Unlocking the water
potential of agriculture
Alexander Mueller
Assistant Director General, Natural Resources Department
3rd preparatory meeting of the political ministerial agenda
21-23 January 2009, FAO, Rome
WHY agriculture is so important in the water debate?
Simply because globally agriculture water is:
•70% of all fresh water withdrawals
and
•90% of the consumption.
Annual water required for food production:
•imagine a canal of 10 meters deep, 100 meters
wide and 7.1 million kilometers long
•imagine 120 Nile river flows (Aswan)
The unavoidable facts
Liters per day per person
Drinking
2-4
Domestic
40-400
Food
1000-5000 (and more)
The good news is that 1% of water
productivity gain in agriculture means
10% increase of availability for other uses
YES Investing in agriculture yields to dramatic
productivity Gains!!
Ex. Maize in Tons/ha  water productivity gains
Associated water productivity gains: 300 to 500 %.
United
States
China
Latin
America
Sub-Saharan
Africa
We know water scarcity is on the rise !!!
By 2025, two-thirds of the world
population could be under “stress
conditions” (500-1000 m3 per year per
capita), and 1800 million people are
expected to be living in countries or
regions with “absolute water scarcity”
(<500 m3 per year per capita)
Drivers of the water demand are known
Population Growth – Diet -Urbanization
Ecosystem - Water quality
We know the new demands/threats
Energy (incl. Bio-fuels)
Climate change: on water supply
Volatility and shocks of Food and
Energy prices
FOOD and ENERGY
FAO & Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
organized in 2008 a Conference on Water
for Agriculture and Energy in Africa
• Examined a detailed portfolio of about 1000 investment
projects prepared by the governments of the 53 African
countries on short-, medium- and long-term
• Estimated the overall investments needed in water
infrastructure for agriculture and hydropower: about 65
Billions $ over the next 20 years.
• Design a road map to address the challenges to the future
water development for agriculture and energy and the scope
for synergies
Climate change & water supply:
runoff
≈ year 2050
The Wet gets wetter! - The Dry gets drier!
Expert Meeting on Climate Change, Water and Food Security (March 2008)
We know how to respond to
water scarcity
1. Augment the “supply”
2. Preserve/conserve the “quality”
3. Increase water use
“efficiency” & water
“productivity”
4. Revise the “demand”
management
Few insights on
More crops per drops
Increase water use “efficiency”
Increase water uses & “productivity”
More services per drop 
Multiple Uses of Water
On the demand
Efficiency at global level is also important !
Optimization of
agricultural trades
“Virtual water
to save water”
Efficiency along the food chain also critical !
Reduction of food losses before and after the plate
It is also important to curb the “demand”
Raise awareness & responsibility of customers
“Water footprint”
Noteworthy that between 1990 and 1995 in developed
countries, water savings due to diet changes
[reduction of meat consumption and shift from red to
white meat] have generated some 400 liters per day
per capita THAT is more than domestic water needs !!
CONCLUSIONS
Main statement is that in water scarce
world, investing on the main use of water
(food and agriculture) is the best strategy !
FAO wishes the message of the ministerial
process to be a message of hope based on
realistic options of investment in water for all
from improved agriculture water management.
Thank You