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Agriculture, Water and Cities
Goal
Providing a better understanding of the upstream and downstream impact of urban water demand and waste water generation on agricultural productivity and food safety and supporting the institutionalization of interventions and approaches to mitigate possible trade-offs.
Overview
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In many developing countries high urbanization rates are causing massive surface
and groundwater pollution and cross-sectoral water competition is threatening
agricultural productivity and livelihoods in areas close to cities and beyond.
Clearly, the agricultural use of untreated wastewater is
undesirable from a health and environmental viewpoint. Yet millions of poor
farmers in the developing world depend on water of marginal quality for irrigation as they may have no better alternative or because wastewater may be
the only affordable or reliable water and nutrient source.However, the
conventional water, sanitation and health sector generally views polluted water
one-dimensionally, focusing only on human and environmental health implications, and advocating technology-based water treatment solutions as
prerequisites to reuse. This theme research recognizes that wastewater use is
a livelihood reality in many poor countries that cannot afford the investment
and maintenance costs of treatment plants,
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and focuses on both costs and
benefits in terms of the health, environmental, food-chain, and livelihoods
implications of the practice.
The theme recommends practical policy and management options and
interventions aimed at health risk mitigation and plays an important role in
informing and engaging policymakers and health practitioners of the realities
of wastewater irrigation in urban and peri-urban settings and related health,
environment and livelihood implications.
Key Research Areas
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Safe and productive use of wastewater in irrigated
agriculture |
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| To make a productive asset out of domestic wastewater
through viable interventions along the contamination pathway which increase
food safety and reduce health risks for farmers and consumers. |
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Integration of urban development, agriculture and the
environment |
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| To integrate urban water resources management (IUWRM)
in a basin context and develop decision support for local governance on
different options of sanitation and water demand development, and their
upstream and downstream implications on water poverty, agricultural water
allocation and wastewater reuse considering hydrological, institutional, policy
and economical factors. |
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Social processes to move sustainable urban resources
management across the research-policy-implementation interfaces |
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To address opportunities and barriers for the institutionalization of IUWRM and
safe wastewater use through multi-stakeholder dialogues, capacity building and
policy development. |
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| Selected Current Projects |
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| © 2008 International Water Management Institute |
| Headquarters : 127, Sunil Mawatha, Pelwatte, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka. Telephone +94-11 2880000 | Fax: +94-11 2786854 | Email: iwmi@cgiar.org |
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This page was last updated on
Friday, January 25, 2008
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