G l o b a lE n v i r o n m e n tFa c i l i t y

GEF Roundtableon Land, Water,and FoodSecurity

March 2002New York, USA

GEF wishes to acknowledge the Government ofFinland’s generous financial support.

GEF ROUNDTABLE ON LAND, WATER,AND FOOD SECURITY

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Roundtable on

Land, Water, and Food Security was held on March 26,

2002. Co-chaired by H.E. Dr. S. W. Kazibwe, Vice President

of the Republic of Uganda, and Professor M.S.

Swaminathan, Chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan

Research Foundation, the roundtable focused on the

continued degradation of land and water ecosystems

worldwide and the implications for food security, par-

ticularly in developing countries. Participants offered

specific recommendations to promote an integrated

approach to natural resource management and to

improve food security through sustainable agriculture.

The roundtable was one of four sponsored by GEF to

address critical environmental and sustainable devel-

opment issues as a contribution to the World Summit

on Sustainable Development (WSSD). Each roundtable

was held in conjunction with a WSSD preparatory

meeting. The roundtable conclusions were presented

to the Third WSSD Preparatory Committee meeting and

are being fully integrated into the summit process.

The GEF has provided more than $842 million in grants

and leveraged an additional $1.7 billion in co-financing

for integrated ecosystem management, the manage-

ment of national and international transboundary

water bodies, and the conservation of biodiversity

important to agriculture. Of that total, more than

$278 million has funded activities that address land

degradation. For more information, visit

www.gefweb.org.

EnvironmentalDegradation and Food SecuritySummary of the GEF Roundtable on Land, Water, and Food SecurityH.E. Dr. S.W. Kazibwe and Professor M.S.Swaminathan, Co-Chairs

Environmental degradation is one of the greatestrisks to future world food security.1 Degraded soils,parched aquifers, polluted waters, and the loss ofplant and animal species threaten food production inpoor, heavily populated countries. Soil degradation,including nutrient depletion, erosion, and saliniza-tion, is widespread. Conversion of forests to agricul-ture is resulting in extensive loss of species andhabitats. Approximately 70 percent of the freshwaterwithdrawn annually is used for agriculture, and irriga-tion is draining more underground water than rainfallis replenishing, causing water tables to fall. Excessiveuse of fertilizers and pesticides is polluting manywater sources.

Panelists in the Roundtable on Land, Water, and FoodSecurity discussed key factors that exacerbate landand water degradation. Among those are:

● Increasing demand for food and other productsdue to rapidly growing human populations. Fooddemand in developing countries could doubleover the next 30–40 years.

● Subsidies and inappropriate pricing systemsthat provide incentives for inefficient andwasteful use of land and water resources,fertilizers, and pesticides.

● Sectoral approaches that maximize the benefits ofone sector without taking into account implicationsfor other sectors.

1 Food security means access to the food required for a healthy and productive life.

● Farming systems or agronomic practices that arenot suitable for local soil and water conditions.

● Construction of dams and canals that significantlymodify the flow of streams and sediment move-ment downstream to deltas, estuaries, andfloodplains.

● Lack of secured tenure or access rights thatdiscourage investments to improve land andwater management.

Panelists also noted the impacts of degradationprocesses on terrestrial and aquatic (both freshwaterand marine) ecosystems. Soil-related impacts includeerosion, depletion of nutrients, salinization and waterlogging, sedimentation of water bodies, chemicalpollution, and loss of biodiversity because of conver-sion or fragmentation of habitats. The impacts onfreshwater resources from habitat modificationsinclude changes in the flow of streams, loss offloodplain agriculture because of changes in sedimentmovement, and river desiccation or reduced flowduring the dry season because of excessive with-drawal of water. For coastal and marine resources,the impacts include the intrusion of salt water intorivers or aquifers because of over-pumping of ground-water, degradation of coral reefs, and the destructionof mangrove forests.

An Urgent Call forCoordinated InternationalAction

Panelists agreed that coordinated international actionis urgently needed to address issues of land and waterdegradation. But the productivity of land and waterresources cannot be improved at the expense ofecological integrity. Improving that productivity whilepreserving ecological integrity will require govern-ments, NGOs, the owners and users of land and waterresources, and other stakeholders to work together to:

● Promote a paradigm shift from a single sectorapproach to integrated (cross-sectoral) approachesto the management of land and water resources.

● Enhance agricultural productivity in “perpetuity”by adopting ecosystem-based approaches, utilizingtraditional knowledge and other sustainable landand water management practices, supportingexpanded research for productivity-enhancing tech-nologies, and promoting fair and environmentallysound trade.

● Provide strong and sustained political leadershipsupporting integrated land and water managementin both developing and developed countries. Thispolitical commitment should be translated intopolicies, budgetary allocations, and developmentassistance.

● Ensure good governance. Priority should be givento decentralization and devolution of decision-making on the allocation and management of landand water resources.

● Eliminate subsidies, pricing systems, and otherpolicies that provide incentives for unsustainableuse of land and water resources.

● Undertake land reforms, including strengtheningland use planning, ownership, and access toresources. Such reforms will not only help toimprove investments in environmental manage-ment but will also help to create environmentalassets, particularly for the poor.

● Strengthen the capacity of institutions responsiblefor land and water management, particularly localinstitutions such as women’s organizations andagricultural extension delivery systems.

● Provide support for the development of microenter-prises as a means to reduce pressure on land andwater resources and to create employment,particularly among youth.

● Ensure that countries build their capacity to copewith the potential impacts of climate change onland and water resources.

● Promote awareness of sustainable agriculture andenvironmental management at all levels of formaland informal education systems.

● Develop information systems incorporating scien-tific and local knowledge together with the experi-ence of other projects and make them widelyavailable, especially at the local level.

● Promote the adoption of environmentally soundintegrated land and water management practicesand technologies (including indigenous practices)that are affordable and appropriate in thesocial context.

● Ensure that international trade regimes and agree-ments do not compromise the ecological integrityof land and water resources.

● Strengthen partnerships among governments,nongovernmental organizations, and the privatesector at international, national, and local levels.The goal is a coordinated approach to integratedland and water management for food andenvironmental security.

Recommendations for theNext Decade

Panelists agreed that many efforts to improve foodsecurity have been commendable. But in many casessuch efforts have had unintended and largely avoid-able adverse impacts on the integrity and functionof ecological systems, including critical agriculturallandscapes, forests, grasslands, freshwater bodies,and coastal and marine areas. Such impacts under-score the need for emphasis on sustainable manage-ment of land and water resources to ensure long-termfood and environmental security.

Panelists made the following concrete recommenda-tions for priority actions that should be included inthe WSSD program:

1. Planning Framework: To ensure synergies in theimplementation of the Convention to CombatDesertification (CCD), the Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD), the UN Framework Convention onClimate Change (UNFCCC), and other agreements,countries need to develop integrated implementa-

tion frameworks that build on national action pro-grams, biodiversity strategies and action plans, andnational communications.

2. Capacity Development: Stakeholder groups, includ-ing women’s organizations, need to be empoweredthrough formal and informal education programs atall levels. Priority should be given to enablingpolicymakers to initiate, develop, and implementappropriate policies; to strengthening countries’ability to plan under conditions of uncertainty dueto climate change; and to improving informationaccess by developing technologies and productstailored to the specific needs of decision-makersand other stakeholder groups.

3. Incentive Structure: To facilitate adoption of inte-grated land and water management approaches,countries need to provide appropriate incentivestructures. These structures should include:

● Adoption of a range of legal instruments cover-ing access to and ownership of land and water.

● Decentralization and devolution of decision-making on allocation and management of landand water resources.

● Adoption of appropriate water-pricing policiesthat ensure equitable and reliable access aswell as conservation and efficient use ofwater resources.

● Diversification of the rural economy to reducepressure on land and water resources, includingcoastal resources, through microenterprisedevelopment and multiple livelihood opportuni-ties in which the private sector participates andin which priority is given to women, youth, andthe disabled.

● Development of markets for ecological servicesand mechanisms to compensate communitiesand other upstream landowners to protectmountain watersheds, thereby ensuring theavailability of high-quality water for down-stream users.

● Development of pilot activities such as “food foreco-development,” modeled after the WorldFood Program’s Food-for-Work program.

4. Environmentally Sound Technology Developmentand Adoption: A participatory approach to technol-ogy development for improved land and water man-agement should include full involvement of the endusers, especially farmers, to facilitate ownershipand adoption. Priority should be given to upgradingnational technology development and assessmentinfrastructure and training; to strengthening link-ages between national and international public andprivate research centers of excellence; and tostrengthening technology delivery systems.

5. Agricultural Research: Participatory and integratedagricultural research approaches should bringtogether researchers, resource managers, andusers. Priority should be given to research on soil-and water-conserving crop and livestock farmingsystems, including the use of low-water-tolerant ormoisture-stress-tolerant crop varieties and tech-niques for water harvesting in drylands.

6. Strengthening Partnerships: Facilitating coopera-tion among existing local, national, and globalnetworks will enhance the exchange of informationon and lessons learned from integrated land andwater management.

H.E. Dr. S. W. Kazibwe is Vice President of the Republic ofUganda. Professor M.S. Swaminathan holds the UNESCOChair in Ecotechnology and serves as Chairman of theM.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, India.

Speciosa Wandira Kazibwe,Vice President, Government ofUganda, Co-Chair

M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman,M.S. Swaminathan ResearchFoundation, India, Co-Chair

Herbert Acquay, Team Leader,Land and Water Resources,Global Environment Facility

Leonard Berry, Director,Florida Center forEnvironment Studies

Hama Arba Diallo, ExecutiveSecretary, United NationsConvention to CombatDesertification

A. J. Diphoorn, Head, WaterSupport Unit, Ministry ofForeign Affairs, Netherlands

Mohamed T. El-Ashry, CEO &Chairman, Global EnvironmentFacility

Malin Falkenmark, Professor,Stockholm InternationalWater Institute

Mohamed Hassan, ExecutiveDirector, Third World Academyof Sciences

Coosje Hoogendoorn, DeputyDirector General, InternationalPlanet Genetic ResourcesInstitute

Kasim Kasanga, Minister ofForestry and Lands,Government of Ghana

R. Martin Lees, Rector,University for Peace

Walter Lusigi, Adviser, GlobalEnvironment Facility

Hillary Masundire, Chair IUCNCommission on EcosystemManagement, Botswana

Ruth Meinzen-Dick, SeniorResearch Fellow, InternationalFood Policy Research Institute

Khalid Mohtadullah,Executive Secretary, GlobalWater Partnership

Jane Pratt, President and CEO,The Mountain Institute

Zhu Qiang, ResearchProfessor, Gansu ResearchInstitute for WaterConservancy, China

Francisco Reifschneider,Director, Consultative Groupon International AgriculturalResearch

Frank Rijsberman, DirectorGeneral, International WaterManagement Institute

Phrang Roy, AssistantPresident, International Fundfor Agricultural Development

Mostafa Tolba, SeniorAdvisor, International Centerfor Environment andDevelopment

Panelists

GEF Roundtable on Land, Water, and Food Security,March 26, 2002

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THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTAND THE GEF

The World Summit on Sustainable Development will

focus world attention on global progress toward

sustainable development and provide strategic

direction for the 21st century. Tens of thousands

of heads of state, government officials, leaders of

the NGO and business communities, and represen-

tatives of civil society groups are expected to

attend the Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa,

August 26 to September 4, 2002.

By formal resolution, the U.N. General Assembly

has invited the GEF to participate fully in the

Summit, including the review of Agenda 21, the

global action plan for sustainable development

that was adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit.

The General Assembly’s request that the GEF be

involved in the WSSD reflects well on the GEF’s

potential to bring about positive change. In the 10

years since it was created, the GEF has allocated

$4.2 billion in grants and leveraged an additional

$11 billion in cofinancing. GEF supports more than

1,000 projects in 160 developing nations and coun-

tries with economies in transition. A recent

assessment by an independent panel of experts

finds that the GEF has been a “catalyst for innova-

tive programs” and has produced “significant

results” to improve the global environment.

For more information contact:

Hutton Archer

Senior External Affairs Coordinator

Global Environment Facility

1818 H Street NW

Washington, DC 20433

Tel: 202 473 0508

Fax: 202 522 3240

www.gefweb.org