Discussion during the conference
Prof. Eng. Bancy Mati, the Director of WARREC, participated in the recent “Water for Food International Forum on Farmer-led Irrigated Agriculture, Seeds of opportunity” which was held from 29 to 30th January 2018, at the World Bank Conference Center in Washington, D.C., USA.
Prof Mati was a Discussant in the Session on “Collective Action is Making it Happen”, in which panelists presented the risks/ challenges, role of local institutions and governance approaches for irrigated agriculture in various parts of the world. Prof. Mati provided critique to panelist views and then explored the options and innovations in sustainable water management for agriculture, focusing on small-scale irrigation.
The event convened international experts drawn from government organizations, academic institutions, NGOs and private sector partners to share mutual challenges and innovative solutions to achieving sustainable water and food security. Through presentations and case study examples on new technologies and with special panelists featuring some of the world’s leading experts in the water-for-food nexus, discussed how to catalyze new partnerships and projects that will advance sustainable investments in smallholder irrigated agriculture in the developing world. Particular attention was focused on sub-Saharan Africa, where the gap in irrigation requires urgent redress. The event culminated in a round-table closing plenary, in which ways forward were discussed, among them a commitment to increase investments in smallholder irrigation, and to implement technologies and approaches that have long term sustainability and are sensitive to national and local contexts. Outputs from the event included a collaborative commitment to support and advance further work to improve access to irrigation in developing countries.
For more on this event, visit: https://agrilinks.org/event/water-food-international-forum-farmer-led-irrigated-agriculture