New irrigation investment guidelines launched at annual FAO Land and Water Days

Cairo, 2 April 2019 - Feeding a growing global population amid a changing climate calls for more and better investment in water for agriculture.

During today’s session at FAO’s Land and Water Days in Cairo, Egypt, the FAO Investment Centre unveiled its new Guidelines on irrigation investment projects.

These guidelines introduce innovative approaches, tools and resources to tackle irrigation development challenges, like water scarcity, competition over shared natural resources and the impact of climate change.

They also offer the reader step-by-step guidance on how to apply these approaches at each phase of the investment project cycle.

The work, carried out by a multidisciplinary, inter-agency team, draws on lessons and experiences from irrigation investment operations over the last two decades.

And it complements FAO’s Guidelines for planning irrigation and drainage investment projects, published in 1996.

Investments in water for agriculture must be carefully planned and targeted to maximize desired benefits and to minimize unintended negative consequences on other resource users or ecosystem services.

These guidelines are designed to help with sound irrigation investment planning that promotes more productive, equitable and sustainable water resource development and management.

They are geared toward national and international professionals involved in irrigation investment projects, including staff from international financing institutions, development assistance agencies, governments and consulting firms.

Some 400 participants, mostly from the Near East and North Africa, are taking part in FAO’s Land and Water Days, in its fifth year.

The five-day event is an opportunity to take stock of progress made in addressing water scarcity and land degradation in the region. It is also a chance to share the latest scientific and technological innovations and identify policy and investments that promote sustainable water management and food security.

Among those on hand are representatives from FAO member countries, United Nations agencies, intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, private sector entities, academia, research institutions and producer organizations and cooperatives.

Publication: Guidelines on irrigation investment projects