Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

The report is a very comprehesive review and an impressive summary of the key issues.  However, in the context of systemic actions/ solutions/ approaches  to enhance water governance, management and use for food security, I think that more attention should be devoted in the report to the issue of water pricing in relation to water scarcity.  In many cases the price of water bears no relation to scarcity and the cost of water can range anywhere between approximately 9$/m3 in Copenhagen to 0.03$/m3 in Karachi.  This issue, and the relationship with food security, would warrant expanded discussion and potential remedial actions. 

With respect to actions of the private sector, Nestlé has made a comprehensive set of external commitments relating to water in the areas summarised below. Progress is reported annually in Nestlé's annual Creating Shared Value report. 

WATER: Work to achive water efficiency across our operations.  Advocate for effective water policies and stewardship.  Treat the water we discharge effectively. Engage with suppliers, especially those in agriculture. Raise awareness of water access and conservation.   

Chers membres du HLPE,

Qu’il nous soit permis avant tout de signifier notre plaisir de contribuer à l’élaboration du Rapport de la FAO sur les questions d’Eau et de Sécurité Alimentaire, qui avec l’Environnement, constituent les trois domaines prioritaires d’action de notre Centre de Communication. Aussi, notre contribution sera relative à votre section sur l’eau dans les systèmes agricoles. Vous y faites mention tant des systèmes dépendant de la pluviométrie que de ceux basés sur l’irrigation. Dans cette seconde catégorie, vous semblez davantage faire la part belle à l’irrigation des zones arides. Cependant, il existe à notre sens, un autre cadre de culture qui mériterait intérêt: les bas-fonds. L’adoption des bas-fonds comme cadre agricole participe de pratiques particularistes mises en œuvre au départ par les exclus du système foncier (femmes, orphelins, allogènes …) pour survivre ; Cependant, au regard de leur forte productivité, ces zones sont rapidement devenues de véritables pôles de production maraîchère et vivrière.  Au Cameroun, la prise de conscience de l'importance de l'eau des bas fonds sur l'agriculture dans ces zones a été marquée par la création au sein du Ministère de l'Agriculture et du Développement Rural (MINADER), d’un Programme de Valorisation des Bas-Fonds (PVBF). Notre contribution telle que détaillée dans le fichier attaché est donc relative à la mise en exergue, sur la base d’exemples camerounais, de l’apport des bas fonds quant à  la garantie de la sécurité alimentaire et du développement durable.

Thank you for the chance to comment on this draft report, timely in the need to consider water security in line with food security.  The right to water and the right to food need to be viewed in an inter-related way, and protected over other competing interests.    

There is much to commend this draft report for, as other commentators have shared.  It is encouraging to see frequent mentions of the potential of agro-ecological approaches, with the integration of livestock and crops, to increase productivity within a smallholder and local context, an experience we have observed as an organisation working in sub-Saharan Africa.   Typically, the productive potential of smallholder farmers, when equipped with appropriate knowledge and skills, is under-estimated, and they are dismissed as a contributor to the problem, never being seen as one of the solutions.

Water is clearly a global resource, but also has to be considered in its very local context, and its utilisation at this local level be optimised, such as growing appropriate crops to the local rainfall.  Change in land use or crops grown has a significant local consequence.  Maize is a very thirsty crop, yet is now the predominant crop for sub-Saharan Africa having replaced more drought resistant crops (e.g. sorghum and millet).  Irrigation may enable an increase in the yield of maize per unit area, but a better use of water will be observed in the increase of sorghum and the (potential irrigated) water used to grow vegetables and fruit for the local market. In Ethiopia, local water courses are now polluted from run-off of chemical sprays from export focused flower polytunnels. 

The livestock sector is a growing consumer of water, and a growing influencer of local and international agricultural practice.  The demands for meat by the burgeoning middle classes across the world are putting a huge level of demand on water – in terms of impacts on water (through deforestation for soya growth, etc.); livestock consumption during production  and processing (contamination of water for cleaning sheds and abattoirs, etc.

The danger of such a report is that it proposes singular global solutions to the issue.  A more appropriate response would be the enabling of many diverse local solutions to be identified.  By resolving water issues locally, the global challenge of water availability will be resolved through these multiple local responses.  

I would like to make the following comments on the V0 draft report on Water and Food Security. 

First I would like to congratulate the authors on framing this potentially huge subject in a coherent and comprehensive structure. 

Second, my concern is that more attention is needed to the increasing role played by global private capital in shaping local water delivery systems. For example, the financial sector is increasingly involved in water delivery as water has become an asset class for financial investors. See for example Emerging Capital Partners http://www.ecpinvestments.com/index.php/finagestion-3/ . Private equity firms also have stakes in English water companies.  These developments lead to much more complex governance structures as water delivery becomes part of a global investment portfolio. And these issues are likely to become more important as the pressing need for investment finance is putting further emphasis on privatisation and private sector finance (see for example http://www.icafrica.org/en/topics-programmes/water/).

Finally I think if the report is to propose water trading (p.81) the potential drawbacks need to be articulated. An alternative may be water sharing and I think there is some precedent for this in Asia. 

I hope this is useful. I would be happy to discuss further if required. 

Best wishes

Kate Bayliss

--

Dr Kate Bayliss

School of Oriental and African Studies,

University of London,

Thornhaugh Street,

Russell Square,

London WC1H OXG.

Comments on the V0 draft of the HLPE report on Water and Food Security from the FAO Inland Fisheries Group:

Importance of Inland Fisheries to Food Security

Although the document is referring to fisheries several times, the first and second chapter give the impression that the authors are not appropriately appreciating the importance of inland fisheries, and therefore freshwater ecosystems, for Food Security and Nutrition for many people in the poorer segments of the poorest countries.

Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly under threat by several challenges impacting the goods and services they provide. Fisheries production is one of those impacted services, which has as a consequence a direct impact for many poor and food-insecure countries, as fish is a key source of protein and micro-nutrients for in many cases the poorest segments of society. For millions of people in low-income countries, adequate nutrition, health, and income are directly tied to ecological functioning of freshwater.

Inland/freshwater capture fisheries have a yearly catch of around 11.6 million tons (FAO 2012), valuing around USD 9 billion, without any waste due to discards; however this estimate does not include catch from subsistence fishers and recreational fishers, which together may amount to an additional harvest of many millions of tons. 61 million people are employed in inland fisheries worldwide, of which 60 million in the developing world. 65% of the reported catch from inland fisheries is caught in low-income food-deficit countries. Over 200 million of Africa’s 1 billion people regularly consume fish and nearly half of this comes from inland fisheries (UNEP 2010). Whereas fish consumption is increasing in most of the world, in many parts of Africa per capita consumption of inland fish is decreasing due to over-fishing and habitat degradation.

Freshwater capture fisheries will continue to be a key component for Food Security and Nutrition, particularly for poor and landless people, because small, wild-caught fish are generally more accessible, cheaper and have high nutritional value.

Inclusion of fisheries governing water

Having made our statement above with respect to the importance of inland capture fisheries for Food Security and Nutrition, we would like to express our appreciation with respect to the Chapter concerning Governing Water for FSN. The chapter draws attention to often forgotten peoples (including fishers) when water rights, or water user rights are managed. The text is truly inclusive, for which the authors are congratulated.

Specific comments per chapter:

Agriculture water demand (1.3.2)

On page 19 (line 1) a statement is made which is not a correct reflection of the statement made in the article referred to. “It is widely accepted that animal food products require much larger quantities of water per unit of nutritional energy compared to foods of plant origin (Gerbens-Leenes et al, 2013)” We would like to clarify that the article referred to is dealing with poultry, pork and beef, not with fish. We propose therefore to improve the sentence to: “It is widely accepted that poultry, pork and beef require much larger quantities of water per unit of nutritional energy compared to foods of plant origin (Gerbens-Leenes et al, 2013)”

We would also like to point out that inland capture fisheries and aquaculture are compatible with other uses of fresh water, however the water must be managed appropriately. Withdrawals for and effluents from agriculture can have adverse impacts on fisheries whereas managing water for fisheries may restrict its use for other purposes. None-the-less, inland capture fisheries do not degrade water quality and do allow for multiple uses.

Water and Energy linkages (1.3.4)

The part dealing with water and energy linkages does not cover the potential disruptive effect(s) dams can have on biodiversity in the catchment area where they are placed, as they might be blocking essential migration routes of fish to their spawning grounds and vice versa. This might result in the significant depletion of concerned stocks, with its obvious effects on fish production downstream. Through dams, water flows might become regulated, reducing inundation periods and intensity, reducing the associated fisheries production. These effects need to be considered and mitigated when investigating and operating dams for irrigation and hydropower.

Rainfed agriculture systems (2.1.1)

On page 29 line 28, we would like to see fish added to livestock so that the sentence would read: “Livestock and aquaculture are an important part of multi-functional agriculture, providing milk, meat, eggs, fish, cash income, farm power and manure that can”….. Especially in Asia aquaculture is an integral part of households systems, being an efficient addition to rural livelihoods.

Diversifying with fisheries and aquaculture (2.4.5)

We agree with the statement made that findings of the HLPE report on sustainable fisheries and aquaculture  should not be repeated in the present report, and that it would be inappropriate not to note the importance of fisheries and aquaculture in the context of food security and nutrition. However, from line 16 onwards there seems to be a misconception or misunderstanding by the authors on the differences between aquaculture and inland capture fisheries. The authors mention fish and aquaculture, but do not mention capture fisheries or are mixing the two concepts; aquaculture is the farming of fish, inland capture fisheries is the hunting or trapping of fish. It is therefore incorrect to state that “fisheries are mostly run by small farmers with wide participation at all levels and scales including farming, processing and marketing”. The sentence should read: “aquaculture operations are frequently run by small farmers with…”

It would be good to expand the sentence (starting at line 20) that inland capture fisheries often being critical to local food security etc. lack of understanding of this importance by people outside the sector is what often causes non-inclusion or non-consideration of capture fisheries in basin water management, investment plans, etc

Line 22, here there is again the omission of fisheries and fish and aquaculture is mentioned. The sentence should read: “When considering the issue of water for food security and nutrition it is critical that the role of capture fisheries and aquaculture in meeting the nutritional needs of poor rural communities in many areas, but also of the world at large, are considered in water policy and practice.”

Starting at line 24: The sentence should read: Several species of fish are seriously overexploited. Causes for this include environmental pressures such as low water quality and habitat destruction.

Line 26: As competition for water resources increases fish and inland capture fisheries and aquaculture suffer most as the priorities for water allocation are usually focused on other sectors

Line 31: This will require building partnerships between fishers, aquaculturists and other interest groups concerned with more efficient ways to increase the overall benefits of water productivity to food security and poverty reduction as well as achieve higher level of integration in agricultural systems.

2.5.1 Water footprint

It is disappointing to see that fish from inland capture fisheries is not mentioned in this chapter, as this is one of the products with the lowest water footprint. Clearly authors use the concept for comparison of land-based products, but it would be good to include capture fisheries in this, so that the benefits/importance of the sector is truly appreciated.

2.6 Policy implications

Page 48, Line 38: we assume that the term agriculture includes capture fisheries and aquaculture

3.1 Multiple ways to allocate and access water

Page 52, line 13: We would like to propose the change the term cultivators into users, and add fishers, so that the sentence would read: “It is also important to note that many small-holder users, most women, fishers and pastoralists have use rights in customary arrangements that are largely invisible to policy makers and these play a critical role in ensuring their food and livelihood security”

3.3.2 Hydropower

We appreciate the chapter on hydropower, and the reflection of the discussions around the issue. The example given on the Mekong river is very important. Box 19 is appreciated.

Page 68, Box 21. We would like to suggest to include in the Box two Voluntary guidelines:

·         Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/i2801e/i2801e.pdf, and

·         Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (FAO. 2014)

3.6.3 Unresolved matters

Page 72, line 1: We appreciate the report’s mentioning of expanding the scope to address the importance of adequate water for ecosystem sustenance and subsistence agriculture

Recommendations

We would like to see a recommendation drawing (States) attention to the specific importance of the inland fisheries sector (providing animal protein and micronutrients with limited alternatives) to food security and nutrition for often poorest segments of society. Before taking water management actions with potential impacts on inland fishery production and biodiversity, States should include the inland fisheries sector in their impact assessments. (fishers are mentioned in some recommendations, but without a link to the importance of the production of the sector to nutritional status of people. When fishers are mentioned it is more in the context of their rights)

Page 75, line 34: we would like to see fishers added to the text:  “Water and land tenure and use right systems are seldom coordinated, which can lead to sub-optimal outcomes on the ground, especially for small or marginalised farmers, fishers, and other food producers”

Felix Marttin

Devin Bartley

David Lymer

Inland Fisheries Branch

FAO of the UN

Thank you for sending me the e-consultation document on the Water and Food security with the V0 draft. 

The following are my comments:

1.    The focus of the document in relating Water and Food Security lacks the real temperature and the correct mining because it talks of both water and food security and in a sense does not link it in such a way that how one affects the other. 

2.    Water used in Food processing or water for Food and Nutrition and water for Industry is a very Important  subject. 

3.    I am very radical in giving this comment because it is the conservation of water that has the long run agenda for Food Security.  It is not what is used today that is only a matter of water losses.  So therefore on a similar footing on Food Losses and Waste we must first address the Water Losses and Waste and readdress some portion of the  document into the water management that has to do both in the urban, rural, semi rural and semi urban and how this conservation and preservation of wastage can be used to better Food Security.  Food Security also means Nutrition Security.  Therefore the right to water and the access to water should form a major agenda.  This has been very well covered from pages 69 to 73 but what is really lacking is the right to water is not only for drinking but right to water is for agricultural purposes, non-agricultural purposes, industrial purposes, household purposes as well as kitchen gardening purposes and how do we differentiate in terms of right to water including using rain water harvesting (India has been one of the leading exponent in that).

4.    In the larger abundant availability of water generally water is classified into water obtained from sky which percolates down to the soil and comes out as a Spring water and whatever is not absorbed goes as river water or water in the lakes.  So this is the overall cycle of water from sea which is affected by not only global climate changes but also local weather turbulences therefore affecting the water below the ground, the water above the ground and the quality of water.   Hence when we look at water as a holistic approach of all these addition whether it is a manmade lake to recharge the ground water or it is a traditional reservoir or it is a river that takes away the top soild and at the same time we are looking at various kinds of quality water including smoke free water and the excess water that is now flowing from Arctic and Antarctica which we are not able to handle in the rise of the sea level affecting the coastal regions in hundreds of countries. So therefore that in turn affects the Food Security in those regions including Fisheries and the Ocean Food that comes to the rescue of the Food Security.  Therefore the nature of havoc sometimes water creates has an effect on biodiversity and the document must become biodiversity giving standard example of how certain bio-diverse plants are species on the sea or on the land or on the amphibians are lost in the tradition of the ecological balance and water becomes imbalanced parameter in nature. 

5.    An important point is how water will be charged in tomorrow’s world in terms of putting a value for it and it is just like mining under control fashion the stored water below the ground cannot be emptied just like that by a few people because they live above it.  It has to be controlled by a policy system and recharging the ground water perhaps is the longstanding long range objective of any policy. 

6.    Quality of water is simply a matter of importance.  Today with the chemicals dumping into the system, the pollution running around rivers, lakes, the recharged water also becomes highly polluted water.  Once we contaminate the sea below the earth then for ever we cannot use that water. It is this perspective that are not been brought out in the report and requires urgent attention even covering a paragraph or two with proper references. 

7.    The climate change has made a lot of difference in terms of local weather and the way water pours down or there is no water ending to drought and how do we really mobilise our water systems across the areas of floods to across the areas of drought in terms of connecting the “have”s and “have not”s very similar to what was done in the Food Losses and Waste report in terms of winners and losers!   

8.    At this point and at any point looking trade as an option to ensure water, food and nutrition security may be a little bit lopsided approach.  The focus has to be on management of the natural resource rather than trading. The trading will unnecessarily make water equivalent to Petrol ! 

9.    I strongly feel that the Food Sustainability issue and the Food Security issue has not been highlighted in this report as related to water.  It is this analysis that is so important without which it is an independent document which talks about water but does not address the role of water in Food Sustainability and Food Security and ultimately Food Security has to be a larger umbrella of Nutrition Security and therefore if there is any single comment I would make on this very well documented information I would say the most important is that this connectivity of this agenda and not enough argument to show how excess water destroys Food Security and how no water can bring in Food insecurity.  This has to be brought in with the Boxes, Tables, Figures, Facts from a global level so that the local countries and the regions can adopt it as a solution, as a means of the draft recommendation focussing on water, food sustainability and food security which is the mandate of the CFS and HLPE.

The current VO Draft desires much more and needs a very deep look at the TOR for the Document to address the Sustainability Issue and the Food Security issue which is the Crux of the matter. The draft requires considerable work and I hope the Panel and HLPE will address these issues more than that it is done now.

With Very Warm Personal Regards,

V Prakash

Dr.V. Prakash, Ph.D, FRSC, FIFT, FINAE, FIAFoST, FNAAS, FAFST(I), FINAS,  FNAS

Distinguished Scientist of CSIR -  INDIA,

Immediate Past Director, CSIR - CFTRI, Mysore, India

Currently Director of Research, INNOVATION and Development, at JSS - MVP, JSS Technical Institution Campus, MYSORE 570 006, INDIA

Padmashree, Bhatnagar and Rajyothsava and Three different Life Time Achievement Awardee

VICE PRESIDENT, International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) : 2014 to 2017

Advisory Member, International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST)

President, International Society for Nutraceuticals , Nutritionals And Naturals (ISNNAN)

Chairman, India Region of Eur. Hygienic Eng. Design Group(EHEDG)

Executive Council Member, Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI)

Chair, Scientific Panel on  Nutraceuticals, Nutritionals, Functional Foods and Dietary Supplements, FSSAI, Govt. of India

IUFoST Visiting Professor of Saigon Technology University,Vietnam

IUFoST Life Time Acheivement  Awardee 2014.

Former Coordinator, United Nations University Programme at CFTRI, Mysore, India

Immediate Past President, Nutrition Society of India

Past President of  IAFoST

Chairman NUTRA India Summit 2015

Project Team Leader for the HLPE Report on Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable food systems

Thank you for this chance to give feedback to your report concerning water and food security and nutrition and to highlight anything we feel to be missing.

It is a thorough report covering many sides of the water equation. However without including the crucial part that ecosystems play in maintaining the regenerative functions of the global water cycle and hence fresh water quantity and quality there will not be adequate supplies of fresh water for global water or food security. Since adequate nutrition is based upon these elementary factors then this issue needs to be seriously considered in your equations.

In 2012 the issue of healthy ecosystems for maintaining quantity and quality of fresh water was explored by a UN Task Force of which, the FAO was a member. In March 2013 the Analytical Brief was released to guide world governments and UN departments on the findings concerning global water security. Within the brief it states:

“Ensuring that ecosystems are protected and conserved is central to achieving water security – both for people and for nature. Ecosystems are vital to sustaining the quantity and quality of water available within a watershed, on which both nature and people rely. Maintaining the integrity of ecosystems is essential for supporting the diverse needs of humans, and for the sustainability of ecosystems, including protecting the water- provisioning services they provide.”

Previously in 2012 world governments agreed upon this issue when they signed ‘The Future We Want’ in which it states:

"We recognize the key role that ecosystems play in maintaining water quantity and quality and support   actions within the respective national boundaries to protect and sustainably manage these ecosystems." (The Future We Want RES/A/66/288 para.122)

This was recognised by UNEP in 2009 in their report 'The Critical Connection'

“We live in a world of ecosystems – and our existence would not be possible without the life-supporting services they provide. Properly functioning ecosystems in turn are fundamentally related to water security.” (Achim Steiner Executive Director of UNEP, Water Security and Ecosystem Services: The critical connection)

This was also echoed by UNESCO in their 2013 ‘Climate Change impacts on Mountain Regions of the World' report

“Given their important role in water supply and regulation, the protection, sustainable management and restoration of mountain ecosystems will be essential.” (UNESCO, 2013, ‘Climate Change impacts on Mountain Regions of the World’)

We hope that you will give this due consideration and add this vital issue into your report.

For further information on this issue please visit:

http://www.activeremedy.org/

Dear Sirs:

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute some observations on the V0 draft.

1)Frames of reference for the identified food-water nexus variables : The high level frame for the food-water intersection variables remain in the background through out the draft. For e.g.  

At the Agri-food Systems level : The key water -food nexus variables can be water demand-supply, water trade,  water governance/reforms, water infrastructure investments, water technologies investments..

At the Health-Disease Systems level : The key water -food nexus variables can be water quality.

Similarly at the Environmental Systems level - Climate change and Environmental flows and at the Socio-Economic Systems level : water rights, cultural norms/preferences, water use and water pricing.

Clearly a systems level perspective bringing out the key water-food nexus variables under each of the system headers may  prove beneficial to not only identify intra-variable and systems level dynamics but also help clarify the granularity of the  recommendations.

2)Missing food-water nexus variables : Water infrastructure and technology investments, cultural norms/preferences are two important food-water nexus variables that remain to be addressed in the draft.

3) Comprehensive Food-Nutrition Security Index : An approach of drawing up a comprehensive food-nutrition security index and linking evidence /patterns of the key food-water nexus variables with such an index may prove beneficial to systematically gather and synthesize the current on-going integrated assessment models , projects and outputs from across the word.

4)Scenarios based approach to Recommendations:The  dynamics of various external pressures in the form of migration - urbanization - population growth - economic development  devised into possible scenarios , mapping the food-water nexus variables to the FSN index against such scenarios may prove valuable to draw up comprehensive recommendations at various levels - global, regional, national or sub national level.  Such granularity of recommendations can also further help in mobilizing , enabling and catalyzing concrete actions from various stakeholders. 

5)Cross cutting themes identification and discussion : Key cross cutting themes in gender, research /development/ innovation, knowledge management, measurement and evaluation , development indicators access may need to be comprehensively  inventoried and discussed in a separate section in order that several more stakeholder perspectives can enrich the discussion, recommendations and ensuing actions. 

We hope the observations prove useful in further refining the draft.

Sincerely 

Suman, 

Managing Trustee , CPPCIF

This report on water and food security is well documented and quite rich in terms of information and coverage of subject matter.

I would like to share two concerns and experiences from India to be included in this report.  One is also related to trans boundary water commons with Bangladesh and Nepal.

1.Sand mining as it impact both the quality and quantity of water in river and affects food production of the people depend on river beds.

2.River bank erosion that leads to internal displacement of persons (IDP) located on river bank which has direct impact on food security of people

In case you feel these are important and should be covered please go through the attachment. These are our experiences with the marginalised communities who are living on river bank and struggle for their survival – especially female headed households.

Sand mining issue was covered during our Padayatra (foot march) in 2012 and this report is published and released. I have extracted portions of the report for your reference.

River bank erosion issue has emerged in our ongoing research around trans boundary water commons and this report is yet to be finalised and published.

My colleague Mr. Biren Nayak and I have worked on this input.  Thanks Ruchi, for sharing this information.

Warm regards

Bratindi Jena|Head - Knowledge Activist Hub Natural Resources

331/A, Saheed Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha,India