David J. Molden

Water for food, water for life: a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture

Part I: Setting the Scene * Introduction * Conceptual Framework * Part II: Trends and Scenarios * Benefits, Costs and Challenges of Managing Water for Agriculture * Investment Options for the Future * Part III: Integrating Issues * Water for Food to Fight Poverty * Policy and Institutional Reform Processes for Sustainable Agricultural Water Management * Agriculture, Water and Ecosystems * Pathways to Improving Water Productivity * Part IV: Thematic Chapters * Managing Water in Rainfed Agriculture * Reinventing Irrigation * Groundwater Use in Agriculture: A Global Assessment of Scale and Significance for Food, Livelihoods and Nature * Agricultural Use of Marginal-quality Water Resources Presents Opportunities and Challenges * Inland Fisheries, Aquaculture and Water Productivity * Integrating Water and Livestock Development * Rice: Feeding the Billions While Providing Unique Ecosystem Services * Conserving Land - Protecting Water * River Basin Development and Management * References, Index.In Molden, David (Ed.). Water for food, water for life: a Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. London, UK: Earthscan; Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI).In Molden, David (Ed.). Water for food, water for life: a Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. London, UK: Earthscan; Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

Water productivity in agriculture: limits and opportunities for improvement

A water productivity framework for understanding and action economics of water productivity in managing water for agriculture the concept of efficiency in water resources management and policy rice production in water-scarce environments managing saline and alkali water for higher productivity opportunities for increasing water productivity of CGIAR crops through plant breeding and molecular biology world water productivity - current situation and future options improving water productivity through deficit irrigation - examples from Syria, North China Plain and Oregon, USA.

Water Accounting to Assess Use and Productivity of Water

A methodology is demonstrated to account for the use and productivity of water resources. This water accounting methodology presents useful information to water resource stakeholders and decision makers to better understand the present use of water and to formulate actions for improvements in integrated water resources management systems. Based on a water balance approach, it classifies outflows from a water balance domain into various categories to provide information on the quantity of water depleted by various uses, and the amount available for further use. The methodology is applicable to different levels of analysis ranging from a micro level such as a household, to a macro level such as a complete water basin. Indicators are defined to give information on the productivity of the water resource. Examples from Egypts Nile River and a cascade of tanks in Sri Lanka are presented to demonstrate the methodology.

A water-productivity framework for understanding and action

In Kijne, J. W.; Barker, R.; Molden. D. (Eds.). Water productivity in agriculture: limits and opportunities for improvement. Wallingford, UK: CABI; Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI)Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture Series 1

Indicators of Land and Water Productivity in Irrigated Agriculture

A set of four comparative performance indicators is defined, which relates outputs from irrigated agriculture to the major inputs of water and land. These indicators are presented with the objective of providing a means of comparing performance across and within irrigation systems. They require a limited amount of data that are generally available and readily analysed. Four typical applications of these indicators are illustrated: cross-system comparison; temporal variations in performance at one system; spatial variations within one system; and comparing performance by system type. Results of application of the indicators at 40 irrigation systems show large differences in performance among and within systems. In spite of uncertainties in estimation of indicators, the large differences discerned by the indicators justify the approach taken.

Water infrastructure for the Hindu Kush Himalayas

The Hindu Kush–Himalayan region is the source of 10 major rivers serving over 1.3 billion people. In spite of this abundance, mountain people have limited access to water for food, households and energy. Climate change is increasing the uncertainty about water availability and the frequency of extreme weather events. To buffer seasonal variations and address growing water demand, properly planned, developed and managed infrastructure and related institutional capacities are required. They should also recognize mountain-specific issues. Priority areas include transboundary water governance, cross-border information systems, an improved knowledge base for mountain regions, and benefit sharing between mountain and downstream communities.

Himalayan waters at the crossroads: issues and challenges

The Hindu Kush Himalayas are called the water towers of Asia as they are the source of 10 major rivers and have the largest snow and ice deposits outside the two poles. Water emanating from the HKH provides food, energy and ecosystem services to up to 1.3 billion people. Climate change and socio-economic and demographic changes have put unprecedented pressure on these water resources, leading to uncertain supplies, increased demands and higher risks of extreme events like floods and droughts. The eight articles in this special issue highlight various dimensions of the Himalayan water resources by focusing on both physical and social science aspects of water management.

Water accounting to assess use and productivity of water: evolution of a concept and new frontiers

In Godfrey, J. M.; Chalmers, K. (Eds.). Water accounting: international approaches to policy and decision-making. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar

Increasing water productivity in Agriculture

Increasing water productivity is an important element in improved water management for sustainable agriculture, food security and healthy ecosystem functioning. Water productivity is defined as the amount of agricultural output per unit of water depleted, and can be assessed for crops, trees, livestock and fish. This chapter reviews challenges in and opportunities for improving water productivity in socially equitable and sustainable ways by thinking beyond technologies, and fostering enabling institutions and policies. Both in irrigated and rainfed cropping systems, water productivity can be improved by choosing well-adapted crop types, reducing unproductive water losses and maintaining healthy, vigorously growing crops through optimized water, nutrient and agronomic management. Livestock water productivity can be increased through improved feed management and animal husbandry, reduced animal mortality, appropriate livestock watering and sustainable grazing management. In agroforestry systems, the key to success is choosing the right combination of trees and crops to exploit spatial and temporal complementarities in resource use. In aquaculture systems, most water is depleted indirectly for feed production, via seepage and evaporation from water bodies, and through polluted water discharge, and efforts to improve water productivity should be directed at minimizing those losses. Identifying the most promising options is complex and has to take into account environmental, financial, social and health-related considerations. In general, improving agricultural water productivity, thus freeing up water for ecosystem functions, can be achieved by creating synergies across scales and between various agricultural sectors and the environment, and by enabling multiple uses of water and equitable access to water resources for different groups in society.

Focus Issue: Implications of Out- and In-Migration for Sustainable Development in Mountains

Today, about 1 billion people worldwide are international or internal migrants (IOM–GMDAC 2016:5) and migration is taken into account in several targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (IOM 2017). Migration is also greatly affecting mountain societies and mountain ecosystems, with direct negative and positive implications for their development. Migration processes are very diverse, context-specific, highly complex, and often poorly understood. Although general data on population changes exist, they often fail to reveal dynamic local outand inmigration patterns and do not account for migration within mountain areas, for example from rural to urban areas. Nor do demographic data reveal the reasons for people’s migration choices, the types of migration, and the social, economic, cultural, institutional, and ecological negative and positive impacts of migratory processes on both places of origin and destination areas.