Post on 07-Jul-2015
description
Uniting agriculture &natureIWMI-ARM, Colombo, Dec 2, 2014
PROSPEROUS COMMUNITIES. PRODUCTIVE FOOD SYSTEMS. HEALTHY LAND.
A new approach to NRM where..
….a healthy, functioning ecosystem is a prerequisite for
agricultural development, resilient food systems and human
well-being.
A different perspective
WLE emphasizes the need to rethink agricultural development in
the context of growing resource constraints and rising risks of
abrupt changes affecting water, land and ecosystems.
WLE’s ecosystems-based approach seeks to harness ecosystem services
for production goals or in ways that support these goals while reducing
negative impacts on the natural resource base providing these ecosystem
services.
Economic development vs. environmental degradation – current
economic growth models may not be sustainable.
Urbanization and peri-urban agriculture – we are moving to a new
era sedentary living in large / mega cities
Equity and inequality – women and youth are being left behind – a
lost opportunity with significant risk.
Environmental risk and crisis – climate change, resource limits
There is a need to rethink agricultural development and the entire
food system.
Global conversations have changed
Integrated solutions in a complex world – the core
focus of WLE
Productivity: Improved land, water and energy productivity in rain-fed and
irrigated agro-ecosystems.
Income: Increased and more equitable income from agricultural and natural
resource management and ecosystem services in rural and peri-urban areas.
Gender & Equity: Enhanced decision-making power of women and
marginalized groups and increased benefits derived from agricultural and
natural resources.
Adaptation: Increased ability of low-income communities to adapt to
environmental and economic variability, demographic shifts, shocks and long-
term changes.
Resilience: Increased resilience of communities through enhanced
ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes.
Putting ecosystem services at the forefront
An ecosystems-based approach to sustainable intensification provides an
opportunity to achieve agricultural productivity and socioeconomic
development, while maintaining resilient landscapes.
WLE at Scale
4
developed in CPWF. It also includes varying types of agent-based modeling that allow for different perspectives to be shared and included in landscape planning. WLE’s approach to policy engagement has been honed through a number of successful projects and interactions with regional and global processes and conventions. While each case is contextual there are broad lessons. The first is that having a strong presence with respected, local researchers who are engaged in national development processes leads to increased opportunities for research to be used. For instance, under IWMI-Tata, Senior IWMI Researchers are actively involved in local development programs and boards where research results can be directly applied. Second, it pays to develop relationships with key ministries who are engaged in the policy debate and to begin supporting their needs with demand-driven, evidence-based research. For example, in Peru, WLE has a strong partnership with the Ministry of Environment that allows research on benefit-sharing mechanisms to directly link to policy debates. Research questions are defined partially based on direct requests from the ministry. Third, partnering with regional, national and local organizations and groups have proven to be an effective strategy: In the AgWater Management Solutions project, ambassadors were used to gain entry into key policy processes. 3) Shifting mindsets and changing how people look at agriculture and nature through sustainable intensification requires WLE to not only introduce new tools but to foster a fundamental shift in how people (governments, researchers, donors, investors and the general public) view water, land and ecosystems use and agricultural production. WLE’s focus is to support and facilitate dialogue among decision makers, fostering to a more sustainable development and growth path. WLE research will have outcomes in a number of current areas in the coming two years: Ongoing research under the Resource Recovery and Reuse flagship is working to change negative perceptions of wastewater reuse for agriculture production. Agriculture Water Management research in sub-Saharan Africa is supporting governments in their quest to expand irrigation. For instance, WLE is supporting the Nigerian government to make investments in water management solutions for dry season farming and to ‘flood proof’ landscapes subject to growing flooding, potentially benefitting millions of farmers. In engaging with the Nigerian government, WLE demonstrated understanding of how to capitalize on new political imperatives as well as ability to engage with highest levels of government. WLE focuses its work at a national and regional scale supplemented with important investment pathways to local and global scales (see Figure 2 below). Through this national and regional focus, WLE is able to leverage the extensive capacity and research of its partners. WLE recognizes that a transition to integrated and holistic sustainable intensification systems requires decision makers at all levels—from local to international—to make complex choices among competing uses of, and management strategies for, water, land, ecosystems, energy and other resources.
Figure 2: Impact at Scale
WLE ES&R Framework
http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Publications/wle/corporate/ecosystem_services_and_resilience_framework.pdf
Trade-offs, costs & benefits across scales
An ecosystem-based approach provides integrated solutions that
consider trade-offs, costs and benefits across sectors and scales,
allowing us to balance seemingly contradictory goals of increasing food
production while maintaining ecosystem services.
The nexus
Increasing global focus on “nexus” thinking. WLE also looks at the nexus
between natural resources (water, land, forests), agriculture and others
developments (industry, energy, mining, etc.).
Urbanization
Increasing urbanization provides opportunities to leverage different
agriculture and natural resource management options both in rural areas
and in peri urban areas. This also provides an opportunity to look at resource
recycling and how we close the nutrient loop nutrient
How we work
WLE’s
programming
combines three
different but
interconnected
components.
Where we work
The focal regions are an important part of WLE’s research-for-development
approach. The focal regions prioritize opportunities to address large- and small-
scale water and land development sustainability challenges.
WLE At Scale
4
developed in CPWF. It also includes varying types of agent-based modeling that allow for different perspectives to be shared and included in landscape planning. WLE’s approach to policy engagement has been honed through a number of successful projects and interactions with regional and global processes and conventions. While each case is contextual there are broad lessons. The first is that having a strong presence with respected, local researchers who are engaged in national development processes leads to increased opportunities for research to be used. For instance, under IWMI-Tata, Senior IWMI Researchers are actively involved in local development programs and boards where research results can be directly applied. Second, it pays to develop relationships with key ministries who are engaged in the policy debate and to begin supporting their needs with demand-driven, evidence-based research. For example, in Peru, WLE has a strong partnership with the Ministry of Environment that allows research on benefit-sharing mechanisms to directly link to policy debates. Research questions are defined partially based on direct requests from the ministry. Third, partnering with regional, national and local organizations and groups have proven to be an effective strategy: In the AgWater Management Solutions project, ambassadors were used to gain entry into key policy processes. 3) Shifting mindsets and changing how people look at agriculture and nature through sustainable intensification requires WLE to not only introduce new tools but to foster a fundamental shift in how people (governments, researchers, donors, investors and the general public) view water, land and ecosystems use and agricultural production. WLE’s focus is to support and facilitate dialogue among decision makers, fostering to a more sustainable development and growth path. WLE research will have outcomes in a number of current areas in the coming two years: Ongoing research under the Resource Recovery and Reuse flagship is working to change negative perceptions of wastewater reuse for agriculture production. Agriculture Water Management research in sub-Saharan Africa is supporting governments in their quest to expand irrigation. For instance, WLE is supporting the Nigerian government to make investments in water management solutions for dry season farming and to ‘flood proof’ landscapes subject to growing flooding, potentially benefitting millions of farmers. In engaging with the Nigerian government, WLE demonstrated understanding of how to capitalize on new political imperatives as well as ability to engage with highest levels of government. WLE focuses its work at a national and regional scale supplemented with important investment pathways to local and global scales (see Figure 2 below). Through this national and regional focus, WLE is able to leverage the extensive capacity and research of its partners. WLE recognizes that a transition to integrated and holistic sustainable intensification systems requires decision makers at all levels—from local to international—to make complex choices among competing uses of, and management strategies for, water, land, ecosystems, energy and other resources.
Figure 2: Impact at Scale
U N I T I N G A G R I C U L T U R E A N D N AT U R E F O R P O V E R T Y R E D U C T I O N
WLE Flagships
Unit ing agricultur e and nature for poverty reduction
LED BY:
INTEGRATING ECOSYSTEM SOLUTIONS INTO POLICY AND
INVESTMENTS (IES)
Critical Issues
• National and regional issues
being addressed in an integrated
manner.
• Supporting development through
sound economic investments.
Key areas of work
The Nile and East Africa
The Volta/Niger
The Greater Mekong
The Ganges
The Innovation Fund
Harnessing and integrating WLE’s R4D portfolio will foster a transition to sustainable intensification (SI) while enhancing national and regional capacity.
LEADER:Nathanial Matthews
Unit ing agricultur e and nature for poverty reduction
LED BY:
INCREASING WATER AND LAND PRODUCTIVITY (LWP)
Key areas of work
Agricultural water and land
productivity
Revitalizing irrigation systems
Improved access to natural resources and increased adoption of sustainable intensification practices will lead farmers to become more resilient and food secure.
LEADERS:Meredith Giordano
Theib Oweis
Unit ing agricultur e and nature for poverty reduction
LED BY:
REVITALIZING DEGRADED ECOSYSTEMS (RDE)
Reduce land degradation and increase resilience of small scale farming communities in sub-Saharan Africa and other hot spots across the globe.
Influencing investments on land degradation so they take
an ecosystem perspective
Key areas of Work
• Landscape restorations and their
impacts
• Ecosystem services assessment,
exploring trade-offs, and equitable
planning of restoration interventions
• Economic solutions and incentives
LEADERS:Deborah Bossio
Suhas Wani
Unit ing agricultur e and nature for poverty reduction
LED BY:
RECOVERING AND REUSING RESOURCES (RRR)
Key Activities:
1. Business opportunities in nutrient, water and energy
recovery and reuse
2. Safe waste water reuse
3. Resource management in intensified peri-urban
ecosystems.
Reduce the negative urban footprint on ecosystems and human health through market driven incentives that promote investments in water and energy recovery and reuse
Business models and innovative partnerships
LEADER:Pay Drechsel
Unit ing agricultur e and nature for poverty reduction
LED BY:
MANAGING RESOURCE VARIABILITY AND COMPETING USES (MRV)
Assist decision makers to reconcile natural variability, competition among sectors and trade-offs, and the importance of equitably sharing these resources
Key areas of research
• Managing water
resources variability and
rethinking storage
• Resource allocation and
sharing of benefits for all
• Water and energy for
food
LEADERS:Claudia Ringler
Vladimir Smakhtin
U N I T I N G A G R I C U L T U R E A N D N AT U R E F O R P O V E R T Y R E D U C T I O N
WLE Core Themes
GENDER, POVERTY AND INSTITUTIONS (GPI)
Women as a central component to improving
sustainable intensification
• More than one-third of the female workforce is engaged in agriculture, while in regions like sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia more than 60% of all female employment is in this sector.
• Two-thirds of the world’s 796 million illiterate adults are women.
• Only 29% of researchers in the world today are women.
Identify where, when and how women can gain equitable access to water, land and other natural resources
LEADER:Nicoline de Haan
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND RESILIENCE (ES&R)
Core Issues
• 10 million hectares of farmland are lostevery year due to ecosystem degradation.
• Radical overhaul of agriculture can create farms which enhance rather than degrade the world’s ecosystems.
• 66% of wetlands are used for agriculture in Africa and 48% in Asia.
Examples of work
• Community based fisheries
• Changing Landscapes in Kyrgyzstan
• Engaging and contributing to global processes
Understand trade-offs and synergies, both short and long term, on how mixed use landscapes can be managed for their multi-functionality.
Support to thematic work and focal regions in developing
ecosystem based approaches & engaging in global
processes
LEADER:Fabrice DeClerck
STRENGTHENING DECISION ANALYSIS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS (DAI)Use information analysis tools to help governments and investors reduce risk and enhance rural farm livelihoods
Key Issues:
1. Decision analysis and risk assessment.
2. Information systems
Areas of work
1) Cost-effective soil information systems based on new
spectral diagnostics and digital mapping techniques;
2) A global water accounting platform that will provide water
accounts on a monthly basis for major river basins of the world;
and
3) Global information and knowledge facility for agro-
biodiversity.
LEADERS:Keith Shepherd
Lisa Rebelo
Wle.cgiar.org/blogs
PROSPEROUS COMMUNITIES. PRODUCTIVE FOOD SYSTEMS. HEALTHY LAND
and Water.