Water, Land and Ecosystems - Global-level projects

Global Water futures update-book

wle_admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 21:26:55 +0000

We are still finalizing the global water book and online database in early 2015.

Contact Person

Claudia Ringler (c.ringler@cgiar.org)

Lead Center

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Completed

Start/End dateJanuary 01, 2015 — December 31, 2015

Research ThemeVariability, Risks and Competing Uses

Cluster

5.2 Resource allocation and sharing of benefits for all

Regions

Global

Countries

Global-level projects

Environmental Water Requirements of Freshwater Ecosystems – Global Assessment

wle_admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 21:26:55 +0000

The first global-scale assessment of environmental flows (EF) and environmental water scarcity was based on hydrological principles and ecological perceptions, used WaterGap model (Doll et al, 2003) simulated river flow data at the grid of 0.5 degree, focused on surface water only and considered, effectively, just one global ecosystem scenario - that of “fair” ecosystems’ condition. This project revisits this work and considers the following: 1. Bringing larger environmental aspects and concepts of Ecosystem Services (ESS) into the picture; the methodology will try and identify how to relate explicitly ESS with EF, and if there is an optimal point in development (based on the maximum of ESSs from developed and natural ES) beyond which it is not justified 2. Using more accurate, more recent and more spatially resolute hydrological data, provided by several global hydrology models. Amongst others, we will aim to work with partners, who are developing models with 5’ spatial resolution 3. Looking into possibilities of establishing environmental water targets and indicators for both surface and groundwater 4. Aim is to develop a monitoring tool that reflects the environmental status of global freshwater resources. This will help to develop clear link with developing water targets and indicators for the SDGs (UN-WATER Discussion document, 2013).

Contact Person

Sood, Aditya (a.sood@cgiar.org)

Lead Center

International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Partners

Delft University of Technology

Completed

Start/End dateJanuary 01, 2014 — December 01, 2015

Research ThemeVariability, Risks and Competing Uses

Cluster

5.2 Resource allocation and sharing of benefits for all

Regions

Global

Countries

Global-level projects

Regional & International Outreach support for the whole Flagship

wle_admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 21:26:55 +0000

The proposal is supporting key outputs of IWMI’s RRR portfolio to produce international publications and the RRR report series and several benchmark text books in association with many international partners (the list can be extracted from our library records). All these products serve capacity development, our WLE RRR branding as well as impact pathway. The activity is also supporting staff time for proposal development.

Contact Person

Pay Drechsel (p.drechsel@cgiar.org)

Lead Center

International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Partners

ICARDA, International Fertilizer Association, RUAF Foundation

Completed

Start/End dateJanuary 01, 2014 — December 01, 2016

Research ThemeRural-Urban Linkages

Cluster

4.1 Business opportunities in nutrient, water and energy recovery and reuse

Regions

Global

Countries

Global-level projects

Gender Mainstreaming in the "Integrated Water and Land Management Program" (IWLMP)'s WLE Supported Research Activities

wle_admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 21:26:55 +0000

The Activity Summary represents the gender components of several WLE research activities submitted by the IWLMP. Gender mainstreaming in this regard covers a range of activities that focus on integration of gender into research activities, as well as build researchers’ capacity to conduct gender sensitive research in their areas of specialization. The activities will be conducted in 4 countries including Ethiopia, Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan. Below are broad summaries of the proposed gender activities in the respective countries. A more detailed description of the activities is available in the respective country specific submissions with the exception of the activity on grey water for Jordan, which is a stand-alone activity. I. Designing Strategic Interventions for Simultaneously Reducing Women's Drudgery, Youth Unemployment, and Ecosystem Degradation in Ethiopia (LWP) This activity is part of the bigger project on Combating Land Degradation and Improving Productivity through Integrated Watershed Management, Monitoring, and Community Participation. The gender component of this activity focuses on assessing the social, economic, and environmental benefits of introducing a fuel saving stove called “Mirt Stove.” The stove was introduced in the area in an effort to reduce the amount of time women spend to collect firewood, reduce their exposure to smoke, and offer young landless women an income generating opportunity by producing and selling the stoves in their community. The stoves are also offered to those who cannot afford to buy it in exchange for NRM related community services (construction of soil conservation structures). In addition, the study will look at shifts in perception, if any, on depletion of ecosystem services particularly focusing on forests and the ecosystem services the community derives from them. Data required for the study will be collected using a combination of surveys, semi-structured interviews, and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). . II. Management of treated grey water for agricultural use in Jordan– A Gendered Perspective (RRR) Currently Jordan ranks as the world’s second water-poorest country in the world. The demand for fresh water, however, is ever increasing due to population growth, Climate Change, increasing number of refugees hosted by the country, as well as heightened demand by the growing economy and its different sectors. Agriculture takes the lion share of the water - using over 65% of surface and groundwater, and 98% of recycled wastewater. The demand for alternative safe water sources is thus very high. ICARDA in close collaboration with Jordan’s National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension (NCARE) developed and tested a community based grey water treatment system that is used and managed at the household level. Following several training sessions, members of the community are now generating and using grey water to irrigate olive, grape, and almond trees; as well as highly demanded fodder such as alfalfa. Women organized and registered as an association have also begun to produce and market olive soaps using the olives grown with grey water. It is anticipated that large scale adoption and use of this grey water treatment will have the potential to: • reduce current and future demand for fresh water by offering alternative source of water for agricultural use; • increase overall yield (fodder and stone fruit trees), and • increase household income as a result of reduced cost of water and increased agricultural produce. The aim of this research is to assess and identify opportunities as well as constraints to widespread use of this alternative source of water for home farms. Social acceptance of the technology is also considered key in promoting or hindering wider dissemination of the technology. Hence the study will assess the roles of men and women in generating, managing, and using grey water; as well as farmers’ (men and women)and potential consumers’ perception on grey water use. Findings of this study will inform future dissemination strategies. III. Quantification of nitrogen dynamics and flows and mitigation of its losses in agricultural systems in the Indus basin of Pakistan (LWP) This activity aims to investigate, quantify and address: (1) fertilizer management and it’s over, inappropriate and under use; (2) N losses due to agricultural activities; (3) N flows associated with run off, leaching and erosion; and (4) fertilizer markets and distribution in the Indus basin, while considering a balance between the various ecosystem services related to food production and environmental quality. Researchers working on this project will be trained and certified to mainstream gender in their research, and their strategies to disseminate their research findings. IV. A framework for analyzing the impacts of treated, partially treated or untreated wastewater use in agriculture in Egypt (RRR) Water from agricultural drainage forms the largest quantity of wastewater used in Egypt. A significant quantity of untreated domestic wastewater, effluent from industries and discharges from wastewater treatment facilities that are operating under-capacity are adding to the supply because they are discharged into the agricultural drains. This practice of using drain water mixed with sewage has the potential to severely harm human health and the environment. Within the gender-mainstreaming framework, the research will aim to understand the roles of men and women in generating and using wastewater; as well as assess the perceptions of men and women on the use of waste water for agricultural use. V. A fact checking approach towards strengthening evidence-based policy and technology implementation in the Nile Delta, Egypt (LWP) A ‘Fact Checking’ approach will be used to evaluate the raised-bed technology to determine its efficacy in terms of environmental, economic, and social benefits. The ‘facts’ as presented by researchers will be checked against pre-determined criteria by selected working groups composed of various stakeholders (farmers, NARS, Ministries, policy makers). Gender sensitivity of the technologies will be one among the many criteria and will be used to assess the efficacy of the technology from a gendered perspective. The findings will offer the often-missing evidence on the advantages and disadvantages of including/excluding women in research (design – testing- and dissemination strategies) and will aim to highlight the important role of women in the management and use of various ecosystem services. Results of this study will be used as a foundation to devise appropriate out-scaling strategies and promote its wider dissemination.

Contact Person

Bezaiet Dessalegn (B.Dessalegn@cgiar.org)

Lead Center

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)

Partners

Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute, National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension, National Research Centre, University of Agriculture Faisalabad

Completed

Start/End dateJanuary 01, 2015 — December 01, 2015

Research ThemeLand and Water Solutions

Cluster

2.1 Agricultural water and land management

Regions

Global

Countries

Global-level projects

Optimizing water resource development for poverty alleviation: combining Green (natural) and Grey (built) infrastructure

wle_admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 21:26:55 +0000

The project has two primary aims: • Green and Grey infrastructure: to determine whether explicit inclusion of natural infrastructure would result in smarter water resources planning. This is done through 1. Evaluation of all natural and built infrastructure ; 2. Functional Assessment; 3. Needs Assessment; and 4. Combined water resource and hydroecological modeling. The research is being conducted in the Mekong, Volta, Ganges and Zambezi river basins. The research conducted will contribute to improved conceptual understanding of the role of natural infrastructure in water resource management, moving beyond assumptions, to quantify the real benefits provided and the consequences of considering portfolios of natural and built infrastructure. • Wetlands for people: to support IWMIs work on wetlands: 1. Improved understanding of changes in wetland functions and their impact on ecosystem services, livelihoods and water productivity resulting from agricultural activities in and upstream of wetlands 2. Increased capacity of various stakeholders (development and conservation, local, regional, and international) to understand and manage wetland ecosystems for the benefit of the poor and the environment. Specifically this part of the project supports IWMIs contribution to the Ramsar Convention and activities to fulfil its obligations as an International Organization Partner (IOP) of the convention. This includes funds to enable staff to participate in activities of the Science and Technical Review Panel (STRP) of the convention. The project contributes to WLE flagship 5 – managing resource variability and competing use (MRV) and the activity cluster 5.2 Resource allocation and sharing of benefits for all.

Contact Person

McCartney, Matthew (m.mccartner@cgiar.org)

Lead Center

International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Partners

University of New England, School of Environmental and Rural Science, Africa Wetlands Forum, South Asia Forum for Environment

Completed

Start/End dateAugust 01, 2012 — December 01, 2016

Research ThemeVariability, Risks and Competing Uses

Cluster

5.1 Managing water resources variability and rethinking storage

Regions

Global

Countries

Global-level projects

University of Oxford: Water risks and outcomes for food security

wle_admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 21:26:55 +0000

As part of the GWP supported Water Security Taskforce, we propose a systematic analysis of water risks and outcomes for food security, to be conducted with the IMPACT model. The “water risks” will be reflected by inter- and intra-annual variability of spatially explicit hydroclimatic series, which drive the biophysical modules of the IMPACT model. Consequences of the hydroclimatic, temporo-spatial variations will be transmitted from biophysical modules to the agricultural economic model, such that the food security outcomes of water risks can be derived. More specifically on the “water risks” scenarios, we will first simulate long-term climatology, such that water demand and supply as well as food production and trade under average climate condition can be established. In a second step, we will identify sequences of drought years for each Food Producing Unit (FPU) and each economic region in the IMPACT model from hydroclimatic forcing data, and assess the severity of such drought sequences based on indices, and characteristics of drought occurrences and severity will be statistically quantified. In a third step we will assess food production and trade effects of droughts for the identified drought year sequences in affected FPUs and economic regions, by comparing the outcomes with those under average climate condition for various RCPs. Based on those results and comparisons, we will be able to draw conclusions with respect to the impacts of water risks on food security outcomes. In addition to the assessment of extreme events, several long-term climate change scenarios will be assessed with IMPACT, to identify additional water risks that climate change may impose on managed freshwater systems, and therefore the impacts on food security. Although the impacts of climate change are expected to be more pronounced in the distant future, hydroclimatic risks may be exacerbated by climate change, and thus larger impacts on food security outcomes are likely, in particular under poor weather conditions.

Contact Person

Claudia Ringler (c.ringler@cgiar.org)

Lead Center

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Partners

Oxford University, University of Massachusetts, Global Water Partnership

Completed

Start/End dateMarch 01, 2014 — April 01, 2015

Research ThemeVariability, Risks and Competing Uses

Cluster

5.1 Managing water resources variability and rethinking storage

Regions

Global

Countries

Global-level projects

Theme leader funds and co-financing of bilateral projects

wle_admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 21:26:55 +0000

This activity includes time for Claudia Ringler to, among other activities, 1) Participate in management team meetings, and meetings and outreach related to WLE 2) Review annual reports from the MRV flagship as well as workplans for MRV 3) Contribute to the WLE Annual Report 4) Contribute to the WLE phase II proposal 5) Develop a document on how the ESSR framework is reflected in MRV research 6) Ensure that the MRV flagship research directly relates and supports WLE IDOs, SRF IDOs and SRF sub-IDOs, contributing to related documentation and monitoring elements 7) Ensure that the projects in the MRV flagship directly relate to the MRV flagship goals 8) Contribute to WLE blog pieces and the WLE website This activity also includes co-financing for those bilateral or window 3 WLE projects that do not support the IFPRI overhead rate, or only allow for partial overhead of some positions.

Contact Person

Claudia Ringler (c.ringler@cgiar.org)

Lead Center

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Completed

Start/End dateJanuary 01, 2015 — December 01, 2015

Research ThemeVariability, Risks and Competing Uses

Cluster

5.1 Managing water resources variability and rethinking storage

Regions

Global

Countries

Global-level projects

Global water quality modeling – a model application to assess environmental benefit of land conservation and enhancing model capacity of simulating linkage between livestock production and water quality

wle_admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 21:26:55 +0000

This study builds on water quality modeling work completed in a previous, bilateral WLE project, in which a global water quality modeling system was developed to simulate the loadings of nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants from agricultural production systems globally. The new project consists of two proposed activities and will extend the previous work in several important ways. In the first activity, the model will be applied to assess benefits to the quality of global fresh water environment which may arise from adoption of sustainable land management (SLM) technologies. Evaluating the impacts of land management practices on water quality constitutes a major interest of water quality modeling studies. To our best knowledge, this type of assessment has not been carried out at a global scale. Given the budget, budgetary cuts and the time frame of the project, we will focus on conservation tillage technology, which is one of most widely adopted SLM technologies presently. This activity involves reviewing literature to compile spatial data sets characterizing the current status of conservation tillage technology adoption and using the developed data set to inform water quality simulation and scenario development. The second activity aims at enhancing the current model’s capacity in estimating nutrient loadings related to livestock excreta nutrients. To achieve this goal, firstly, we will attempt to link our global water quality model to a newly developed livestock production simulation module. The new module provides a better representation of dynamics of livestock production system development and will help put our water quality scenario analysis on a more solid basis. This activity will all also include a re-estimation of the recycling rates of excreta nutrient to crop land. To our best knowledge, there is little compiled data to track the fate of excreta nutrients in the environment or partition these among their different uses (manure and energy production etc.), especially in developing countries. In global studies on the nutrient cycle, it is typically assumed that 90-95% of stored and available nutrients from livestock excreta go to crop lands in developing countries. This assumption is based on few studies in 1990s and was already adopted in our model. However, we have received comments from researchers in the land management field, who pointed out that this assumption leads to an overestimation of manure application in African countries. Considering livestock manure acts as an important source of nutrient input to agricultural lands in water quality simulations, improved estimates of excreta nutrient input rates are needed. In the estimation, we will review the literature on manure management and utilize relevant household data at micro-level collected in IFPRI’s past studies. The new data set will help enhance our baseline results of water quality simulations. It can be used to support studies in other areas, such land nutrient balances or land degradation analysis.

Contact Person

Hua Xie (h.xie@cgiar.org)

Lead Center

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Partners

United Nations Environment Programme

Completed

Start/End dateJanuary 01, 2015 — December 01, 2015

Research ThemeVariability, Risks and Competing Uses

Cluster

5.2 Resource allocation and sharing of benefits for all

Regions

Global

Countries

Global-level projects

Enhancing groundwater simulation in the IMPACT-Water model for assessment of groundwater irrigation sustainability and food production impacts

wle_admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 21:26:55 +0000

Groundwater plays an increasingly important role in improving food security and reducing poverty. Groundwater storage can increase the resilience of water supply systems, supporting proper functioning of irrigated agriculture and associated agro-ecological systems in the dry season and during droughts. Presently, more than a third of irrigated cropland in the world depends on groundwater. A significant share of groundwater-irrigated areas overdraft groundwater, which jeopardizes the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in the long term, raises extraction costs, and damages groundwater-dependent ecosystems in those areas. However, in the near term, ceasing groundwater overuse in these areas can have negative food security and socio-economic impacts on rural communities within established agricultural systems that rely on groundwater. Meanwhile, underutilization of groundwater is common in some other areas, in particular in Sub-Saharan Africa, where farmers suffer crop losses during drought years despite abundant water beneath parched land. Various existing studies have examined groundwater overdraft issues at local and regional scales, using economic and hydrological models. More recently, researchers have assessed global groundwater overdraft using global-scale hydrological models and historical groundwater use records. Nevertheless, there is a lack of knowledge of global groundwater irrigation sustainability and the food security impacts of ceasing groundwater overdraft in the short term. Filling this knowledge gap can provide useful policy insights for securing future food supplies and sustaining groundwater-related ecosystem services. A spatially explicit groundwater balance module has been set up, which simulates groundwater recharge, discharge (as base flow) and groundwater pumping, using existing hydrological and hydrogeological information for major aquifers around the world. Groundwater store is divided into an “active store that is connected to surface water” (shallow aquifer) and a “fossil store that is not connect to surface hydrological processes or shallow aquifer but can be accessed with deep tube wells” (deep aquifer). The new module is linked to the global hydrological model (IGHM) and the water management model (IWSM) in the IMPACT (International Model for Policy Analysis of Agricultural Commodities and Trade) Modeling System. In 2015, we will improve the structure of the new groundwater module and its calibration and validation. A paper will be submitted which summarizes the newly developed groundwater module and its integration into the IMPACT Modeling System. In collaboration with IWMI, the model will be applied to regional studies on groundwater management and food security impacts in India and China. Scenario analysis will be conducted to explore the socioeconomic consequences of ceasing groundwater overdraft, and to identify promising options that can mitigate unfavorable consequences of ceasing overdraft.

Contact Person

Tingju Zhu (t.zhu@cgiar.org)

Lead Center

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Partners

International Water Management Institute

Completed

Start/End dateMay 01, 2014 — December 01, 2015

Research ThemeVariability, Risks and Competing Uses

Cluster

5.2 Resource allocation and sharing of benefits for all

Regions

Global

Countries

Global-level projects

New insights on the tradeoffs between energy generation and irrigation: A global analysis

wle_admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 21:26:55 +0000

Both hydropower and bioenergy development have come off age to address growing energy scarcity sustainably. However, relatively little is known about the actual water use intensity of these forms of energy generation. Moreover, very little to nothing is known about energy-water interactions in developing countries. There is also little to no knowledge about the impacts of energy developments on global food security. However, the interactions between hydropower (and other energy sources) and food production are becoming more important as more developing countries have started to re-engage in hydropower development, specifically large-scale hydropower development, and are also expanding other forms of energy generation, all of which require water. Furthermore, in both Africa and Asia, the largest new dams are built in transboundary river basins with often unknown impacts on downstream food security. This activity will shed light on these topics across the WLE focal regions through addressing the following research questions: How does hydropower generation change under increasingly complex and often conflicting interests, and climate change? How do hydropower-irrigation interactions evolve under growing water scarcity? How do changes in energy prices affect hydropower-irrigation interactions?

Contact Person

Claudia Ringler (c.ringler@cgiar.org)

Lead Center

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Partners

Purdue University, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

Completed

Start/End dateJanuary 01, 2014 — December 01, 2016

Research ThemeVariability, Risks and Competing Uses

Cluster

5.3 Water and Energy for Food

Regions

Global

Countries

Global-level projects