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DAM-L Sustainable Water Management-- priority for Euro-Mediterranean (fwd)



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Right to Water (right-to-water@iatp.org)    Posted: 10/10/2001  By  mritchie@iatp.org	
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MEDITERRANEAN INFORMATION OFFICE
FOR ENVIRONMENT, CULTURE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Federation of Mediterranean Environment and Development NGOs

Sustainable Water Management
A priority for Euro-Mediterranean Agriculture



A position paper submitted by MIO-ECSDE
to the Conference on Euro-Mediterranean Agriculture 
June 14-15, 2001



























Tripodon 28, 10558 Athens, Greece
Tel: +301-3247490, -3247467, Fax: +301-3225240
e-mail: mio-ee-env@ath.forthnet.gr,   www.mio-ecsde.org 
 Sustainable Water Management
A priority for Euro-Mediterranean Agriculture

by

Michael Scoullos and Vanya Walker-Leigh


I. INTRODUCTION-BACKGROUND

Five and a half years after the Barcelona Declaration was adopted, there is
still no articulated regional Euro-Mediterranean agricultural strategy,
(although the European Commission is rumoured to be working on one). 

Similarly, despite efforts on national level there is no concerted regional
effort to attain enhanced household security, in particular in the South
Mediterranean - despite the targets of the World Food Summit Programme of
Action of 1996, endorsed by the heads of state or government of all
Euro-Mediterranean states as well as all other UN member states . As
evidenced by data in the annual reports of UNICEF, the World Bank and the
UN Development Programme, poverty is increasing and malnutrition reaches
unacceptable levels particularly in some South Mediterranean nations. Much
of it is concentrated in rural areas, however the pockets of urban poor are
increasing in numbers and size throughout the region - in particular in the
South - fuelled by a continuing rural exodus - a flight from poverty, into
poverty, which leads to the 'feminisation' of agriculture in many areas, as
male family members out-migrate in search of work.

A study on the regional water situation  submitted to the World Water Forum
of March 2000 by the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) and the
Global Water Partnership's Mediterranean Technical Advisory Committee (GWP
MEDTAC) stated that sustainable water management in the area would avoid
the negative environmental and social impacts of a Business as Usual
policy, while ensuring much greater distributional and intergenerational
equity.

The study advocated supply management, international transfers,
inter-country shared river basin management and 'unconventional' water
production (e.g. from treated wastewater, desalinisation) to be combined
with demand side management, waste reduction and modified relations between
water using sectors, in particular as regards agriculture vis a vis
non-agricultural sectors.

The impact of climate change, which according to the International
Governmental Panel on Climate Change has already begun , could mean severe
dislocations in Mediterranean water availability, the salinisation of
coastal water tables due to sea level rise, increased temperatures
resulting in a Northward shift of flora and fauna, forest dieback, as well
as a reduction of the water retention capacity of its soils. These impacts
predicate the imperative need to prepare for and initiate modifications in
choices and farming practices to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of this
change.

Salinisation is already taking place in many parts of the Mediterranean
mainly as a result of overpumping of groundwater and consequent seawater
intrusion, whilst poor environmental management renders our soils and
woodlands extremely vulnerable to climate change impacts.

II. MEDITERRANEAN WATER INITIATIVES TO DATE

The issue of water - a key input to agriculture - has been addressed in
several Mediterranean fora including the Rome conference (1992) and the
Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Local Water Management, which elaborated
an action plan and adopted a Declaration .

MIO-ECSDE has endeavoured to co-ordinate and facilitate NGO inputs and
multi-stakeholder dialogue on Water since 1991. In its Athens (1991)
Conference and Declaration (an input to the Rio Summit) a Mediterranean
Water Community had been proposed, an idea which contributed to the
subsequent formation in 1994 of the Mediterranean Commission of Sustainable
Development (MCSD) within the framework of the Barcelona Convention, 1975.
In Rome MIO organised the NGO Water Conference parallel to the Ministerial
conference (1992), which proposed among the ten key issues that needed
urgent attention, the unsustainable water use practices in agriculture
resulting in overexploitation of water resources, inefficient use and
massive pollution by agrochemicals. In Turin (1999) and Brussels (2000),
the NGOs collectively addressed again the critical, frequently negative
role of agriculture in water resources use.

However, the provisions of the Turin action plan are inadequate and far
from being implemented in a satisfactory way. A number of other parallel
activities have been developed, each one having a slightly different emphasis.

Within the framework of the Global Water Partnership (GWP), the
Mediterranean Technical Advisory Committee (MEDTAC) was set up as a
partnership of regional networks (CEDARE, CIHEAM, IME, MIO-ECSDE, MWN,
MedWet, Blue Plan (UNEP/MAP) . A Vision, a Framework for Action (FFA) and a
mapping exercise were carried out and widely presented and debated at the
World Water Forum, as indicated above.

Finally, during the November 2000 Mediterranean Water Stakeholders' Meeting
in Athens, co-organised by MEDTAC and MIO-ECSDE, a Core for Action was
prepared by comparing and combining in a critical way efforts made to date.
The meeting endorsed the 'Core for Action Plan' document 

In all recent synthetic documents Agriculture has been identified not only
as the main water consumer in the Mediterranean but also as a vital sector
with enormous potential for improvements in water use within an Integrated
Water Resource Management (IWRM) covering entire catchment areas and taking
simultaneously into account the requirements for Integrated Coastal Zone
Management (ICZM)  

III. A CALL TO ACTION

Our central proposal is for a EURO-MEDITERRANEAN STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE
WATER USE IN AGRICULTURE to be elaborated as an integral part of the
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, and to be further commented on by the
environment ministers meeting in Greece in 2002 and formally endorsed for
immediate implementation at the highest political level i.e. by the
Barcelona V meeting of foreign ministers in Spain in mid-2002. 

This strategy should be elaborated by the Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum,
in accordance with the multi-stakeholder approach now formalised in the
United Nations, in particular within the Commission on Sustainable
Development and the World Summit for Sustainable Development process , and
related work should be closely linked to relevant activities of the UNEP
Mediterranean Action Plan in particular relating to water resources,
agriculture, climate change, and the proposed regional sustainable
development strategy  as well as to the on-going work of the Food and
Agriculture Organisation at the regional level . It should also incorporate
any new actions or targets endorsed by the World Food Summit Five Years
Later in Rome, November, 2001.

We suggest ten points as the backbone for such a strategy:

1. The main water consumer in the Mediterranean Region is agriculture
accounting for about 70-80% of total consumption. Water supplies are
already scarce in most Mediterranean countries. Such a situation is not
sustainable taking into account economic, social and environmental concerns
- in particular the potential impact of climate change on water
availability - and the target should be to reduce Agriculture's share in
water.

2. Current agricultural practices are water wasteful. Although the
potential solution to the problem cannot be the same throughout the
Mediterranean, systematic water saving efforts should become a priority
investment throughout the region. Undoubtedly, in some areas we expect to
see technical solutions expanding, such as the replacement by drip
irrigation systems and/or rainwater harvesting systems (where feasible) of
present wasteful irrigation systems involving significant losses
(evaporation, leakage from channels, piping, etc). In other regions more
radical changes are needed i.e. in deciding which crops are produced, and
how, In other words, a reform of agriculture is now essential, involving a
switch to water-efficient/saving crops, as well as water efficient farming
techniques such as inter/mixed cropping, relay cropping, cover crops,
agro-forestry, etc.

3. There is a major potential in proper recycling and use of wastewater
after careful and thorough purification in order to avoid pollution of
groundwater as well as health risks (viz pathogens in vegetables).

4. Ecosystems require water for their continued functioning, so an adequate
quantity of water must be secured as "Water for Nature". Wetlands should be
considered by planners and farmers as an additional asset which functions
as a buffer zone between the marine and freshwater zones, in particular in
view of the eventual rise in sea level due to climate change and the
attendant threat of saline intrusion into coastal aquifers. They must also
be recognised as an important refuge for biodiversity, rather than as
potential farmland. 

5. A system for valuation-pricing of water in agriculture throughout the
Mediterranean should be gradually introduced, definitely with a time
horizon of adequate length (e.g. to be introduced in 10 years and completed
in 25). In some countries this is already the case. This valuation would
capture in the best possible way the total economic value of water i.e.
including the environmental value (user cost + option cost + existence
value). Such a concept would have to be designed so as to ensure minimum
supplies to every citizen, e.g. by means of cross-subsidisation in water
tariffs, or equivalent fiscal measures, so that the poor can afford the
minimum necessary for drinking water consumption and hygienic uses (50
litres a day) and so that food security and rural livelihood goals can be met.

6. Reduction of monocultures is both possible and necessary not only for
water use reasons but also for reasons of climate change impacts and soil
quality. Alternatives such as permaculture, organic agriculture, mixed
cropping systems, silvo-pastoral agricultural systems must be carefully
examined for their potential environmental and social benefits as well as
for their water use efficiency. Sustainable rural livelihoods and household
food security of rural families must be secured by means of developing
non-agricultural income generating activities to supplement earnings from
agriculture, so as to stem the present rural exodus to overpopulated urban
areas. 

The potential impacts of the proposed Mediterranean Free Trade Zone (MFTZ)
- if liberalisation is extensively applied to agricultural products - on
agricultural structures and crop mixes and related water use implications
need to be carefully assessed. 

A recent study by the Blue Plan entitled 'Free Trade and the Environment in
the Euro-Mediterranean Context' warns that "the risks of negative social
(increased poverty, rural depopulation... and environmental (loss of
biodiversity, deteriorating landscapes...) impacts, on traditional farming
sectors (cereals and livestock) which make up most of the jobs in several
countries, are certainly very high if the Euro-Mediterranean free trade
area is to be widened to farm produce without any precautions nor suitable
policies." "In the other direction", the report continues, "it is not
certain that trade liberalisation will be of much benefit to the export
sector in these countries (fruit and vegetables) whose development would
also have negative environmental impact (increased pressure on water
resources and pollution) besides positive aspects (complying with
environmental standards for certain products)…

"Particular emphasis should be placed on a deeper investigation of the
likely linkages existing between agricultural production and trade flow
changes induced by the trade liberalisation and the issues of natural
resources (water, soils, …) and territories (rural human settlements,
biodiversity, …), as well as health problems related to food and nutrition."

At the same time, island populations must not be enticed to abandon
agricultural practices but rather combine them with e.g. tourism, in
particular eco or agri-tourism.

7. Specific "labels" for quality products ("appellation controlee", quality
guarantees, biological-organic produce) should be systematically introduced
for products sold in quality markets and in the tourism sector (hotels,
etc.), as well as for export. A single region-wide organic certification
procedure for all Euro-Mediterranean countries should be developed to
gradually replace the present variety of national systems applied in non-EU
Mediterranean countries.

8. There should be few clear, ambitious but also realistic targets to
reduce water consumption in agriculture e.g. by 20% by 2010 (the exact
figure and date to be discussed with all interested stakeholders) taking
full account of ecosystems constraints, as well as rural livelihood and
food security considerations. The first 10% seems to be a relatively easy
task.

9. In view of the functional limitations on how far water use in
agriculture or for ecosystems maintenance can be reduced, maximum water
efficiency must be sought in non-agricultural sectors, by demand side
management including pricing measures, industrial process redesign, water
impact assessments of proposed industrial, energy generation and tourism
projects, reduction of water losses due to leaks in distribution systems, etc.

10. Finally, measures in agriculture and Integrated Water Resources
Management (IWRM) go hand in hand with the need for environmentally
beneficial management of fertilisers and pesticides in soils. Therefore,
simultaneous reform of present policies favouring/subsidising the use of
agro-chemicals is needed with a view to reducing their use as far as
possible in favour of organic alternatives and/or integrated plant
nutrition systems.

National measures are being taken along several of the aforementioned lines
in many countries, and documented to some extent by various regional water
bodies as well as by the FAO. However, there is need to systematise data at
a regional level into a user-friendly 'water resources management knowledge
network' so that it can serve regional policy making as efficiently as
possible.

IV. CONCLUSION

We must make visible and clear the links between sustainable water
management and sustainable agriculture, and both policies should ensure
regional food security, viable rural livelihoods and management of rural
ecosystems as well as adequate quantities of good quality water in the
region for the present and future generations

We consider that these goals can be most effectively attained by the rapid
elaboration and adoption of a EURO-MEDITERRANEAN STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE
WATER USE IN AGRICULTURE, to be launched, if necessary in outline form due
to present time constraints, by the Barcelona V conference in mid-2002.

We propose that a resolution recognising the need for such a strategy
eventually based on or inspired by the aforementioned key points be adopted
at the forthcoming conference on Euro-Mediterranean agriculture at the
Council of Europe (14-15 June, 2001), and transmitted to the conference of
Euro-Mediterranean foreign ministers in Brussels, November 4-5, 2001, for
subsequent transmission to the meeting of Euro-Mediterranean Environment
Ministers in 2002 as well as to the Barcelona V conference of the
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership in the same year. 

ENDNOTE

The issue of water pricing in the Mediterranean will be the focus of two
conferences to be organised by MIO-ECSDE, back-to-back in Cairo between 19
and 22 December 2001. The first will be in the framework of the European
Rio+10 Coalition and the second with the Global Water Partnership (GWP-Med).




About the authors:

Michael Scoullos, D.Sc. (Ath.), Ph.D. (Liv.) is Professor of Environmental
and Marine Chemistry at the University of Athens. Chairman of the
Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable
Development (MIO-ECSDE), a major Mediterranean NGO Federation with 87
member organisations from 22 countries; President (1982-2001) and now
President Emeritus of Elliniki Etairia, a leading Greek environmental NGO;
President (1986-1994) and now Honorary President of the European
Environment Bureau (EEB); member of the Executive Bureau of the European
Environment Agency (EEA), representing the European Parliament. He has been
a consultant to numerous UN organisations, has written several books on
oceanography, the environment, water and international issues, and
published over 300 articles in various journals. 

(Ms.) Vanya Walker-Leigh B.Sc. (Econ.) Hons. , M.Sc. (Agric. Dev.), M.Sc.
(Econ.), M.Sc. (Env.Man), Lond.. is a British agricultural/environmental
economist and journalist based mainly in Malta. She was an accredited
correspondent of several leading English language media at the United
Nations in Geneva, then in Paris. She is a member and scientific adviser on
agriculture and climate change of Nature Trust (Malta), a MIO-ECSDE member
organisation, a founder member of the Malta Organic Agriculture Movement,
and founder member/Vice-President of the Malta Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energies Association. She writes regularly on Euro-Mediterranean
issues for the MFTZ Environment Monitor of Friends of the Earth Middle East
and other NGO publications and print media and is a regular contributor on
global issues to the Sunday Times (Malta).. She is also a member of the
agriculture, energy and women's NGO caucuses at the UN Commission for
Sustainable Development.





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