The research question

What is the impact of trade agreements such as WTO on agricultural water use?

Objective

The main objective of this project is to analyze the impact of changes in economic processes due to WTO agreements on agricultural water use at basin level and aggregate to global level under different scenarios of national policies.

Methods

• Trade agreements such as WTO potentially have significant impacts on agricultural production in member countries and thus, water use. We hypothesize that economic processes and policies outside the realm of basin water management may have a greater impact on agricultural water use than water related policies. Better planning and management can be achieved if policy makers are aware of these linkages.
• Literature study on potential impact of trade agreements such as WTO on agricultural trade, for selected case studies (Viet Nam, Thailand, China, Uzbekistan and Morocco), through local partners.
• Analysis of water implication of trade under different scenarios using existing water-food models (Podium-CAPSIM, Watersim)
• Analysis of water implications of WTO at a global level, using global modeling results from GTAP -in collaboration with LEI.

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