Most of the large rice irrigation systems in Southeast Asia have been designed for rice irrigation under a supply-driven mode. Despite their huge contribution to agricultural production, there is a general consensus that these large rice irrigation systems have not lived up to expectations because of a legacy of poor institutional arrangements and system design, degraded infrastructure, poor management and stagnation in the face of rapid transformations of agriculture and pressures on their water supply.

Política de Desarrollo Agrícola – Conceptos y Experiencias forma parte de las actividades de la FAO destinadas a generar contextos de política favorables a la agricultura, tanto globales, en el marco de regulaciones y compromisos internacionales, como nacionales, mediante estrategias y políticas adecuadas.

Dans de nombreuses régions du monde, les ressources en eau de plus en plus limitées et la mauvaise utilisation de l’eau douce mettent en péril le développement durable. Plus des deux tiers de l’eau prélevée dans les fleuves, lacs et nappes aquifères étant utilisés pour l’irrigation, l’agriculture est de plus en plus considérée comme la soupape de sécurité du système.

The focus of this review has been on both documenting the general resilience of many fish resources to climatic variability and its underestimation in livelihood importance, including in protracted crisis situations, but also on enhancing the potential supply of fish from dryland areas by better use of the available water bodies, and in particular from small reservoirs.

Meeting symbol/code: FAO-RNE--ALAWUC/NE/06
Session: Sess. 4

The project “CP/INT/231/SWI: Strengthening Agricultural Water Efficiency and Productivity on the African and Global Level” aims at reducing hunger and poverty in three African countries (Burkina Faso, Morocco and Uganda) by focusing on the improvement of Agriculture Water Management (AWM) and mainstreaming AWM in national frameworks and processes.

Groundwater development and use have proceeded rapidly in recent years, often outside of governance frameworks. As a result, unrestricted pumping and pollution have led to threats to the sustainability of aquifers, and the allocation and use of groundwater have often been poorly aligned with society’s goals for equity, sustainability and efficiency.

Based on the FAO-ESCAP project to develop 'national water visions' in the Asia-Pacific region that would set out each country's goals for sound water management to meet the needs of all for this vital natural resource over the next two decades. Contains four Southeast Asia case studies (Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam), which were carried out as part of the project and looks at water use in these countries and how they plan to fulfil their water visions.

Water scarcity is one of the greatest challenges of the twenty-first century. Agriculture is both a cause and a casualty of water scarcity. It accounts for an estimated 70 percent of global water withdrawals, with freshwater resources heavily stressed by irrigation and food production. While demand for water for agriculture and other uses are increasing rapidly, climate change also affects fresh water resources negatively both in terms of quantity and quality.

As this book shows, farmer field schools have proven to be a very useful approach for helping African farmers to improve how they manage their land and water. Numerous projects throughout Africa have shown that they result in improved soils, better yields and higher incomes for farmers. The document summarizes some of these experiences, points out successes, and – equally important – shows constraints and gaps that need to be addressed.

Un des plus grands handicaps au développement de la pisciculture à Madagascar est l'absence de documents techniques de base en langues française et/ou malgache. En effet, la plupart des quelques documents techniques sur l'aquaculture disponibles en Afrique et Madagascar sont, de nos jours, en langue anglaise.