72 research outputs found
Opportunities to Increase Water Productivity in Agriculture with Special Reference to Africa and South Asia. Stockholm Environment Institute, Project Report - 2009
Our primary goal in this paper is to describe how improvements in water and land management can increase the productivity of water in agriculture, which, broadly defined, means getting more value or benefit from the volume of water used to produce crops, fish, forests and livestock (Kijne et al., 2003). We begin by reviewing water scarcity and water productivity at the global level. We then describe ten Key Messages regarding efforts to improve water productivity in agriculture, with emphasis on Africa and South Asia
Is the water footprint an appropriate tool for forestry and forest products: The Fennoscandian case
The water footprint by the Water Footprint Network (WF) is an ambitious tool for measuring human appropriation and promoting sustainable use of fresh water. Using recent case studies and examples from water-abundant Fennoscandia, we consider whether it is an appropriate tool for evaluating the water use of forestry and forest-based products. We show that aggregating catchment level water consumption over a product life cycle does not consider fresh water as a renewable resource and is inconsistent with the principles of the hydrologic cycle. Currently, the WF assumes that all evapotranspiration (ET) from forests is a human appropriation of water although ET from managed forests in Fennoscandia is indistinguishable from that of unmanaged forests. We suggest that ET should not be included in the water footprint of rain-fed forestry and forest-based products. Tools for sustainable water management should always contextualize water use and water impacts with local water availability and environmental sensitivity
Índice de sustentabilidade agroambiental para o perímetro irrigado Ayres de Souza.
Uma análise integrada do atual uso dos recursos naturais do Perímetro Irrigado de Ayres de Souza, localizado no Vale do Acaraú, Ceará, foi realizada através do desenvolvimento de um índice de sustentabilidade agroecológica. Os dados dessa pesquisa foram oriundos de questionários aplicados a 33 produtores agrícolas beneficiados pelo projeto de irrigação. Os indicadores de sustentabilidade foram estimados pelo emprego de análise fatorial, método da análise fatorial/análise de componentes principais. O índice de sustentabilidade estimado a partir dos indicadores selecionados registrou uma situação de sustentabilidade fragilizada ou de insustentabilidade reversível. As unidades produtivas apresentaram um porcentual de 60,6% com alguma sustentabilidade; e os demais 39,4% estão em condições de insustentabilidade. Os resultados também mostraram que os fatores dominantes do índice de sustentabilidade foram: nível da atividade agrícola praticada, agricultura familiar, condições atuais do sistema água-solo e infraestrutura,fontes alternativas de renda e experiência em tratos culturais
Managing water and nutrients to ensure global food security, while sustaining ecosystem services
Managing water and nutrients to ensure global food security, while sustaining ecosystem services
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