NARRATIVE

Climate change, water and food security

Date: 26-28 February 2008

Objectives

Climate change is expected to alter hydrological regimes and the patterns of freshwater resources availability with impacts on both rainfed and irrigated agriculture. Agriculture yields 40% of the global food production under irrigation on 20% of the cultivated land, using about 70% of all freshwater withdrawals. The other 60% of the global food production comes from the 80% of the cultivated land under rainfed conditions and will be affected by changes in precipitation and temperature. In a situation of water scarcity, agriculture, inland fisheries and aquaculture are expected to be significantly impacted. This Expert Meeting will review discussion papers on climate change implications. Projections for water use in agriculture will be reviewed. The discussion papers will appraise adaptation options and implementation strategies that have significant potential to maintain or enhance water management and food security in a sustainable and economically viable way. It will propose strategic lines of action for FAO and its partners to address, and respond to, the uncertainties posed by a changing climate.

KEY QUESTIONS

• How will the changing structure and pattern of demand for food at national and regional level translate into demand for rainfed and irrigated production between now and 2050?
• To what degree will climate change impact (positive and negative) rainfed and irrigated agriculture in terms of freshwater availability, in the short, medium and long term (up to 2050)?
• What will be the main operational responses in the management of supply and demand of water for agriculture -and what will be the associated investment implications?
• How will agriculture cope with increased competition for water and freshwater system services from other economic sectors?
• Is hydrological information in relation to agricultural production adequately captured to assess the sensitivity of crop production to climate change (particularly in relation to evapotranspiration, soil moisture and aquifer recharge). Would coupled climate and land-use modelling help establish the feedback links?
  

Expected outputs  

• A technical issues paper and policy brief cleared by an internal FAO working group and peer reviewed by a set of experts drawn from IPCC, agriculture research institutions and countries likely to be most impacted in preparation for the High Level Conference on Food Security, the Challenges Climate Change of Bioenergy;
• Concrete technical recommendations for maintaining or enhancing productivity of agricultural water management under climate change scenarios, including financing and regulatory instruments;
• An enhanced network for collaboration for FAO’s future support to member countries in adapting agricultural water management.