,4000.0130.26Water in
marshes11,4700.00080.03Soil moisture16,5000.0010.05Active
groundwater (in aquifers), including brackish and
fossil10,530,0000.7630.1Inactive groundwater (in
lithosphere)23,400,0001.7 World ocean1,338,000,00096.5
Around 71% of the planet's surface is covered by water, 96.5% is
in the oceans (saltwater). Fresh water reaches only 2.5% of all
water on Earth, out of this 2.5% of fresh water, 70% is in polar
ice and is not available for human consumption, the remaining 30%
is distributed in the form of surface water around 16%, while the
other 14% is underground water.
Forecast of water demand by sector UNDP
Socio Economic Indicators
Water supply in LAC RegionAccording to the World Bank, the Latin
American and Caribbean (LAC) region has the highest average water
in the world, around 24,400 cubic meters per person available,
nevertheless, availability and water security vary greatly within
countries and between them. In some parts of the region the current
water use is unsustainable. However, the Andean countries are home
to nearly 10% of the fresh water on the planet (CAN, Becerra, M .;
2009).
Source: http://faculty.smu.edu/
Source:
http://www.subdivx.com/X12X7X145328X0X0X1X-botella-magica.html
Water supply in MENA RegionAccording to the World Bank Group
"The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is the worlds driest
region. Water availability is around 1,200 cubic meters person per
day, compared with the average of about 7,000 cubic meters
worldwide, nevertheless One half of MENAs population lives under
conditions of water stress. Moreover, with the population expected
to grow from around 300 million today to around 500 million in
2025, per capita availability is expected to halve by 2050". "Water
loss, and its operational and financial consequences, is a major
concern for urban water utilities in the Mediterranean region.
Source: http://www.futurewater.nl/uk/projects/mena/
Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)"Integrated Water
Resources Management (IWRM) can be defined as a process that
promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land
and related resources in order to maximize the resultant economic
and social welfare in an equitable manner, without compromising the
sustainability of vital ecosystems "Global Water Partnership;
Technical Advisory Committee, 2000
Tools and instruments for IWRMAmong the technical tools used in
the IWRM we are:Watershed management Multipurpose ProjectFlood
control and drainageEnvironmental protection and ecosystemsWater
quality Water pollution and contamination control
ChallengesIWRM has a number of challenges that must solve for
the use of the resource benefits all users equitably and not on
minority interests. In order to face the challenges we must act in
the following ways:Ensuring water for people and for food
productionProtecting vital ecosystems;Water variability in time and
space;Managing the risks;Creating the participation and
knowledge;Shaping the political will to act
Climate Risk Management within the IWRMRecent hydrological
research strongly suggests that it is plausible that climatic
changes caused by increases in greenhouse trace gas concentrations
will:(1) alter the timing and magnitude of runoff and soil
moisture, (2) change lake levels and groundwater availability, and
(3) affect water quality. Such a scenario raises the possibility of
dramatic environmental and socio-economic dislocations and has
widespread implications for future water-resources planning and
management.We must promote innovative practices of climate risk
management leading to multiple social and environmental benefits
for the vulnerable communities . Specifically, we seek proposals
that report multiple social and environmental benefits and empower
poor communities that are exposed to climate risk to:Test
innovative, low-cost strategies to spread climate risk beyond the
local level (eg, improvements in trade and value chain,
microfinance). Preference for strategies that target vulnerable
groups such as women, children and the elderly will;Forge
innovative partnerships that strengthen the resilience of
vulnerable communities, including increased access to knowledge,
information and services on climate risk management;Use innovative
means to help educate communities on climate risks that leads to
empowerment for action.
What can be done?Areas where it is expected the decline in
rainfall will have to improve the storage, management and water
productivity. Large irrigation systems must adapt to the changes
that will occur in water supply regimes and support for water
control measures on a small scale, conducted in the field is
required.Five key policy responses are:Include adaptation and
mitigation measures for water management for agriculture in
national development plans.Promote technical and management
measures to increase the flexibility of rainfed and irrigation, and
reduce water losses in irrigated production systems.Improve
knowledge on climate change and water and spread good practices
among countries and regions.To promote national risk management
policies through better monitoring networks and innovative
insurance products.Mobilize adaptation funds to meet the challenges
of water and food security caused by climate change.
Ten Principles to Help Protect WaterWater belongs to the earth
and species.Water should be left where it is, whenever
possible.Water must be conserved forever.The contaminated water
must be recycled.Water is best protected in natural wetlands.Water
is a common good that must be protected by all levels of
government.adequate supply of clean water is a human right.The best
advocates for water are local communities and citizens.The public
must participate as an equal partner in government to protect
water.Economic globalization policies are not aimed at that water
is a sustainable resource.
Source: Maude Barlow, Blue Gold: the global water crisis and its
conversion into a commodity on the world's water supply. Synthesis
report (June 1999)
5) ConclusionsThe present study has given us an analysis of how
the water supply for agriculture can be affected at a short term
due to climate change and bad water management practices on the
MENA and the LAC region, to avoid this it is necessary to take the
needed measures that can help ensure the resource at long term..The
global changes that have been raise in relation to water resources
need to be addressed to take care of the resource, therefore is
important to work on adaptation strategies promoting efficient
practices resource use within different contexts social that take
into account local realities as we have seen the different
situations that both region, LAC and MENA face in relationship to
the resource.While a number of documents created in recent years on
climate change and integrated water resources management, the
ability to incorporate policies whether national or regional, is
still yet to see especially the need of political will needed for
its implementation.Although action are being taken in relation to
integrated water resources management and climate change, it is
necessary to take into account within different local settings,
especially in finding both solutions to the climate crisis and the
shortage of water.It is also important to ensure the supply without
compromising it, either by other uses like domestic or industrial
uses as well as to ensure that other activities do not compromise
the quality of the resource like polluting it and contaminating it
furthermore it is important to have regulations for this not to
happen.
6) RecommendationsSome recommendation that we can share from
this study are:Work in relation to institutional strengthening at
the local level to incorporate mechanisms that enable the
implementation of IWRM strategies at local as well as national
levels, in the MENA region as well as in LAC region.Work on strong
policies framework toward climate change that takes into account
the impacts on water supply for measures on adaptation, mitigation,
capacity building, technology transfer and finance, taking into
account the strong political will needed to address the
issue.Ensure that water supply policies for cities take into
account the need to guarantee the resource for productive
activities especially agricultural ones.More research is needed to
analyze the situation at local levels to identify and raise
efficient strategies focus on the major water users to increase and
ensure both as to participation in the processes decision-making in
order to guarantee access to water resources.Analyze different
contexts, to identify bottlenecks that limit participation, based
on studies and interpretations of local realities that take into
account certain practices and customs in relation to the structure
of local decision-making, incorporated within macros panoramas up
to meet regional expectations.Identifying the agricultural sector
as main user, in relation to resource conservation to achieve
sustainable use of the same ensuring long term and taking into
account other uses, both domestic, productive and industrial.Have
more case studies on recovery technologies and traditional
knowledge to cope with the problems caused the abrupt introduction
of certain technologies, as models of community management ensuring
the resource in small communities on rural areas.Trainings and
capacity building activities that lead rural populations to empower
in relation to technologies needed to make a more efficient use of
the resource.
AcknowledgementsDr.HeshamAbdel Moneim FaragEICA (Egyptian
International Center for Agriculture) Program on Soil Water and
ManagementGabriela Prada
Thank you!!!!
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