An overview of the Challenge Program on Water and Food's research-for-development results, and plans to address global challenges, from CPWF Director, Dr Alain Vidal

1. Water, food and development
The CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and
Food
Alain VIDAL, CPWF Director

2. CPWF and the Agricultural Water
Productivity Challenge

3. CGIAR Challenge Programs
•CGIAR= Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research; 15 centres, 63 donor members,
5 challenge programs
•CGIAR Challenge Programs mobilise broad scientific
input on most challenging issues in agricultural
research
•Time bound and reform-oriented
•Help change the way the CGIAR does business,
expanding range of partnerships

4. CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food
(CPWF)
Phase 1
Sixty-six research and capacity building projects
Value added through synthesis research
Over 200 partners, with research in 30 developing
countries of 9 river basins
Around USD 65 million of investment from 12 donors
in 2004-2008

5. AREO

6. CPWF aims to increase water productivity for
agriculture in order to leave more water for
other users and the environment

7. CPWF contributes to…
Food security at household level
Livelihoods of the poor
Health: Nutrition, reduced
pollution, reduced disease
Environment: Water quality,
sustainability of wetlands

8. Why focus on water productivity for
agriculture?
2 - 5 litres
daily
20 – 500 litres
daily 500 – 3000 litres
per kg
2000 l/day - vegetarian diet
5000 l/day - grainfed meat
diet

9. A consequence: sectoral competition

10. Food Supply in Calories
One liter of water produces
one calorie on average

11. Water productivity for agriculture

12. Great interest in water issues

13. Why Water Productivity and Poverty
For smallholder
producers in Africa,
lack of access to
water and soil is the
key constraint to
production

14. Why Water Productivity and Poverty
The poorest people
- 1 billion worldwide -
depend on fish as
primary source of
protein. As rivers dry
up, fish production
declines and the poor
lose as consumers and
producers.

15. Why Water Productivity and Poverty
Many of the poorest,
most drought-
vulnerable families in
Africa depend on
livestock production.
Animal feed
production is the most
important user of
agricultural water in
the Nile basin.

16. Water Scarcity 2000
1/3 of the world’s population live in basins that have to deal with water scarcity

17. What is the challenge ahead?
• Do we have enough water resources
to grow enough food and meet future
demand for biofuels?
• The Comprehensive Assessment answered…
– No… with today’s practices, doubling food production in 2050 would
require to almost double agricultural water use (from 7130 km3 to
13000 km3)
– …Unless we change the way we think and act on water issues
• A simple and ideal scenario: if we would double the amount of
food produced per m3 of water, we would be safe
17

18. Water challenges
River basins – many rivers running dry
Groundwater over-pumping – especially in agricultural
breadbaskets
Fisheries – ocean and freshwater at a limit,
aquaculture will become more prevalent
Livestock – limit on extent of grazing land, more will
come from crop-livestock systems and industrialized
production
Help poor rural households to withstand shocks
(“resilience”)

19. Action to deal with the water crisis
Today
Practices like today
CA Scenario
Comprehensive Assessment (CA) scenario: Policies for productivity
gains, upgrading rainfed, revitalized irrigation, trade

20. Resilience to adapt to climate change
Impact of rainfall variability on GDP and
Agricultural GDP growth
80 25
20
60
15
40 10
20 5
0
%
0
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1995
1996
1997
1998
2000
1982
1994
1999
-5
-20 -10
-40 -15
rainfall variability -20
-60
GDP growth -25
-80 Ag GDP growth -30
year
Source: Grey & Sadoff, 2008. in Water Policy: Ethiopia

21. Water storage mitigates variability
Water Storage
Mitigates Climate
Variability
But need to re-think
water storage – role of
groundwater
Source: World Bank

22. CPWF achievements
Phase 1 (2004-2008)
Partnerships for science

24. Hydrological Linked Scales of Analysis
interactions
BASIN
Surface &
groundwater allocation
Agro-ecosystems
Upstream-
downstream users
SYSTEM
distribution
Economic
drivers
Poverty distribution
& causes
FIELD
Institutional aspects application
of management

25. CPWF: New ways of working
Rapid and complex world changes: climate, economic
uncertainty, trade. Severe implications for the poor.
Innovative research approaches are required to solve
them.
“Complex multi-sector problems need new ways of
working: “The really important issues facing society …
cannot be tackled by any organization acting alone”
Huxham and Vangen, 2005

26. CPWF grapples with complex issues
•Formulaic solutions have
Far from
limited applicability
•Past success is no guarantee
of future success
Socially
•Expertise can help but is not
Agreement
Complicated
Build sufficient; relationships are key
relationships,
create common Zone of •Uncertainty of outcome
ground Complexity remains
Close to
Simple Technically Complicated
Plan, control Experiment, coordinate expertise
Close to Certainty Far from
Source: Patton, 2007

27. New ways of working

28. Investing in partnerships for natural
resources management research
Complex Multiple Action research
challenges organizations Social learning
Implications
Partnership investments required
Time lag in results
Results more difficult to predict a priori
(planning implications)
IPGs grow from local research

29. CPWF: Outstanding partnerships
“The value added by the CPWF is the very important network
capital that is created. It means that many organisations are
involved in the program and NARS consider [the CPWF] to be
more equal in its partnership approach than other CGIAR led
programs. Through the competitive process linking partners,
especially in transboundary work, [the CPWF] has been able to
tackle issues that would have been impossible to cover by
individual CGIAR centres or NARS.”
European Initiative for Agricultural Research for Development (EIARD),
December 2007

30. Moving towards trans-disciplinarity?

31. Diverse actors involved
CGIAR NARES ARI NGO Total CPWF
Consortium
members
Different 11 112 39 43 205 15
institutions that
participate
Different 10 7 8 9 34 8
institutions that
lead projects
Number of 36 8 10 12 66 34
projects led by
% of project 42% 46% 7% 5% 100% 32%
funds

32. CPWF has brokered water-food links
Networks drawn by CPWF first call project
implementers in impact pathway workshops

33. CPWF achievements
Phase 1 (2004-2008)
Research results for development

34. Science and impact through partnerships
After 0.7 to 4 years research in CPWF projects
• 200-250 peer-reviewed publications with 190
citations
• Additionally about 120 papers to be
presented at this Second Forum
• At least 200 MSc and PhD students
• Early impact in about 60% of projects

35. Projects from the First Competitive Call
Sahelian Ecofarming Multiple Use Water
Systems
Livestock Management in Nile
River Basin

36. Projects from the First Competitive Call
Transboundary Water Community Based
Governance Fish Culture
Livelihood Resilience in Dry
Areas

37. Overview of CPWF research scope and results
in phase 1
Components of field scale water productivity (water harvesting;
conservation agriculture; stress-tolerant varieties)
Stakeholder dialogue and negotiation (multi-stakeholder governance and
role-playing to develop it; payment for environmental services; multiple
use water systems)
Integrated river basin analysis (ecosystem services and smallholder
agriculture; integration of fisheries; livestock-water relations)
Policies and the global context (water rights; water transfer schemes;
adaptations of small farm agriculture to climate change)

38. CPWF: Linking scales and disciplines
Example: RURAL AFRICAN ADAPTATIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Four levels of analysis: Household, Basin, National, Regional
New insights on local perceptions of - and adaptive capacity to -
climate change at household and province level (U Pretoria, EDRI)
Combined global CGE model that includes agriculture, water
& livelihood effects and distributional impacts of climate
change (IFPRI and U Hamburg)
Interaction with policy makers to develop national adaptation
strategies (Ethiopian Economics Association, U Pretoria)

39. Local adaptation to climate change

40. Policy influence: African Models of Transboundary Water Governance
Prepared database of >150
African water treaties, many
of which were previously
unknown to today’s water
scientists and policy makers.
Shared at workshop with
African decision makers as
basis for discussing African
water law.
Giving Africans access to their
own knowledge resources.
www.africanwaterlaw.org

41. Policy influence: Multiple Use Water Systems
Documented evidence in 5
basins and 10 countries of MUS
that take poor people’s water
needs into account
Reduced poverty and conflict,
increased water productivity,
gender-friendliness, ownership,
willingness to pay, water quality
awareness.
Workshops at WWF4 & WWF5
attracted 300 people for major
discussion
Integrated investment
opportunities among sectors

42. A Project of the: Sponsored by:
Diverse interdisciplinary team. Three basins.
Produced “Small Reservoirs Tool Kit”.

43. Young Researchers: resources for present and future
Example: PLANNING SMALL RESERVOIRS (part of the project)
PhD student in Volta showed that evapo-transpiration was half that
expected. Also accurately estimated storage volume.
His approaches/findings incorporated by U-Zimbabwe & EMBRAPA.
His work also led to an MSc by a Ghanaian student on delineation
of small reservoirs from satellite imagery
All together 20 BSc, 30 MSc, 9 PhDs trained
compared to 4 originally planned

44. Example of CPWF synthesis
Increasing water productivity
Major workshop in Ghana, September 2008
CPWF “crop water productivity” projects and outside experts
26 papers from 18 countries
Looking at multi-scale and multi-disciplinary issues:
• Increasing in-field rain water harvesting
• Supplemental irrigation
• Water balance and water productivity
• Modeling to optimize water and land productivity
• Upstream/downstream interactions
• Farmer adoption

45. CPWF adding value: Aerobic rice
IRRI began work in China in 2001 (pre-CPWF)
Through CPWF, the work expanded to Indo-Gangetic plains,
Mekong uplands and Philippines
CPWF impact pathways mapping (including extrapolation domain
and scenario analysis) increased researchers thinking about
scaling-out and scaling-up
CPWF basin focus leading to further work on downstream
consequences and year to year variability
Partners: IRRI, CAU, IARI, PhilRice, NAFRI (Lao PDR)

46. Aerobic rice extrapolation domains
Lower expectation
in Africa, but over
Huge 2m km2 ‘of interest’
potential
in India
and
Indochina
/
Thailand?

47. Cross-scale research
Limpopo Basin
Rainfall ~250 - 1050 mm/yr
Issues include:
Poverty and food
Low productivity
rainfed agriculture
Irrigation development
Ecosystem degradation
Loss of biodiversity
Source: CSIRO

48. Broad donor base
“A particularly positive aspect is the breadth of the
current donor spectrum and the resulting independence
of the CPWF on individual donors.”
CPWF External Review.
Phase 1 budget (2003-2008) USD 65 million
Projected Phase 2 budget (2009-2013) USD 60-90
million

49. CPWF Phase 2
“We are continually faced by great opportunities
brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems”
Lee Iococca

50. Building on CPWF basin networks
CPWF Volta basin network
Line colour = project
Look to foster research synergy in
organizations involved in more
than one project (e.g., SARI, ISSER,
WRI)
A good balance of in-basin (red)
and out-of-basin (blue)
organizations

51. Focusing the strategy in phase 2
Focusing on the technical content found to be most
promising in phase 1
Focusing even more on research that will begin
development impact within the 15 year CPWF time
frame
All research is interdisciplinary, includes cross-scale
analysis and focuses on resilience
Phase 2: 2009-2013; intended Phase 3 to 2018

52. Focusing the strategy in Phase 2
Six river basins (Nile, Volta, Limpopo, Ganges, Mekong,
Andean System) not nine
1-2 development challenges in specific parts of each
basin (building on phase 1 results)
CPWF as the platform for partners to contribute their
specialist expertise
With expected minimum budget of USD 60 million can
handle one challenge per basin; aiming for USD 90
million and two challenges

53. Priority development challenges in each basin
Andes (7 small basins) Benefit-sharing mechanisms to
improve water productivity and reduce water-related
conflict
Mekong (especially the “3S” border area Laos-
Cambodia-Vietnam) Multiple use of reservoirs
Nile (especially Ethiopian highlands) A landscape
approach to rainwater management

54. Priority development challenges in each basin
Limpopo (Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa)
Small reservoirs and rainwater management
Volta (Burkina Faso/northern Ghana) Small reservoirs
and rainwater management
Ganges delta Integrated agriculture and aquaculture

55. Andes
• BDC: Benefit-sharing to improve water productivity and reduce
water-related conflict in selected basins
– Where “benefit-sharing” is understood to include “cost-sharing”.
– Will build on experiences with existing instances of benefit-
sharing mechanisms (BSM) in different Andean countries
• Projects
– Designing and implementing BSM
– Anticipating and assessing the consequences of BSM
– Learning from history: consequences of
alternative land and water use practices
– Coordination

56. Ganges
• BDC: Integrated agriculture and aquaculture in the Ganges delta
– Including the development of integrated solutions to saline
intrusion
– Methods for improving the agricultural productivity of flood plains
• Projects
– Agriculture in salt-affected areas
– Water allocation between agriculture and aquaculture in coastal
zones (includes improved agricultural and aquacultural
practices)
– Coordination

57. Limpopo
• BDC: Rainwater management and small reservoirs in Mozambique,
Southern Zimbabwe and Limpopo Province of South Africa
• Projects:
– Technical and institutional innovation in rainwater management
and small reservoirs
– Targeting innovation and understanding its consequences
– Scaling out
– Coordination

58. Mekong
• BDC: Multiple use of reservoirs in the 3S border region that
straddles the tri-point between Vietnam, Lao PDR and Cambodia
– Understood to embrace water use in small and large reservoirs
created by new and existing dams, and
– The downstream consequences for different water uses and
users of reservoir management strategies
• Projects:
– Reservoir management and its consequences
– Agent-based modeling (interim title)
– Transboundary policy issues
– (Helping displaced communities – uncertain)
– Coordination

59. Nile
• Challenge 1
– To improve rural livelihoods and their
resilience through a landscape approach to
rainwater management
• Projects
– Learning from past experience on rainwater
management research
– Integrated rainwater management strategies
– technologies, institutions and policies
– Spatial targeting of innovation strategies
– Assessing and anticipating the cross-scale
and downstream consequences of
innovation

60. Nile
• Challenge 2
– The effective use of agricultural wastewater in the Nile River
Delta for multiple uses and livelihoods needs
• Projects
– Improving technologies and planning strategies of the Nile Delta
– Treated water for livelihoods
– Opportunies from water reuse systems for poor people
– Reuse of agricultural water for ‘new lands’ and resilience
of the Nile Delta agricultural and livelihoods
system

61. Volta
• BDC: Institutional and technical mechanisms to develop, maintain
and sustain small reservoirs and other rainwater management
approaches to improve the livelihoods of the poor in the dry-lands
of Southern Burkina Faso and Northern Ghana, taking into account
implications for downstream users.
• Projects:
– Small reservoirs and other approaches to improved rainwater
management
– Institutions and governance
– Coordination

62. Secondary development challenges
Andes (7 small basins) Strategies for Andean communities to
adapt to global change
Nile (Egypt) Multiple use of agricultural wastewater in the
Delta
Ganges delta The integrated management of groundwater
Mekong The sustainable management of upland agricultural
water

63. Range of Agricultural Water Management Options
(source David Molden, IWMI)

64. Flexible cross-basin topic working groups in support of
basin research
Increasing rainwater productivity
Multiple use systems
Water benefit sharing
Global drivers of change
Learning to innovate
Participation and gender
(There will be periodic additions, mergers and deletions)

65. Keep on learning…..
“The CGIAR should adopt a flexible and learning-by-doing
approach to designing Challenge Programs (CPs)”
CGIAR Change Management Design Team, 2001
“Working virtually with very large networks? Please write
the handbook for us….”
Martha Maznevski and Jim Dowd, IMD Lausanne, in conversation with
CPWF management, July 2007

67. www.waterandfood.org
www.ifwf2.org