Webinar "Water & Nutrition: from Research to Action"
The Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) hosted by the FAO Land and Water Division organized its sixth webinar under the title: Water & Nutrition: from Research to Action.
Water use in agriculture is fundamental for both food security and rural livelihoods, but also supports improved nutrition through many pathways; in tandem with water uses in other sectors, notably WASH. This webinar--drawing on the work of the WASAG Working Group on Water and Nutrition--described the important linkages between water and nutrition, and the importance of synergistic water-nutrition strategies for improved well-being and planetary health. A distinguished panel described the key linkages between water use and nutrition as well as the impacts from unsustainable consumption for the world’s water resources, presented examples of implementation of water-sensitive nutrition interventions and develops policy actions in the water-nutrition space that are even more urgently needed as a result of Covid-19.
Water use in agriculture is fundamental for both food security and rural livelihoods, but also supports improved nutrition through many pathways; in tandem with water uses in other sectors, notably WASH. This webinar—which draws on the work of the WASAG Working Group on Water and Nutrition--describes the important linkages [...]
Presentations
Speakers
Claudia Ringler, Deputy Director of Environment and Production Technology Division, IFPRI
Claudia Ringler was appointed Deputy Division Director of IFPRI’s Environment and Production Technology Division in 2011. From 1996 until her current appointment, she served in various other research positions in that division. She currently co-leads the Institute’s water research program and is also a basin theme leader in the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems. Dr. Ringler received her PhD in Agricultural Economics from the Center for Development Research, Bonn University, Germany, and her MA in International and Development Economics from Yale University.
Mr Jean Ruhiza Boroto – WASAG Support Team
A Civil Engineer since 1989, he earned a Master’s degree in Water Engineering in 1995 from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa where he worked in water resources management including the hydrodynamic modeling of estuarine dynamics, the hydrology of the Limpopo River on behalf of Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe) and the operational management and planning of State dams in South Africa where he has been Director: Project Planning in the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in South Africa. He was also Regional Water Expert for the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa and an international consultant, before joining the UN Food and Agriculture Organization as the Senior Water Resources Officer in the Regional Office for Africa for 6 years. He manages the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG), a partnership which is hosted by FAO in Rome since 2017.
Stineke Oenema, Coordinator, United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN)
Stineke Oenema, is nutritionist (Wageningen University, 1993) and agricultural economist (London University, 2005). She has worked several years for FAO and UNICEF, after which she worked for considerable time with civil society (ICCO, Netherlands) where she was in charge of food and nutrition security policy and programme development. During this period she contributed to the Right to Food and Nutrition Watch as member of the editorial board; She chaired the European Food Security Group and; She was part of the Coordinating Committee of the Civil Society Mechanism for the CFS, facilitating participation of Western European CSO’s as well as the nutrition-working group of the CSM. In the Netherlands she has been chair of the Netherlands Working Group on Nutrition, a working group of NGO’s, Private sector actors and knowledge institutes. Early 2014 she became member of the Independent Expert group for the development of the Global Nutrition Report. In 2015 she worked at Wageningen University, the Centre for Development Innovation as nutrition expert. Since January 2016 she is coordinator of the United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN).
Prof. Jan Lundqvist, Senior Scientific Advisor, Stockholm International Water Institute and WASAG W&N WG coordinator
Professor Jan Lundqvist is a senior scientific advisor at Stockholm International Water Institute (www.siwi.org). His profile: water resources in a food supply chain/value perspective. Water and nutrition, water management options and farmers’ practices. Policy for nutrition dense crops aligned with changing food habits.
Research and consultancies in East, North and Southern Africa, the Middle East, China, South Asia, Brazil and Sweden. Member of the working group on Water & Nutrition, WASAG. Leading an assignment from FAO to SIWI on Nutrition Water Productivity in a context of water predicaments, SDGs and the urge for transformation of food systems; from field to finger/fork.
About 100 articles, reports, books, blogs, international conferences. Participated in radio and TV programs and other ‘non-academic’ programs. On the Editorial Board of Scientific Journals. Actively involved in the organization of the annual World Water Week in Stockholm, with over 3,000 participants (www.worldwaterweek.org).
Dr. Mercy Chikoko, Nutrition Officer for the Sub-Region Office for Southern Africa, Food and Agriculture Organization.
PhD in human nutrition and Masters in Public Health. Dr. Chikoko has over 25 years work experience 13 of which with UNICEF, WHO and FAO in the Africa region. In past 5 years with FAO, she has supported 6 countries to develop Food based Dietary Guidelines, and she is working with 15 countries promoting healthy diets through Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems.
Programme
Moderator: Claudia Ringler, IFPRI & WASAG
15:00-15:05 Introduction to the WASAG working group on Water & Nutrition: Jean Boroto Ruhiza, WASAG Secretariat
15:05-15:15 Harmonizing Actions on Water and Nutrition within the United Nations Decades on Water and Nutrition; Stineke Oenema, Coordinator, United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN)
15:15-15:25 The water-nutrition productivity gap; Jan Lundqvist, Stockholm International Water Institute and WASAG W&N WG coordinator
15:25-15:35 Combining water and nutrition interventions: Insights from the field; Mercy Chikoko, FAO Southern Africa
15:35-16:15 Questions and Answers
16:15-16:30 Summary thoughts: Sasha Koo-Oshima FAO Land and Water