Launch of first policy brief for the FAO Land and Water “Increasing water productivity for nutrition-sensitive agriculture and improved food security and nutrition” project
13/02/2023
Healthy diets require safe soils and water for food production and preparation. Opportunities for producing quality food while efficiently managing water and other resources to nourish and benefit society as a whole exist but need to be well integrated into policy and development actions. Based on current trends, there is a need to harness the potential of water resources through a combination of efforts, such as improved coordination in the management of water across sectors to make better use of water resources in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Achieving SDGs 2 (end hunger and all forms of malnutrition), 3 (good health and well-being), 6 (clean water and sanitation) and 15 (life on land) will require interdisciplinary strategies that recognize the interconnections among these goals. To satisfy the increased demand and unmet needs for food, the harnessing and productive use of available water, together with other resources, must improve. With an erratic rainfall pattern and high rates of evapotranspiration, which are amplified through global warming, the management of water, from the rains to the drains, are key challenges to increasing and stabilizing crop yields at reasonable levels.
In this framework, the FAO project “Increasing water productivity for nutrition-sensitive agriculture and improved food security and nutrition” has published a policy brief that highlights the project’s innovative methodological approach, as well as summarizes the preliminary results from the baseline surveys in three of the six pilot countries: Benin, Niger and Mozambique.