Dear HLPE,
Thank you for providing us with the opportunity to feed into this timely and important discussion. Transnational Institute (TNI) Agrarian Justice Programme works with agrarian social movements and civil society groups on issues revolving around land and water struggles, carrying out evidence-based policy studies.
We welcome the comprehensive scope of the study, acknowledging the indivisibility of water with agricultural, land and food security issues – especially in light of widespread large-scale land acquisitions. We also appreciate how it encompasses a key and critical perspective on governance and management themes. We however noticed a few shortcomings, which, if taken into consideration, would strengthen the relevance and impact of the report.
An important dimension of water for food security left out of the scope relates to the role of water in sustaining (rural) livelihoods, especially those of small-scale food producers including farming, fishing, forest-dwelling and herding communities.
Further, we call for caution when you state that ‘the report would distinguish these different actors on the basis of clear criteria’. Boundaries between farmers, fishers, etc. are sometimes blurred. Some communities rely on farming or fishing depending on the season, or fishers occupy and use inland areas while farmers occupy and use coastal land, etc.
In the same vein, the pluralism of tenure systems over water access, use and management, including formal, customary and indigenous ones, should be recognised when it comes to issues in water governance. In this exercise, a human rights framework should be favoured when addressing the impacts of various water systems management.
We believe the policy recommendations could be more explicitly focused on guaranteeing the enjoyment of human rights such as the right to water and the right to food, especially for poor, vulnerable and marginalized people – to whom land and water access is critical for their livelihoods.
Finally, a section on concepts could be useful in order to clarify what is meant by water security, drawing upon the framework developed in relation to the right to food.
Best Regards,
Timothé Feodoroff
Transnational Institute (TNI), Agrarian Justice Programme, Amsterdam
Timothé Feodoroff