Study of 10 river basins brings new perspective on water management
Defining the Limits
Edited by Myles Fisher, Simon Cook Published February 2nd 2012 by Routledge – 406 pages
A major study of 10 river basins, which was carried out over the course of 5 years with an investment exceeding USD 10 million, provides a valuable new perspective on water management. The study, coordinated by the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF), which includes contributions from many scientists of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), will have collated results released at the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) XIV World Water Congress held in Brazil during the period September 25-29, 2011. The individual research results appear in two special open access issues of the peer-reviewed journal, Water International.
“We are delighted with the release of the CPWF report. The findings are consistent with earlier work in which researchers from IWMI, the CPWF and numerous partner organizations determined that we have sufficient water to meet production goals of the future, provided that we manage our land and water resources wisely (Comprehensive Assessment 2007*). Yet, even though our resource base is adequate, we cannot rest easy on this reassuring news. In many areas, improving land and water management will require substantial investments in infrastructure, new policies and programs that reduce the farm-level risks of adopting new production methods. Developing water resources, alone, will not be sufficient.
Dr. Dennis Wichelns
Major River Basins Have Enough Water to Sustainably Double Food Production in the Coming Decades
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* Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. 2007. Water for Food, Water for Life: A Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. London: Earthscan, and Colombo: International Water Management Institute.
http://iwmi.cgiar.org/Assessment/Publications/books.htm
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