Water and Food Security
Comments on V0 Draft
Douglas R. Brown, Christopher Shore, Angeline Munzara, Kirsty Nowlan and Pamela Ebanyat
World Vision International
General Comments

We have reviewed this report and find it, on the whole, to be a very useful and
comprehensive survey of thinking about the current situation, a thorough analysis of the
data and a clear statement of issues that need to be considered for the future, especially
in relation to food security, including the impact of inadequate access to water on
children.

In terms of water management, we really appreciated the focus on:
o soil and water conservation and soil management
o supplemental irrigation
o water harvesting and storage
o integrated water resources management
o attention to the gender dimensions of water and food security
o links between healthy ecosystems (including water) and dietary diversity
o the importance of an agroecological approach

At the same time, we feel that there could be greater emphasis on:
o community-based watershed management
o landscapes and water
o the important role that climate smart agricultural practices play in management and
recharge of groundwater as well as their linkage to food security and resilience
o a more explicit mention of the role of management of soil carbon in water
management

In addition to this, we really appreciated the very strong and comprehensive focus on
the various governance issues related to water:
o Access to water
o Local level as well as national level institutions, both formal and non-formal

We are largely in agreement with the conclusions of the report. With respect to some of
the specific recommendations we would note:
o Recommendation 1: Water and sanitation deserve a central position in food security
and nutrition strategies and there needs to be more joined up thinking and action
around water / sanitation and food security and nutrition:
 It seems to us that there is a disconnect between the analysis of the report, which
acknowledges the particular impact of inadequate access to water on children,
with the recommendations, where children are entirely absent. This could be
corrected by specifically naming children as a cohort alongside vulnerable women
and men in Recommendation 2. For example, the introduction on page 76, line 21
could be reworded as:
 “Problems and solutions around water for FSN are often conceptualized and
framed in ways that neglect the needs and interests of poor, food insecure
and marginalized women and men, including and especially children. Thus,
poor women’s and men’s capabilities and entitlements to water and food are
neglected, together with their ability to ensure the needs of their children for
water and food are met.”
 The report rightly states that the current The Voluntary guidelines on the
‘Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context
of National Food Security adopted by CFS do not address the link with water.
Given that access to land and water are interlinked, it would seem appropriate to
consider how the CFS might amend or revise the Voluntary Guidelines to include
water – or consider whether one might develop separate guidelines for
sustainable water management. In most African states, just as land is vested in
the State, so is water. Land and water are the most critical resources for
agricultural production.
o Recommendation 4: Ensuring sustainable use of ground water:
 States should recognize the key role that ecosystems play in maintaining water
quantity and quality and support actions within respective national boundaries to
protect and sustainably manage these ecosystems.
o Recommendation 6: Fostering sustainable investment, innovation and technologies
to improve agricultural water management productivity:
 National governments, international finance organisations, NGOs and
international cooperating partners should accelerate the provision of technical
and financial assistance to countries in preparing nationally owned integrated
water resources management and water-efficiency plans tailored to countryspecific needs, paying particular attention to economic development, social and
environmental needs as well as to the development of innovative and locally
adapted institutional arrangements to enable their effective management.
o Recommendation 7: Locally appropriate solutions:
 States should also involve all stakeholders, including women and men, youth and
local communities, in integrated planning and management of land and water
resources; developing preventive and preparedness measures, as well as risk
mitigation and disaster reduction, including early warning systems and facilitate
information exchange and knowledge-sharing, including indigenous and local
knowledge.

Finally, it me be worthwhile discussing the sort of programming options that might help
assure that the linkages between water and the various dimensions of food security are
optimized:
Food
security
dimension
Availability
Water
Water for increased
crop & animal
production
Activities
Irrigation, dams, rain
water harvest
Indicators
Households with year round
access to sustainable sources of
water
Food
security
dimension
Access
Water
Water for Increased
incomes
Utilisation
Water for better
nutrition
Stability
Environmental
Water control,
preservation and
maintenance
(Management)
Activities
Water for sale, water
for value addition,
Advocacy with the
government
Water for food
preparation, safe
drinking water, Water
for WASH, water for
health
Drought & flood
management,
adoption of water
preservation
Agriculture
approaches like
Conservation
agriculture, solar
pumped water, rain
water harvest
irrigation
Indicators
Households with improved
standards of living as a result of
water sale as a source of income
Households accessing safe water,
households with improved
standards of sanitation and
hygiene
Increase in household resilience
to climatic effects