Rome Declaration on Water Scarcity in Agriculture Ratified

It was on 17 October 2024 that member Nations of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) ratified the Rome Declaration on Water Scarcity in Agriculture. The focus of this endeavour is on water shortage especially in agriculture which is aggravated due to climate change. The statement was one of the major outcomes of the High-Level Rome Water Dialogue, held from Oct. 14–18 during FAO's World Food Forum.

No Water– No Crops: Stress of Water Scarcity on Agriculture

Scarcity of Water and Soil For Agriculture

• Water scarcity: over 70% of freshwater withdrawals go to agriculture.
• 2050: by this year, over half of the world's population will be living in areas that suffer from water shortage for at least one month a year (the UN)

Women's Alliance for Security Leadership Initiative, Rome Declaration

• WASAG Initiative helps countries to cope water scarcity by its initiative.
• Rome Declaration commits to increasing the political will, policies, legal frameworks and financial accessibility to tackle water shortage.

Family Farming's Role

• More than 90% of all the farms in the world are managed by families, which means their contributions account for 70–80 % of the human societies' global food production.
• Even with the weight that family farmers bring to our nations, we still see denied access to resources, market opportunities and services of essential utilities.

The United Nations Decade of Family Farming(UNDFF)

• This is part of the UN Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF) that has the objective to support family farming worldwide.

IFAD Investment Goals

• IFAD is mobilising $10 billion over three years to boost agricultural productivity, resilience and rural incomes.