“Cultivating Change: Collective Action for Future Water Security” by Dr. Mark Smith at the 2023 Water for Food Global Conference. A recording of the presentation can be found on the conference playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSBeKOIXsg3JNyPowwJj6NDSpx4vlnCYj.

1. Cultivating Change: Collective Action
for Future Water Security
Dr Mark Smith
Director General
International Water Management Institute
One CGIAR Water Systems

2. The Future of Water Security
The Great Acceleration (Steffen et al., 2015)
Future Uncertainty for Policy (Caretta et al, 2022. IPCC)
Global Water Security Index (Caretta et al, 2022. IPCC)

3. 1. The Future of Irrigation
Bonanza
Source: Huang et al. 2019. J. Hydrol.
Parsimony
Source:
Caretta
et
al.
2022.
Water.
WGII
AR6.
IPCC.
• Widespread reallocation of cropland,
irrigation, N fertilizer
• 7% Global net decrease of irrigation
water use
• ~50% increase in food production
Source: Gerten et al. 2020. Nature Sust.

4. Calls for Action

5. “The water crisis is a systemic challenge…. We
need proactive, science-based solutions for the
water crisis – but knowing is not enough; we must
apply.”
H.E. Csaba Kőrösi
President, UN General Assembly
“All of humanity’s hopes for the future depend, in some
way, on charting a new, science-based course to bring the
Water Action Agenda to life.”
H.E. Antonio Guterres
UN Secretary General

6. Knowledge, Research & Innovation Gap
“In a world suffering, as we speak, from increasing threats of both too much water and not enough at the same time,
water studies needs to confront the reality that it may be pursuing too many publications and not enough ideas;
this is an untenable model for the field and a potential danger to society.”
– Editorial in Nature Sustainability, August 2021.

7. Challenge
• Build on the momentum from UNWC
• Huge risks across global systems: climate, nature, water
and food
• Water security is getting harder – and delays will put it
further out of reach
• Institutional architecture and KR&I strategy are
fragmented & not driving action and investment at the
scale and speed needed
• What should be priorities for action on water security?
• What should be priorities for research-for-development?

8. What are high-ambition, collective actions that will create strong alignment of knowledge and
research, policy, business and on-the-ground implementation to deliver future water security?

9. Transformative Futures for Water Security

10. • Youth co-guardianship
• 8 stakeholder groups
• >60 co-convening partners
• ~1000 contributors
• 400 organizations
• 185 conference participants
• 55 countries
• 144 organizations
Final Conference, Cape Town
Stakeholder Dialogue

11. Missions and Transformative Strategies
Stakeholder Missions for Collective Action

13. Missions and Transformative Strategies
Stakeholder Missions for Collective Action

14. Collective Action for Water Security
Challenge
Mission
Systemic Levers
Actions
Low water productivity driving farmers’ vulnerability in the face of climate change
Build farmers’ resilience to climate change and water risks – by using climate-smart
interventions and raising water productivity to transform agriculture
Multi-stakeholder dialogues Research partnerships
Local and indigenous knowledge:
community co-creation
Women’s equality and
youth in leadership
Integrated technical
services - nexus
Financing: long-term, systemic
Private sector action
Capacity development
and media
Applied
Research
Programs and
Projects
Inclusive
Development
Policy & Action
Private Sector
Actions
Investments

15. Role of R4D
• How will IWMI/One CGIAR contribute to the missions?
• Existing R4D portfolio
• One CGIAR initiatives
• New 2024-2030 strategy
• Collective action partnerships

16. Conclusions
• Stakeholder missions for collective action
• Reduce fragmentation
• Strengthen water institutions
• Align R4D and contribute
• Bring urgency to KR&I
• Add R4D / KR&I to the momentum from UNWC

17. Thank you.