Investments in water have played a critical role in promoting socio-economic development in rural Asia. Sustainable management of water resources remains a prerequisite for development and reducing poverty and hunger. Water is a key factor affecting agricultural production and reduction of rural poverty. Most small farmers live in areas with poor natural resource conditions, where water-related constraints are a root cause of low production and increasing vulnerability to natural disasters and climate variability.

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.

A partir del conocimiento científico y los avances tecnológicos desarrollados en las últimas décadas y con la colaboración de una red de diversas instituciones científicas, la FAO ha recopilado un conjunto de herramientas en este Estudio de Riego y Drenaje, para evaluar de mejor manera y mejorar la respuesta del rendimiento de los cultivos al agua.

استقصاء النظام العالمي للمعلومات بشأن المياه والزراعة - 2008

This publication explores various aspects of the interface between water rights and land tenure. It is intended to synthetize and assess current learning on this topic, to define salient issues and to propose fruitful approaches for further investigation.

Abstracting from the scientific understanding and technological advances achieved over the last few decades, and relying on a network of several scientific institutions, FAO has packaged a set of tools in this Irrigation and Drainage Paper to better appraise and enhance crop yield response to water.

L’eau nécessaire pour produire notre nourriture quotidienne représente mille fois le volume d’eau que nous buvons chaque jour et cent fois celui nécessaire pour satisfaire les besoins domestiques des ménages. L’agriculture pluviale ne peut assurer seule l’approvisionnement en nourriture de la population du monde, et plus de 70 pour cent de l’eau que nous prélevons des rivières et des nappes aquifères sont destinés à l’agriculture irriguée. L’agriculture est la principale source de nourriture et de loin le premier secteur consommateur d’eau dans le monde.

Agriculture is coming under more and more pressure to justify its use of the world's freshwater resources and to improve its productive and environmental performance. The allocations of raw water to agriculture (and the allocations within the agriculture sector) all need to be negotiated in a transparent way. This report reviews the large set of literature on the subject and makes the case for the adoption of a functional approach to water valuation as a basis for such negotiation.