Keynote address of Dr. Steven N Schonberger, Head of Water for Agriculture Global Solutions Group, World Bank, on the topic "Water for Agriculture: Our role in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals"

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www.worldbank.org/water | www.blogs.worldbank.org/water | @WorldBankWater
Water in Agriculture:
From Use to Stewardship
Presentation by Steven Schonberger, Global Lead of Water in Agriculture Solutions Group
to the 2nd World Irrigation Forum, Chiang Mai, Thailand
• November 6, 2016
Who are the most important water managers
in the World?

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Water utility managers

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farmers
Reintroduction to the World Bank Group

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Global Practices

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Our global support for irrigation and drainage
How we see the water in agriculture
challenge

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• In 2050, 52% of the
population will live
in water-stressed
regions
• Water stress will
rise sharply under
current systems of
water management
Source WRI Aquastat and Gassert et al 2013
N.B. Water use shown on map
Increasing water stress
…could become constraint on on economic
growth
‐0.02 ‐0.02
‐14
‐11.7
‐7.08
‐10.72
‐7.05
‐1.98
‐0.49
0 ‐0.01
‐6.02
‐0.82
0.38
11.5
3.32
1.46
0.09
‐15
‐10
‐5
0
5
10
15
North America Western Europe Middle East Sahel Central Africa Central Asia East Asia Southeast Asia World
Range of variation in GDP (%)

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Increasing water competition will focus on agriculture
• More than 90% of water consumption in water‐scarce regions goes to
irrigated agriculture
15 Sadoff et al. (2015) Securing Water,
Sustaining Growth. OECD/GWP
Water quality is also an increasing concern

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But agriculture is also a driver of growth and
livelihoods
So what needs to happen?

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More water will have to move physically
Water rights can facilitate win‐win transfers

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Water rights & trades are becoming more prevalent
• This map released by The Nature Conservancy shows country where water rights are present and
where there is evidence of trading.
21
More water will also need to move virtually

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Agricultural policies need to reflect that food
security is not self‐sufficiency
From Ag Water Users to Ag Water Stewards
Agricultural Water Use
Defend Allocation
Conveyence
Efficiency
Application
Efficiency
Drainage
Agricultural Water
Stewardship
Resource
Assessment
Reduce Water
Footprint
Maximize
Contribution to
Society
Minimize Negative
Impacts

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Is this really something new?
Technology and institutional innovations are
supporting this shift

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We want to work with you and other partners to
take this agenda forward:
Identify, document and share innovations
Develop and disseminate tools for assessments
and implementation
Advocate the necessary policy and institutional
changes
Finance research and implementation
We look forward to working together
Water GP website: http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/water
Contact: sschonberger@worldbank.org