AASSA REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON CHALLENGES IN WATER SECURITY TO MEET THE GROWING FOOD REQUIREMENT

The Regional Workshop

Water security is defined as the capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development. The climate change impacts have direct consequences for water security, which vary according to geographic location. The effect of climate change on water security differs regionally and depends upon a number of factors, including geographic location and features of water availability and utilization, demographic changes, management and allocation systems, legal frameworks for water management, existing governance structures and institutions, and the resilience of ecosystems.

Water is a key determinant for crop productivity and food security. Agriculture is the biggest user of water on the globe scale; it requires large quantities of water for irrigation and other production processes. The current trend of water consumption is not sustainable in the face of fast increasing population, especially in developing countries of Asia, and the challenges posed by the ongoing climate change. Thus, feeding a fast growing population and ensuring food security – in the face of s
hrinking water resources, is a daunting task. This fast changing scenario calls for ensuring the use of finite water resource ­in an efficient and sustainable manner. Thus, science-based feasible policies and strategies are urgently needed for efficient use of water in agriculture.

The challenge is to produce more in a more sustainable way. In order to deliberate upon this issue and to arrive at a possible solutions and/or strategy formulation, and as a joint effort for the advancement of science in Asian countries, AASSA and the Pakistan Academy of Sciences will hold a Regional Workshop on “Challenges in Water Security to Meet the Growing Food Requirement”.

The aims and objectives of this Workshop are to discuss and deliberate upon the ways and means of using the finite water resource in an efficient manner in consideration of climate changes to cope with the current and future global food security. The Workshop will offer an up-to-date overview of the policies and technological developments which may help produce crops with a smaller water footprint. It will also address the socio-economic and sociological aspects hindering the adoption of these technologies at farm level. The expected ill effects of climate change on water availability and food security will also be deliberated upon. The Workshop will thereby range across disciplines and activities encompass the challenges and feasible remedial measures to attain food security in Asian countries.

Themes of the Workshop are:

• Global and local food security
• Water security for sustainable food production
• Climate change impact on agriculture
• Soil health and water productivity
• Strategies and policies pertaining to water and food security