Background Water scarcity is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, severely impacting agriculture, which accounts for 72 percent of global freshwater withdrawals. Droughts are already a major cause of crop failures in many parts of the world and of acute food insecurity crisis in vulnerable countries. With the...

Increasing salinity conditions is one of the manifestations of climate change which affects agriculture production, food security and nutrition with the potential to lead to environmental degradation. In response, the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) works towards collaborative solutions for resilient agrifood systems. Under the FAO's Value Adding...

From 13 to 16 May 2024, Malawi hosted a mission in Lilongwe for the ‘Addressing Water Scarcity for Agriculture and Environment’ (AWSAMe) initiative, which includes a component on indigenous, drought resilient and nutritious crops with a potential to improve biodiversity. AWSAMe is a Value Adding Impact Area (VAIA) of ‘Better...

Water scarcity is one of the greatest challenges of the twenty-first century, especially for the agriculture sector. Droughts are already a major cause of crop failures in many areas of the world and of acute food insecurity crisis in vulnerable countries. With the world population reaching around 10 billion in...

Agriculture is by far the largest consumer of the Earth's available freshwater: 70% of “blue water” withdrawals from watercourses and groundwater are for agricultural usage, and will be severely affected by water scarcity. By 2050, the global water demand of agriculture is estimated to increase by a further 19% due...