Important points from HLPE report - Water is integral to food security and nutrition

You may be interested in the latest report coming from the High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE), on water food security and nutrition. The report is the first of its kind to bring together water, food security and nutrition. The report is unique in pointing out these connections, and understanding these links is integral to tackling poverty. It goes far beyond the usual agricultural focus and highlights the necessity of water and sanitation for human wellbeing and survival.

Launched today, the Water for Food Security and Nutrition report by the HLPE for the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) calls for policy coherence at all levels of governance and management around water, food security and nutrition issues. It makes several important points:

1.       Policies and governance issues around land, water and food are usually developed in isolation; however it is vital for decision makers to take a joined-up approach in addressing these challenges. Against a backdrop of future uncertainties, including climate change, changing diets and water demand patterns, ensuring universal access to water and recognising the linkages between water and food security and nutrition are fundamental.

2.       Understanding that water comes into every aspect of life, from consumption to production, is necessary for humans to able to lead a healthy life and have a sustainable livelihood. The report makes proposals for practical and immediate action to increase water, land and agricultural productivity to address these challenges.

3.       Policymakers have to prioritise the rights and interests of the most marginalised and vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on women, when it comes to water access. Water of sufficient quantity and quality is essential for agricultural production and for the preparation and processing of food. Irrigated agriculture accounts for 70 percent of all surface and groundwater withdrawals globally. Water is also essential for various ecosystem functions, i.e. the conservation of forests, wetlands and lakes upon which all humans depend.

4.       There needs to be an explicit focus on vulnerable communities. Policymakers have to prioritise the rights and interests of the most marginalised groups around access to water for food security and nutrition.

5.       The human right to safe drinking water and sanitation as well as the right to food are globally recognised rights. The report calls for states to ensure the full realisation of these rights and explore how they can be meaningfully joined up.  It argues that universal access to water and sanitation will lead to healthy and productive lives for all, for now and in the future.

The project team was led by Lyla Mehta, Institute of Development Studies and included experts from the University of Brasilia, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas and International Food Policy Research Institute, both through their affiliations with the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems, Pegasys Institute and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

If you would like any more information, or to speak with the leader of the report team, Lyla Mehta, please contact me on 01273 915653 or v.benson@ids.ac.uk