Asia needs to produce more food with less water

Asia will see a surge of 70 to 90 per cent in the demand for food by 2030, say new studies.

KARACHI: Asia will see a surge of 70 to 90 per cent in the demand for food by 2030 and this pressing issue requires the region to revitalise its ageing irrigation systems which can produce more food with less water, say new studies.

Besides the high food demand, a rising population and stressed water resources also underline the need for an increase in food crop production and revamp of irrigation systems.

The studies were tabled at the Water: Crisis and Choices - ADB and Partners Conference 2010, organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila, the bank announced on its website on Wednesday.

The five–day event has brought together over 600 water professionals and policymakers from around the world to examine critical water challenges facing Asia and the measures needed to overcome them.

Asia accounts for 70 per cent of the world’s irrigated land and is home to some of the oldest and largest irrigation schemes. It also draws 80 per cent of its available freshwater resources. But most systems were built before the 1970s, function poorly and often fail to match the needs of farmers.

“Asia’s population will reach 5 billion by 2050 and feeding 1.5 billion additional people will require irrigation systems that generate more value per drop of water,” says the study Growing More Food With Less Water: How Can Revitalising Asia’s Irrigation Help?.

The study, authored by Aditi Mukherji, David Molden and Colin Chartres of the International Water Management Institute, and Thierry Facon of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, notes that while the total area under irrigation continues to rise in most parts of Asia, systems are irrigating less land than originally intended, water productivity is low, crop output has stagnated and many farmers are exiting formal schemes.

With water resources pressured by urbanisation, industrialisation, pollution, climate change and competing demands from other sectors, Asia needs to find ways to make its irrigation systems more efficient and productive without tapping more water.

The study suggests that new technologies, such as those that use surface water more efficiently, and improved water storage, need to be looked at closely, while reforms which strengthen the management of irrigation schemes are also crucial. Strategies must incorporate the specific needs of different parts of the region, including Central Asia with its ageing Soviet-era infrastructure, South Asia with its underperforming surface schemes, and Southeast Asia where the rapid expansion of hydropower schemes presents a challenge.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2010.