That’s the conclusion of a joint report issued last month by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Water Management Institute, and the Stockholm International Water Institute. In addition, the amount of water needed to grow that food would meet the household needs of 500 million people. A population almost double that of the U.S.

CIRAD is organizing a day of talks and debates on 4 September 2008, on the links between food security and agricultural production. It will be held at Agropolis International in Montpellier.

You may want to hold your nose for this one. A new study reveals where water goes when you flush the loo--basically, in your salad. In a survey of 53 countries, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) found that the majority of produce cultivated in urban plots is irrigated with water from polluted streams, lakes or wells. While only 10 percent of global agriculture is harvested in cities (and only part of that crop is consumed raw), some 1.1 million farmers produce greens and fruit for 4.5 million people in the areas studied.

But the good grace of Mother Nature to keep the valley fertile through adequate rainfall may not be enough to sustain the crop growth and drinking supply needs of the Shoals in the coming years.

Dawn Rodriguez, spokeswoman for the International Water Management Institute, said it could be 25 years before the nation, as well as the planet, faces serious water shortages, largely as a result of the finite nature of water as a resource.

"The causes of water scarcity are essentially identical to the food crisis," she said.

In Saving Water: From Field to Fork – Curbing Losses and Wastage in the Food Chain, a policy brief by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), projected food and cereal demand could double by 2050, and the world would need 10,000 to 13,500 km3/year of water supply to keep up with production requirements.

A study of 53 cities across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) showed 80% of those studied are using wastewater in urban agriculture.

Revealing the results of the study at World Water Week, in Stockholm, Sweden, the IWMI said it is used more commonly for growing vegetables and cereals, especially rice.

2008/08 - AgInfo News from IAALD

2008/08 - Gauri Salokhe Blog

But since we’re not here to obscure reality as an excuse to make everyone feel better, here’s the truth: According to a new report by the Stockholm International Water Institute, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and the International Water Management Institute, about half of all the food produced worldwide goes to waste.

The event saw the launch of a number of new and groundbreaking studies, reports and initiatives designed to improve a global situation where billions of people are without sustainable access to safe drinking water or suffering ill health due to poor sanitation. Last week, the feature article in CSR Asia Weekly (Vol.4 Week 34) focussed on 'Water scarcity and food security', a 53 city study on waste water by International Water Management Institute (IWMI). This week will look at sanitation and its economic costs and the first Asia Day at World Water Week.