Agriculture can play an essential role in achieving a green economy since it accounts for 70% of global water withdrawals and provides employment for 40% of the global population. Furthermore, GDP growth generated by agriculture contributes to food security, to raise revenue for the rural poor and is also associated with a great number of employment opportunities. Green growth requires that in the coming decades enough food is provided for an expanding population (mostly in the least developed countries and especially in Sub-Saharan Africa), of which a proportion will be increasingly affluent in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Developed Countries (DCs). A green economy requires the achievement of food security, but by using less natural resources. This could be achieved through improved resource efficiency, substantial investments and innovations. It implies increasing crops that ensure a higher efficiency in terms of nutrition per drop of water.
Smallholder farms are essential in the transition towards a green economy. They can contribute to economic growth, poverty reduction and food security. However, without the means to control and effectively manage water, poor farmers are unable to turn agriculture from a subsistence activity into an income-generating enterprise. Water is not the only constraint to improving crop production and nutrition, but if farmers do not have reliable access to water, interventions to address the other constraints will fail. For example, reliable access to water gives farmers the security to invest in inputs, such as fertilizers and improved seeds, and enables them to grow higher-value crops, such as fruits and vegetables.
ALI ABDALRAHMAN