Good morning, it is very exciting to participate as a consultant to FAO documents. From my point of view it is an activity that has to be filled with pride to all participants.
Comments and inputs on the following important aspects:
1) The scope of the topic of water and food security is very broad. Do you think that the V0 draft has adequately charted the diversity of the linkages between water and food security and nutrition? Is there important evidence or aspects that the present draft has failed to cover?
The report is comprehensive and covers many important topics and story to the problematic of water and food securitya and I think the link between water management, food security and nutrition is demonstrated. As a matter of high importance to cover: the teaching of proper water management education as well also in terms of food security related to drinking water and higinizarse.
2) Has the report adequately covered the diversity of approaches and methodological issues, in particular concerning metrics and data for water and food security? Which metrics do you find particularly useful and which not?
The report is very explanatory in terms of approaches and methodology used to demonstrate metric parameters of the water.The most useful parameter is indicating how related is between the amount of water per capita and the amount of water that is in condition to be used in the feeding and sanitation to be food secure. As in the case of countries that have a high average rainfall but water infrastructure issues can not be exploited and that is used does not have adequate conditions for safe use.
3) Food security involves trade of agricultural produce, and a virtual trade of water. Agricultural trade interacts with water and food security in various ways, and differently for food importing countries, food exporting countries, water scarce versus water rich countries. Do you think the V0 draft has appropriately covered the matter?
Okay addressed the issue of issues related to food trade (in its various forms such as grain, meat, etc) and food security. Anyway there most food production is related to the private sector which is not presented in its most respect for water use. In many developing countries it is difficult to control by the state over the private sector mainly due to problems related to bribery, inefficiency in the management of water or lack of interest on water management. This is seen a lot when they are corporations that comercilizan food produced in other countries and not in the country of origin of the food. A controversy was raised in Argentina with the theme of soybean monoculture industrializing little to consumption in Argentina and one of the issues that were raised to consider is water loss suffered by Argentina which is built into the seed and not it also takes into account the wear and extraction of minerals from the soil. Also in international trade by large ships and make port in freshwater rivers, has lately proved that they are filling their ballast tanks with fresh water marketed in countries where the load carrying grain and sell this water sweet crude for them to be potabilizadas. This has been observed in the basin of the Rio de la Plata-Parana where is the port city of Rosario which is the largest grain agribusiness hub Argentina. These practices Trading are not regulated and may affect property rights of countries own their natural resources which through special taxes or charges may allocate those revenues to improve infrastructure for uptake of water for use in the food chain and to improve structure safe water in poor areas.
4) In this report, we considered the potential for an expansion of the right to water to also encompass productive uses. What kind of practical and policy challenges would this bring?
The right to water, to food, to health and to education should be inherent in every human being. As for the right to water for the production should be considered two aspect that may be related to conflicting ethical-legal-political kind. If the right to produce is referenced to the generation of food and if those foods to be marketed elsewhere in the world, we must take into account that production will not be available for residents of the region where it is realized production and also for such production water that may be in need of the citizens in their daily lives is removed. In such circumstance is this privileging people in other areas who have money to buy these foods rather than privileging locals production which compete for water supply. As the people have the right to water and feed is necessary to generate food but if the food is produced in a developing country with water issues and are sold in developed countries with high aquisitivo power, situation or problematic generates me in developing country? The production is entitled to water but also the people have the right to water and what produccido in that region and the surplus can be traded but can not remove the right to water to the inhabitants to produce food that will be marketed in other areas because we would be increasing the money power generating monetary inequality and inequity and lead to pay more for the right to water.
5) Which systemic actions/solutions/approaches would be the most effective to enhance water governance, management and use for food security?
From my point of view the approach may be more effective water management and food security should be the politico-social with a focus in the awareness of water management. In developing countries water management, unless there escazes no interest in the agenda of states and are not worried about pollution or increasing desertification. Governments in many of these countries are more concerned in the following year in the coming decades. It is the state approach that can enable increased infrastructure for the uptake of rainwater and can be ensured by controls pollution of aquifers not. Reports and recommendations will not be effective but become one of the most important issues on the agenda of governments. Without an international protocol to regulate and to consider a challenge to water management by all the countries the individual actions of each country will be governed according to the convenience of each country according to the problems that are identified on the fly and not are going to be working on real long-term solutions. Like for example I live in the city of Cordoba in Argentina. We are very close to a lake called Lago San Roque which provides us with water to the city of 1,250,000 inhabitants. This lake has been filled for decades by the growing mud generated in hilly areas due to deforestation that can not attract and retain water. The lake's capacity to retain water has led us to begin to suffer water shortages Alerts. The government policy was not only clean up the lake shore and increase the height of buildings leading to increased eutrophication of water and a minor amount of water to dissolve the contaminants. Do not plan on water management but governments often think of other government actions regardless of water management.
In addition to the issues and queries also wanted to make a contribution regarding the editing of the report which is not justified paragraphs, there are figures that are not mentioned in the text and no mention in the text of figures that are not included or has the name changed. In addition there are figures that are far removed from the text where they are mentioned and are displaced for several pages back or forward. Some figures to be extracted from other bibliographic materials or reports lack some information or axes which explains that seen in the figure which could be remedied with a footnote at the bottom of the figure. It would also be good to include a list of all abbreviations used for a more comprehensive document management. Give certain impression that the times were very short and could not make a review about the edition of the paper to reduce such errors.
Anyway it is a very good outreach and effort devoted to collecting and searching for solutions to water management shows.
I would like to thank for the opportunity to be working albeit with opinions or suggestions that maybe are not available to the excellence that is in the report but all views add to the plurarilad in water management and food security . I would have liked to do some stress upon the management of water purification to be consumed and possible technological alternatives who are within reach of at risk populations and poverty.
Also highly motivating and mobilizing of reviewers would be if there was the possibility of reward by an electronic certificate which has participated and collaborated in that FAO is an umbrella organization that to me proud and professional responsibility for the work and reports that perform and to have a certificate of collaborating is really pleasing. They are wont as a suggestion.
Greetings and at your disposal.
Ph.D. Professor Ruben Olmedo
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
National University of Cordoba
ICYTAC-CONICET
Institute of Science and Food Technology.
Av. Valparaiso s/n. Ciudad universitaria.
Córdoba Argentina. CP:5000
+054-0351-59-5657
Ruben Olmedo