Print version Welcome to the 24th Issue of Water and Food – the CPWF bimonthly newsletter, May/June 2007
‘Upstream, downstream, Coello, music, life and work’
This was the motto of the recent ‘Conversatorio’ held in the Colombian city of Ibague in the Andes Coello watershed. Conversatorios are a legal participatory mechanism specific to Colombia, where the community leads negotiations with the government and the private sector regarding environmental, social, economical, and political matters. The main objective of this innovative channel of communication is social equity.
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| Conversatorio in Coello. Local farmer poses a question to the representatives from the government and private organizations. |
The latest Conversatorio, held on the 10 May, was the product of two years of dedicated work from the CPWF project Sustaining Inclusive Collective Action that Links across Economic and Ecological Scales in Upper Watersheds (SCALES). SCALES aims to build on the evidence that increased stakeholder cooperation brings improved natural resource management. Through its research and close collaboration with its partners, SCALES facilitates multi-stakeholder collective action, which in the case of the Andes Coello watershed resulted in their organization of Conversatorio.
The preparation and execution of the event was supported by strong relationships with a number of in-country partners, namely the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Los Andes University, and the local NGOs, Semillas de Agua and ASDES. Many long hours went into selecting topics and devising questions to be answered at the meeting. Catalina Ramirez, CPWF Assistant Andean Basin Coordinator, recognized this as a beneficial exercise for all participants.
‘In the Conversatorio process the local people were empowered in order to make them able to exercise their rights. In this case they learnt about legal frameworks and environmental problems.’ said Catalina.
Agreements reached by the community in Coello related to a wide range of topics affecting the natural resource management of the basin. These included investment for conservation and protection areas, improvement of sanitation systems and attention to productive systems to avoid the use of pesticides and fertilizers.
During the meeting, government officials and private sector representatives signed on the dotted line. The questions and discussions resulted in 27 different agreements and were signed by 13 different institutions, including one private organization. When asked to reflect on her experiences at Conversatorio, Catalina responded.
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| Farmers preparing to ask their questions. Colombia. |
‘It was amazing to see rural farmers claiming for their rights with confidence based on real information in front of the environmental and the local government authorities. It is also remarkable the high level of involvement of women as active participants in the Conversatorio. But the process doesn’t end here, the community with the support of the SCALES project partners, is going to monitor and evaluate the accomplishment of the resulting agreements. Hopefully all the agreements will be accomplished, nevertheless the capacity building is evident and now the people know what they are able to do… and they will do it.’
This was the second Conversatorio under the SCALES project and the fourth held in Colombia.
To find out more on the SCALES project contact project leader Nancy Johnson: n.johnson@cgiar.org
Visit the Andean System of basins webpage http://www.condesan.org/Andean/index.htm
Project Update: Strategic Analysis of India’s National River Linking Project
Destined to be one of the biggest water transfer initiatives in the world, the Indian National River Linking Project (NRLP) is in no doubt a grandiose undertaking. If implemented, the NRLP will link 37 Himalayan Peninsula Rivers with 12,500 km of canals, transfer 174 billion cubic metres of water and generate 35 gigawatts of hydropower. The Project is designed to tackle the increasing symptoms of water scarcity in India. With recurrent floods in the East, and drought in the South and West, it aims to divert water from areas in abundance to regions in short supply. Despite much opposition, a high-powered taskforce has been established to complete the project by 2016.
Critics of the NRLP point to a lack of analysis of India’s water futures in relation to the economic, social and environmental costs of the Project. To address this and other concerns, CPWF researchers have built an alliance of over one hundred Indian researchers and institutions to investigate and analyze the many issues relevant to NRLP. The three year project, titled Strategic Analysis of River Linking, aims to assess the future of India’s water resources under various usage scenarios up to the year 2025 and 2050.
During Phase I of the research, investigators collaborated with numerous stakeholders to produce a range of analytical reports assessing the trends and turning points of key determinants in India’s Water Future.
Below, a list of key findings:
- There exist significant variations in demographic growth patterns between states. Some major states in the east and south are already water scarce and indicate a decline in population before 2050, whilst other regions will continue to show rapid population growth and increased pressure on agricultural land and water resources.
- Food consumption patterns are changing with increasing income and urbanization. The dominance of grains in the predominantly vegetarian Indian diet is slowly diminishing and being replaced by non grain crop products and animal products. The increasing calorie supply from animal products will result in a several fold increase in feed grain demand.
- Under a business as usual scenario, India’s water demand will increase from the current consumption of 680 billion cubic metres to 829 billion cubic metres in 2025 and 897 billion cubic metres by 2050. An increase of 22% and 32% respectively. There is an expected 85% increase in water usage for domestic and industrial sectors by 2050 indicating a significant regional water crisis.
- Physical water scarcity is expected to increase from 4 to 9 river basins over the period of 2000 – 2050.
- Significant scope exists for rainwater harvesting for supplemental irrigation in rainfed areas. Groundwater irrigation is expected account for 100% of water used in newly irrigated areas after 2025.
- Comprehensive environmental flow assessment has indicated that a healthy river ecosystem of major Indian river basins may be maintained with the environmental flow allocation of between 10% and 20% of the natural mean runoff.
- Substantial investments are needed to increase groundwater recharge, promote adoption of water saving technologies in irrigated areas, increase the use of supplemental irrigation in rain fed areas and promote institutional interventions in order to promote crop output and increase water productivity. Failing to make these investments could require substantially more surface water resources and increasing inter-basin transfers.
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These findings form the basis for phase II of the research which is currently underway. CPWF researchers are now focusing on analyzing the social costs and benefits relating to the NRLP. This research will subsequently feed into phase III, where a full water sector perspective plan will be proposed for India.
With India fast becoming the most populous nation in the world, how it manages to meet the water and food requirements of the next generation is of great interest and value to the global community. CPWF research is contributing to finding a solution through its involvement in the NRLP and, beyond that is learning lessons that could be applied to analysis of proposed water transfer projects in other countries.
To find out more about India’s NRLP go to: http://nrlp.iwmi.org
Or email Project Leader Upali Amarasinghe: u.amarasinghe@cgiar.org
Thanks to Upali Amarasinghe and Francis Gichuki for information.
A platform for improved natural resource management, Nepal
In no other place do the mountains rise so quickly than in the Pokhara district in Nepal. Within 30 km the land climbs from 1000 m to 8000 m above sea level. This gives rise to a highly diverse landscape of deep canyons, high forested mountains and wild rivers. It is here that CPWF researchers from Project 23, ‘Linking Community-Based Water and Forest Management for Sustainable Livelihoods of the Poor in Fragile Upper Catchments of the Indo-Gangetic Basin,’ are conducting much needed research into strengthening multi-stakeholder resource management.
In the Begnas watershed of the Pokhara district, CPWF researchers have outlined three major barriers to effective natural resource management. These are (1) a lack of clear ownership over water resources among lake users to enable common property resource management and development, (2) inequitable access to water resources, especially for users at the tail end of irrigation and (3) a lack of established linkages between upstream forest and irrigation users and downstream lake users.
To address these barriers, CPWF researchers created “Platform”, a meeting place to bring together water and forest users in order to achieve increased integration in management of these resources. Project leader, Dhruba Pant, helped to develop Platform.
‘Platform is a venue where resource users and stakeholders are brought together to discuss the issues related to resource management and it is believed that this process will contribute to the users and other stakeholders understanding and thinking on integrated resource management.’ Says Dhruba
Platform was constructed after researchers identified a lack of communication and information sharing between the resource users of the Begnas Watershed. The mechanism is designed to breach communication gaps.
‘Through their involvement in Platform, stakeholders are now able to effectively communicate perspectives and identify avenues for change in order to improve forest and water management in the region.’ Dhruba observed ‘Stakeholders were enthusiastic to learn about the resource management practices and (have) suggested some follow-up studies’
Community members participating in Platform identified a need to address the issue of ownership of a lake that provides water for irrigation and fish farming. Project researchers are now shifting their efforts to facilitate discussion between government agencies, local elected bodies and local communities to develop a mechanism to ensure that users take collective responsibility for management of the lake.
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| 1500L storage device servicing 31 households in Nepal |
CPWF researchers are also supporting local residents in overcoming the widespread problems of water scarcity. Despite receiving average rainfall of 3000mm in upper watershed and 2000 mm in valley floor of Begnas Catchment per year, residents are still feeling the pressures of not enough water. Here, water scarcity has eventuated due to the lack of financial and technical support for much needed water storage devices. To address this issue, CPWF researchers have collaborated with the International Water Management Institute’s (IWMI) Nepal office and the Food and Agricultural Organization’s (FAO) International Programme for Technology and Research in Irrigation and Drainage (IPTRID), and the International Development Enterprises (IDE) Nepal. The Department of Irrigation (DOI), Government of Nepal is also on board to implement a Multiple Use System (MUS) of water storage.
Such strong collaboration saw rapid implementation of researchers’ recommendations to install a 1500 litre storage device to service 31 households in one village with water for domestic and productive uses. This has contributed to improved water productivity in the upper catchments through increasing vegetable production and encouraging better hygiene at the household level. Requests for similar structures have been received from nearby villages.
Researchers intend to build on the lessons learnt through Platform and the strong partnerships they have developed with stakeholders by continuing an in-depth study into the economic characteristics of the region, along with a policy study into the existing water resource ownership issues. This, combined with constant monitoring of water flows, volumes and usage patterns provides a strong knowledge base to support the improved management of natural resources in Nepal.
For more information email: Pratima Shrestha (IWMI Nepal) iwminepal@nep.wlink.com.np or Dhruba Pant: d.pant@cgiar.org
Mekong River Basin Workshop 19 – 23 May 2007.
Coinciding with a visit from a member of the CPWF external review panel, members of the management team, Gender, Institutions and Participations (GIP) panel and Basin Focal Projects (BFP) met with select project leaders and theme leaders to discuss current CPWF research projects in the Mekong. The goal of the workshop was to promote cross theme and cross-scale understanding, by combining project site visits with workshop discussion to create better awareness, linkages and interactions between theme leaders, project leaders, BFPs and GIP.
The team also sought to identify research and impact synergies in the CPWF’s Mekong program. For the former, it was established that looking at the same problem at different scales and in different locations and sharing ideas, expertise and tools would increase overall understanding and improve research outputs. The team also explored ways to improve coordination through working with the same scaling partners and increasing influence by sharing stakeholder networks.
The outputs of the workshop included a matrix showing how projects and themes are responding to the CPWF Mekong basin objectives.
Writing and Summary workshops culminate the first phase of research for Groundwater Governance in Asia project
In March, the International Training and Research program on Groundwater Governance in Asia (GGA) ran writing and summary workshops for its researchers to mark the end of the first phase of the project. GGA is an initiative jointly supported by the CPWF and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and conducts training and research work in the Indo-Gangetic and the Yellow River Basins.
Since 2006, researchers have been working with the Senior Professional Research Fellows (SPRFs), Junior Professional Research Fellows (YPRFs) and Media Fellows (MFs) from China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, in various interactive teaching and research initiatives. The first phase of the project consisted of a formal 5 week intensive classroom interactive teaching session followed by a 15 week field level research phase. The aim was to train, equip and enable the present and future groundwater managers and researchers to grasp the complex challenges facing groundwater governance. A secondary objective was to obtain knowledge on the role and options of groundwater for providing sustainable livelihoods for specific rural societies within the Indo-Gangetic and Yellow River basins.
Writing Workshop
Held in New Delhi, India, from 19 – 26 March 2007, the workshop brought together all the YPRFs and MFs along with their respective supervisors so they could work on improving the quality of content and the style of presentation in their research reports papers.
Experts on various aspects of scientific writing and presentations made presentations on topics ranging from ‘How to translate fieldwork data into a readable research paper?’ and ‘Do’s and don’t’s of scientific writing’ to ‘Improving research communications’, including effective presentation of research results. Using the tools put forward during the workshop, participants revised their drafts and presented their findings at a ‘mock’ presentation show.
Summary Workshop
The summary workshop which followed was the culmination of the first cycle of the GGA project (2006-07). At this workshop, all fellows presented their research findings to an audience of all those involved in the GGA project including, IWMI scientists, national research partners, representatives from the University of Kansas in USA and the University of New South Wales in Australia and some high level representation from Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
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| Bangladesh Group recieiving thier award for best group paper at the GGA summary workshop |
The final day was devoted to participatory evaluation of the project. These feedbacks have now been analyzed and an evaluation report is available from the project leader.
An award ceremony was held on the last day of the Summary Workshop. Dr. JS Samra, Deputy Director General (Natural Resources Management), ICAR & Member, Central Steering Committee of CPWF delivered a valedictory address and awarded course completion diplomas to all the participants.
Additional prizes were awarded to:
- Anwar Zahid, Aminul Haque, Saiful Islam and AFM Mirza Hasan (Bangladesh group) - First prize for outstanding research.
- FA Shaheen, V Selvi and D Machiwal (India Punjab group) - Second prize for outstanding research.
- Sun Ronglin (China) - Best individual theme paper award
- Prof. Falender Kumar Sudan, (Reader, University of Jammu, India) - Best senior fellow paper award
Congratulations to everyone involved in the GGA project.
For more information about GGA, contact Aditi Mukherji: a.mukherji@cgiar.org
Thanks to Aditi Mukherji and Bharat Sharma for information
Staff Changes
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| Mohamed Abdel Maguid - CPWF's new Nile Basin Coordinator. |
In the Nile Basin, we are pleased to announce that Mohamed Abdel- Salam Abdel-Meguid has been appointed by the National Water Research Centre (NWRC) in Egypt to take over from Mahmoud Moustafa as Basin Coordinator. We wish Mahmoud all the best in his new appointment at the African Union Organization headquarters in Addis Ababa.
Miguel Saravia has recently been confirmed as the CPWF Basin Coordinator for the Andean System of Basins. This will no doubt strengthen the CPWF’s link with CONDESAN, where Miguel has been appointed the new Coordinator. Sadly, we must bid a farewell to Catalina Ramirez, who is leaving her post as Assistant Basin Coordinator in the Andes. Catalina has accepted a position with the World Bank in Washington and while we are sad to see her go, we congratulate Catalina on her success and wish her all the very best.
Last month, the CPWF secretariat welcomed Lalith Dassenaike, to the role of Project Manager: Research. Lalith will be responsible for managing CPWF research projects for both technical reporting and financial accountability. He will also undertake a number of important ancillary tasks including providing input into the evolving research strategy of the CPWF from a financial perspective based on donor trends and cash flow analysis and predictions. Before joining the CPWF, Lalith served as the Coordinator of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) Advisory Center, based at IWMI, Sri Lanka. Contact Lalith on: l.dassenaike@cgiar.org
Farewell to Frank
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| Frank Rijsberman |
In March 2007, Frank Rijsberman announced that he would step down as IWMI’s Director General and resign his Chair on the CPWF Consortium Steering Committee (CSC) in order to take up a position with Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google. During the meeting of the CSC in March the CPWF team took time to reflect and comment on Franks leadership and role in the Challenge Program on Water and Food.
Seizing an opportunity provided by the CGIAR in 2001 to support a limited number of pilot Challenge Programs, Frank was the driving force behind the Program’s innovative design and provided the vision that continues to guide CPWF research as we approach the end of the first phase. As Chair of the CSC, Frank demonstrated a foresight and strength that inspired the team to action.
We thank Frank for his support and belief in what we do and wish him the very best in his new position.
Announcements
Call for Groundwater Management Fellows
The CPWF project: “Groundwater Governance in Asia: Capacity Building through Action Research in the Indo-Gangetic (IGB) and Yellow River Basins (YRB)” invites Junior/Media Fellows and Senior Fellows to attend the training and research program on Groundwater Governance and Management 13 November 2007 – 30 March 2008. For more information go to: http://www.waterandfood.org/gga/Call for Applications.htm
CPWF project member awarded as Outstanding Young Scientist
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| Marcela Quintero from CIAT recieving her award for 2006 'most outstanding young scientist' |
Marcela Quintero project member of CPWF project’s SCALES and Environmental Services Promoting Rural Development (both with activities in the Andean region) was awarded as Outstanding Young Scientist at CIAT for year 2006. Marcela was selected for this award for her hard work during the last year where she was involved in many different activities: her leadership at CIAT in the first carbon capture project in Colombia approved by the World Bank; her successful work in spreading and training in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador; her many excellent publications; for being the first distance-learning student at Florida University with grades of 90/100; her invaluable contribution in coordinating and participating of research in CPWF Project 22, titled Environmental Services Promoting Rural Development, and her active participation in the design and implementation of 5 research projects.
Congratulations to Marcela for this well-deserved prize!
CPWF Medium Term Plan now available online
To read the recently completed CPWF Medium Term Plan for 2008 – 2010 go to: http://www.waterandfood.org/publications/management-documents.html
What’s on?
Managing Transitions to Adaptive River Basin Management Summer School
Germany, 11 – 21 July 2007
The Summer School is a sequel to last year's Autumn School in Peyresq, France which introduced NeWater and non-NeWater researchers to concepts of and methods for adaptive river basin management. It is organised by the Institute of Environmental Systems Research, University of Osnabrück, Germany, in cooperation with the Global Water System Project (GWSP).
For more information go to: http://www.gwsp.org/news/summer_school.html
International Congress on Development, Environment and Natural Resources: Multi-level and Multi-scale Sustainability Conference
Cochabamba, Bolivia, 11 – 13 July 2007
The congress’ general theme is developed in 6 sub-themes related to: environmental geotechnics; integrated river basin management; the monitoring, modelling and remediation of the quality of surface water and soils affected by mine activities; continental fisheries and aquatic ecology; biodiversity and the conservation of native forests; and planning and management in an uncertain environment. It is organized by the University Mayor of San Simon, Bolivia; Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR) – University Development Cooperation (UOS), Belgium
For more information go to: http://www.congresoiuc.umss.edu.bo/en/home/
Gender and Water Alliance Workshop on Strategic Planning for S E Asia, Asia and the Pacific
Thailand, 18 – 21 July 2007
The Gender and Water Alliance and the Gender and Development Programme at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) are convening a strategic planning workshop for mainstreaming gender in integrated water resource management.
For more information go to: http://www.waterandfood.org/news-and-events/news-detail.html?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=141&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=227&cHash=dcfebd3c8e
World Water Week
Stockholm, 12 – 18 August 2007
This year, World Water Week will focus on ‘Progress and Prospects on Water – Striving for Sustainability in a Changing World’. Find out more: http://www.worldwaterweek.org/
3rd International Symposium on Riverine Landscapes: Global Change and River Floodplain Ecosystems
Stradbroke Island, Australia, 27 August – 1 September 2007
Invited presentations will consider the effects of urbanization and land-use change, water resource development, and climate change on river-floodplain ecosystems. Several concurrent workshops on science needs are planned and will focus on aquatic biodiversity, connectivity and river-floodplain-coastal subsidies, flow-ecology relationships, and indicators and assessment. The local organizing committee is the Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
Find out more email: m.kennard@griffith.edu.au or s.bunn@griffith.edu.au
3rd International Yellow River Forum
Dongying City, China, 16 – 19 October 2007
The central theme of the Forum is sustainable water resource management and delta ecosystem maintenance. The Forum is open to decision makers, scientists and engineers interested in river basin management. To find out more contact the IYRF secretariat on: iyrf@yellowriver.gov.cn or go to: http://forum.yellowriver.cn/Eindex.htm
International Aerobic Rice Workshop
Beijing, China, 22 – 25 October 2007
The China Agricultural University and the International Rice Research Institute are organizing this workshop as a joint undertaking by the Water Workgroup of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium and the CPWF project ‘Developing a System of Temperate and Tropical Aerobic Rice (STAR) in Asia’. The workshop brings together breeders and scientists who are working on the development and dissemination of aerobic rice in Asia.
To find out more email: hongbintao@cau.edu.cn or go to: http://iarw.pbwiki.com/
Share your news and views!
To make this newsletter a successful and useful tool for all of us, share your progress, results and stories, or simply send us snippets that your colleagues might find interesting! Contributions can be short and simple — ideally with a nice photo or graphic.
We would appreciate your feedback. Is it useful? What would you like to see more of? Do you like the layout?
The newsletter is available in HTML, PDF, printed and text-only version. Visit www.waterandfood.org for back issues.
We maintain a mailing list for the distribution of this newsletter. If you have colleagues that may find the newsletter useful, please send us their email address(es) or alternatively forward it to them.
Send your contributions and comments to:
Felicity Woodhams - f.woodhams@cgiar.org
The Editor, Water and Food
CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food
For further information about the program contact the CPWF secretariat at cpsecretariat@waterandfood.org
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| Secretariat for the Challenge Program on Water and Food | |
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