De Commissie Waterbeheer 21e eeuw heeft onderzocht of het huidige watersysteem op orde is om ook in de 21e eeuw aan de maatschappelijke vraag te voldoen. Een van de gesignaleerde problemen die om een oplossing vragen, is de wateroverlast die door het extremer worden van het klimaat zal toenemen. Bergen en vasthouden hebben tot doel de belasting van het watersysteem te beperken en te vertragen. Natuurgebieden kunnen hier als bergingsgebied een bijdrage aan leveren. Op verzoek van het Ministerie van LNV is een inschatting gemaakt van het areaal dat daarvoor daadwerkelijk geschikt is.

In Sub-Sahara Africa, majority of the population derives its livelihood from agriculture. Smallholder agriculture accounts for 75% of agricultural production of which the majority constitutes of rainfed farming. Drought is Africa’s principal form of natural disaster which often it affects rainfed agriculture dramatically.

Mountains of the world cover about one-fifth of the land surface, are home to one-tenth of the world's population, and provide livelihood to some of the poorest communities in the world. Mountain lakes and streams are a source of freshwater for countless riparian human communities, support industries, provide water for irrigation and hydropower electricity production and for fish.

Ce recueil d'initiatives rcentes de dveloppement durable dans le domaine de la gestion des terres et de l'agriculture a t labor comme document d'appui au Rapport de la Commission de travail examinant le volet Terres et agriculture pour les chapitres 10, 12 et 14 de l'Action 21. Ce rapport prsente un ensemble de 75 tudes de cas provenant de 45 pays et illustrant les diffrents aspects d'une amlioration de la gestion des terres et de l'agriculture et du dveloppement durable.

The global reproduction of food, notably cereal crops, appears to have been remarkably resilient to the vagaries of climate. The unsung hero in this production chain may well be groundwater. When rainfed agriculture fails, the fallback is usually groundwater. First it is accessed to smooth over the dry periods, and then it becomes a habit. Therefore, staying within strict resource limits would seem to be the obvious piece of management advice.

Todos los datos estadisticos confirman que la agricultura es el sector clava para el manejo del agua, tanto en la actualidad como en las próximas décadas. Sin embargo, el sector del desarrollo rural del agua en el momento actual enfrenta dificultades, comparado con otros sectores competitivos, para obtener la prioridad que merece en los foros internacionales. Son necesarios argumentos nuevos y fuertes para dar al agua en la agricultura el lugar que le corresponde. Las prespectivas para el futuro son claras.

Fishing and foraging for aquatic animals are often an integral part of rural food strategies and are as much about the management of water and aquatic environments as they are about the management of land. This publication is the result of a participatory assessment conducted in Attapeu Province, Lao PDR to determine the role of aquatic resources in the nutritional status of people engaged in rural livelihoods.

The African Highlands Initiative works to enhance livelihoods and reverse natural resource degradation
through the development of innovative methods,practices,policies and approaches.

In the first part of this paper the role of the core principles in three different scenarios will be discussed. The first is a setting where a shared watercourse, but no specific treaty exists; the second, where a treaty is in the process of being negotiated; and the third where an agreement over the shared resource is in force. The second par t of the paper will look in detail at the normative content of each principle, its reflection in specific watercourse agreements and its implementation by joint bodies.