The Global Challenge:Reducing water use for Agriculture while improving

food security and peoples livelihoods.

Dr. Biksham GujjaPolicy Advisor,Global Freshwater ProgrammeGland

For 23rd Aug. 2007 lecture at SRI training, DRR, Hyd.

A flood affected family leaves their home for a relief center on a makeshift tube raft at Balrampur village, in Gorakpur district, in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Friday, Aug. 10, 2007. Authorities on Friday canceled doctors' vacation time and rushed food, clean drinking water and medicine to India's flood-hit areas to ward off an epidemic with thousands of people returning to their ravaged homes. Torrential rains in the past two weeks across much of northern India, Bangladesh and Nepal have flooded rivers and submerged villages and farmland, killing at least 530 people and stranding some 19 million more, officials said Friday. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

People take shelter on either side of the railway track near the Kamtaul railway station in north Bihar after the area was flooded by the Bagmati river.

Flood victims rush to collect relief material dropped by an Air Force helicopter in Darbhanga district of north

Bihar on Saturday. An aerial view of a part of Darbhanga district in North Bihar on Saturday.

A woman transports her possessions and goat on a boat made of banana leaves in Sirajganj, Bangladesh

Village family, Sirajganj, BangladeshA Bangladeshi woman and child wade through floodwaters in Sirajgonj District.

A man wades through a flooded road after heavy rains in Mumbai August 3, 2007.

Residents of Keraniganj walk on a bridge on the bank of the Buriganga river August 4, 2007. More than 200 people have died

in monsoon flooding in South Asia in the last 10 days while more than 10 million remained marooned in their villages or

homeless on Friday, with many having no access to health care.

Villagers watch flooded paddy field in Nepal

WWF's MISSION IS TO STOP THE DEGRADATION OF THE PLANET'S NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND TO BUILD A FUTURE IN WHICH HUMANS LIVE IN HARMONY WITH NATURE, BY:

• Conserving the world's biological diversity

• Ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable

• Promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption

WWF’s INFLUENCE COMES FROM….

• 5 million members globally• Offices in 56 Countries• Working in 100 Countries

FROM MISSI0N TO GLOBAL CONSERVATION PRIORITIES

FORESTS

FRESHWATER

OCEANS &

COASTS

SPECIES

TOXICS

CLIMATECHANGE

WHAT + WHERE = WWF'S GLOBAL CONSERVATION PRIORITIES

WHAT ? WHERE ?

Water: a global challenge

• 1.1 B without safe water supply• 2.4 B without sanitation• 3-10 M deaths from waterborne

diseases• Ecosystem being most rapidly

destroyed• Most species-rich ecosystem; greatest

decline

A water scarcity crisis:

• 70% agriculture

• 20% industry

• 10% urban use

Eradicating malnutrition by 2025, with current productivity, requires additional diversions “close to all the water withdrawals at present”(IMWI & SIWI).

WWF LPR 2002

A biodiversity crisis:

• Losses over 50% since 1970, greater than forests and marine (~ 30%)

• Severe human impacts

• The hidden freshwater crisis

WWF Living Planet Report 2004

River Basin Programme

Yangtze

La Plata

Tigris &Euphrates

Rivers at Risk

Water Conflicts in India

• Driving water demand• Rural areas dumping grounds• Water conflicts

‘How we eat and wear water’Promote adoption of policies and practices by at least 100 governments, by three food and fibre industry sectors

at least 20 WWF initiatives have stopped or modified infrastructure schemes ....

5 market-based or policy frameworks are in place to promote better practice in agricultural commodities

10 countries are supported in water use programmes that reduce poverty and conserve biodiversity

SRI is part of that Global vision…

Promoting sustainable water use:

• Cotton & sugar• Subsidies• Poverty & water• Now working on Rice

Climate change and water•Dry areas > drier, wet areas > wetter •Human consumption exceeds climate-induced loss•Renewed incentive for hydropower•Water variability > more dams•Desalinisation = energy internsive

Water use - agriculture

Agricultural Water Use (percent of renewable resource)

3379

%

1619

%

939%

638%

423%

414%

117%

108%

107%

88%

77%

70%

69%

69%

66%

59%

59%

57%

42%

40%

40%

38%

38%

35%

35%

34%

29%

28%

27%

23%

1%

10%

100%

1000%

10000%

Bah

rain

Kuw

ait

Uni

ted

Ara

b E

mira

tes

Sau

di A

rabi

a

Liby

an A

rab

Jam

ahiri

ya

Qat

ar

Om

an

Jord

an

Syr

ian

Ara

b R

ep

Iran,

Isla

mic

Rep

Indi

a

Bul

garia

Egy

pt

Tajik

ista

n

Yem

en

Pak

ista

n

Uzb

ekis

tan

Tuni

sia

Kaz

akhs

tan

Aze

rbai

jan

Afg

hani

stan

Isra

el

Turk

men

ista

n

Iraq

Dom

inic

an R

ep

Mor

occo

Spa

in

Leba

non

Arm

enia

Bar

bado

s

Data source: WRR 2000-01

Paddy cultivation = High demand on Freshwater Water = Water Crisis

Less water consumption in paddy cultivation = Less Water conflicts = good for people and ecosystems

Producing more Rice with less Water – Should be priority no.1 for scientist

Global Area- 175 million ha

Top 20 Countries in Rice, Paddy Area

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Ind

ia

Chi

na

Ind

ones

ia

Ban

glad

esh

Tha

iland

Vie

t Nam

Mya

nmar

Phi

lippi

nes

Bra

zil

Pak

ista

n

Nig

eria

Cam

bodi

a

Jap

an

Nep

al

Uni

ted

Sta

tes

of A

mer

ica

Mad

agas

car

Kor

ea,

Rep

ublic

of

Sri

Lank

a

Lao

s

Mal

aysi

a

Area

in M

illio

n Ha

Year 1999 Year 2000 Year 2001 Year 2002 Year 2003 Year 2004

A. P. Irrigation

Area of Irrigation in A.P. for Rice in Last five years

- 41 lakhs of hectares to 26 lakhs of hectares

0500

1,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,500

1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03

Year

Are

a ( i

n 10

00 h

a)

Rice

Percentage of Area of Irrigation, A.P.

Percentage of area of irrigation for Ten crops

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03

Year

Perc

enta

ge (%

)

RiceSugarcane

Groundnut

CottonMaize

ChilliesTurmeric

Coconut

TobaccoOnions

Jowar

Comparison Graph

Comparison between Canals & Total of Others in A.P.

0500

100015002000250030003500

1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03

Year

Area

(100

0 ha

)

Canals Total of Others

Area of Rice & Food Grains

District wise Area of Rice and Area of Total Food Grains

0

100

200300

400

500

600

Wes

tG

odav

ari

Eas

t God

avar

i

Kris

hna

Nel

lore

Gun

tur

Kar

imna

gar

Srik

akul

am

War

anga

l

Nal

gond

a

Mah

bubn

agar

Niz

amab

ad

Kha

mm

am

Viz

iana

gara

m

Med

ak

Adi

laba

d

Pra

kasa

m

Vis

akha

patn

am

Kur

nool

Chi

ttoor

Ana

ntap

ur

Kad

apa

Ran

ga R

eddy

Are

a (1

000

ha)

Rice Total Food grains

Comparison of Surface and Groundwater Irrigated Rice Areas in Andhra Pradesh

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Years

Are

a in

100

0 H

a

Surface water Ground water

Per capita of Rice & Total Food Grains Production

Percapita of Rice Production & Total Food Grains

0

100

200

300

400

500

Srik

akul

am

Vizi

anag

aram

Visa

khap

atna

m

East

God

avar

i

Wes

t God

avar

i

Kris

hna

Gun

tur

Prak

asam

Nel

lore

Chi

ttoor

Kada

pa

Anan

tapu

r

Kurn

ool

Mah

bubn

agar

Ran

ga R

eddy

Hyd

erab

ad

Med

ak

Niz

amab

ad

Adila

bad

Karim

naga

r

War

anga

l

Kham

mam

Nal

gond

a

Perc

apita

(Kg

/ Per

son)

Percapita Rice Production (Kg/Person) Percapita total food grains (Kg/Person)

“Have you eaten rice today?”• 23% calories, wheat and

maize together

• Main food for 50% of global population

• 2 billion people work in rice fields

• “a grain of gold”

• It is culture, tradition and also food…

• 4000 years of history

Rice- Oryza stavia

• Area: 154 m. ha.• Production- 605 MT.• Productivity- 3,897 kg/ha.• Production value: $ 105 b.• Exports- 23 MT • Export Value- $ 6 billion• Asia -160 kg/y/person.

Rice and food security…

• 95% consumed by producing nations

• 23. m.t traded internationally

• 4.5 m.t. imported by sub-Saharan Africa

• Expanding… Africa

• Role in meeting MDG

Rice = water…1• > 70% irrigated rice• > 70% water used for irrigation

globally• Rice uses> 80% water, many

countries• 2-5,000 litres to produce one kg

Rice and water …2• Globally 3-5000 billion

cubic meter used to produce rice

• 70% all water used for agriculture

• 40% more rice need to be produced by 2050

• More water is needed

• Govt. want to construct more dams

Rice and ecosystems• Rice fields are also

considered wetlands, but they are too many

• Impact on rivers, lakes, ground water is immense

• Irrigation projects are too expensive, damaging…

Global Production- 605 m. t. (2004)

Top 20 Countries Rice, Paddy Production

0

50

100

150

200

250

Chi

na

Ind

ia

Ind

ones

ia

Ban

glad

esh

Vie

t Nam

Tha

iland

Mya

nmar

Phi

lippi

nes

Bra

zil

Jap

an

Uni

ted

Stat

es o

f Am

eric

a

Pak

ista

n

Kor

ea, R

epub

lic o

f

Egy

pt

Cam

bodi

a

Nep

al

Nig

eria

Sri

Lank

a

Mad

agas

car

Ira

n, Is

lam

ic R

ep o

f

Prod

uctio

n ( M

illio

ns M

t)

Year 1999 Year 2000 Year 2001 Year 2002 Year 2003 Year 2004

Rice Yield (t/ha) in India District-wise during 2004-05

Rice Yield (kg / ha) in A. P. District-wise during 2004-05

Conclusions

• Less water in Paddy cultivation contributes to-• - more production• - Less water conflicts• - Money saving to country, farmers• - Good for ecology• - avoids expensive dams, displacements, social issues

• So, by 2020 we should have target that at least 40% of irrigated rice should be use SRI kind of water saving farm based methods to reduce water input.

Publications

DIALOGUE ON WATER, FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT

http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/dialogue/godavari/