Water for food security in South America

WATER FOR FOOD SECURITY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTH AMERICAN CONTEXT

This article is a short version of a paper of the same tile authored by C.Garces and Luis A Mora and presented in the International Conference: Water 2000, in Cali, Colombia. October 18-21, 2000.

THE WATER CRISIS

Water is the vital resource for life and food security. Due to its poor management, the world could be about to face a water crisis concerning its availability in terms of both quantity and quality. Competition for the resource increases day by day in all sectors: Potable and sanitation, agriculture, industry and manufacturing, mining, navigation, recreation and, nowadays more and more, for environmental purposes. With respect to South America, this is a privileged region, the second after Asia, with respect to water availability (see Figure 1). About 28 percent of the world resource can be found here, corresponding to approximately 12,000 km3 and equivalent to 30,000 m3 per person per year (compared to a global average of 9,000 m3 per person per year). See Table 1 on water availability and other water-related parameters for the region.

Like in the rest of the world, in South America a high percentage of the available water is utilized for agriculture (72 % as an average for the region); 18 % goes to the potable water sector and 10 % to industry. Notice that other sectors mentioned above are not represented in these numbers. The highest extractions in the agricultural sector are found in Ecuador, Chile and Uruguay, while the lowest are found in Venezuela and Colombia (See Table 1).

FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION

According to the latest world projections, it is estimated that by the year 2050, the world population will reach 7.7 billion people. This number is a real challenge to the world as it implies that there will be a need to secure food for this population not only in quantity but in timely fashion, as well.

FAO defines the concept of food security as follows: "A situation where all families [of a nation or a region] have both the physical and economic access to an adequate amount of food for all its members and where these families do not run the risk of loosing that access." The basis for rural development is food security, which can be obtained by a combination of the following factors: an adequate food production at the local level, secured imports to compensate for any deficits, and an effective food distribution system. Today, a determinant factor for food security is the purchasing power of the individual or family unit.

The United Nations has developed a Food Security Index (FSI), dimensionless, that portrays the situation of a country with respect to the food demand generated by its population. The index includes variables such as production and consumption of food, and imports and exports of agricultural products. The FSI has been classified according to its value. In terms of the South American countries it has been calculated, as follows: When the FSI is less than 0.80 those countries have a low level of food security, such as Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. When the FSI falls between 0.80 and 1.0 the food security level is fair, such is the case of Venezuela, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil, and Chile. When FSI is greater than 1.0 those countries have a high level of food security, as in the cases of Uruguay and Argentina.

Parallel to food security runs the access to adequate nutrition that will guarantee the population's health. The three main sources of human food are agriculture (77.5 %), livestock (15.9 %) and fisheries (6.6 %). The main index of nutrition is the caloric consumption per person-day and has been set at 2.200 Kcal per person-day. With respect to the South American countries, in Figure 2, the nutritional levels are shown by animal- and vegetal-based intakes. All values in the region are above the standard, just mentioned, with Argentina and Brazil showing the highest, and Bolivia and Venezuela having the lowest. According to projections for 2025 there will be no major changes from present levels for that region.

WATER RESOURCES AND FOOD SECURITY

From the previous discussion it does seem that a water crisis could be at hand. In the South American context, the following factors seem to point in that direction:
- Water resources are managed on a sector by sector approach; that is, there is little interaction and coordination among the different water sectors.
There is a lack of consistent and stable water policies; this has affected both management sustainability and investments in the mid- and long run.
About 20 percent of the population still lack access to potable water, and more than 30 percent do not have sanitation services. These numbers represent 60 and 100 million people, respectively, in the region without access to basic water services.
There is inadequate investment on maintenance and rehabilitation of water resources management infrastructure.
The fast and disorganized way in which new land is being incorporated into agriculture is a threat to already fragile environments.
All of the above points toward the need for a revision of the present approach that the agricultural sector is playing in water resources management. Following are four strategies being proposed in order to face and help minimize those problems and their impacts associated with food security and rural development.

Increase Water Productivity. The rationale behind this strategy is well summarized by Cosgrove and Rijsberman (2000): "The more food we produce with the same amount of water, the less the need for infrastructure development, the less the competition for water, the greater the local food security, and the more water remains for household and industrial uses. And the more that remains in nature." [my underlined]. It is possible to produce more food while securing water resources sustainability if we introduce new technologies and approaches to both water and irrigation management. This includes, among others, a more efficient water reuse, improved water delivery in quantity, quality and timing, supplementary irrigation costs reductions, and development of new water sources at lower economical, social and environmental costs.

With respect to South America, by the year 2025 all countries, with the possible exception of Uruguay, will have to expand the current development of their water resources in order to provide full food security to their populations. With respect to future food imports, only Argentina seems to be exempt. Water scarcity in the region is more "economical" than "physical," meaning that while there is an abundant water resource there is no adequate infrastructure to make it available, thus requiring an economic investment.

Developing Biotechnology for Agriculture. The application of advances in biotechnology like genetic engineering, tissue culture and marker-aided selection will be essential for raising yield ceilings, reducing excessive pesticide use, increasing the nutrient value of basic foods and providing farmers on poorer soils with varieties better able to tolerate drought, salinity, and lack of soil nutrients. Applied biotechnology will help the developing countries to produce more food and to increase their nutrients content such as vitamin A and iron. In South America there is a wide receptivity to these technological advances. The growth and acceptance of transgenic crops is currently an emerging issue worldwide. Their acceptance varies from country to country; in the US they are gaining favor while in Europe there is now a big debate as to their convenience and possible impact on the population. In the developing countries a main issue is the growing conflict between governments and the private companies that hold the patents. In the specific case of South America, both Brazil and Argentina seem to have a very positive response to the technology while countries like Colombia and Peru are deeply divided as to their acceptance.

Reforming Water Resources Management Institutions. The greatest challenge ahead with respect to management of water resources lies in the institutional arena. There is a need to increase users participation in the decision making process. At the end, each user should have the power to decide on how to best use his/her allocated water resource. Water management will require greater accountability, transparency, and acceptance of the rules and laws governing the resource. The present institutional arrangements do not seem to cope with the emerging supply and demand conditions; they must be reviewed.

Some themes that will need consideration are: The establishment of water service fees in a way that will encourage users to be more rational in using the resource. Development of clear agreements between users and managers as to the quantity and quality of the water services required, in order to minimize conflicts. A restructuring of irrigated agriculture to be more equitable and to increase benefits of poorer groups, particularly women and children. In the context of South America, one of the major institutional reforms undertaken lately relates to Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT) from government agencies to newly established Water Users Associations (WUA). Countries like Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Argentina have undergone IMT programs. However, the impact of these programs on food security is not well documented or understood and therefore need further monitoring and evaluation.

Valuing Ecosystem Functions. The role of water in conserving the environment is not always well understood. The first step in valuing ecosystems is to create an awareness of their importance. Communities need a clear picture of the impact of local watersheds on daily life.

In order to undertake an integrated approach towards the defense and better management of the environment, the following steps are necessary in relation to the watersheds: protection of base-flows, protection of wetlands and flood plains, protection of the upper reaches, better management of residual waters through the enforcement of the principle "payment per contaminant", protection of the water sources from agricultural runoff, and create groundwater protection zones. In the South American context, very concise efforts are already underway in order to protect the environment. Countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Chile have recently reformulated natural resources protection laws. Likewise Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, and Colombia have, or are in the process of reviewing or readapting their national water laws in order to reflect the new conditions emerging from their state modernization programs. Finally, countries like Argentina, Venezuela, Paraguay, and Brazil have invested heavily in the modeling of integrated approaches for their large river basins.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While the water availability conditions of the South American countries are relatively better off than other parts of the world, it is nonetheless necessary that protection measures as described above, be undertaken without delays. It is necessary that all countries in the region view the water crisis related problems from the same angle and that a holistic approach towards their solution be followed. While South America is privileged in relation to its water resources, it is not as much with respect to its food security. It is of concern that still some local areas in several countries experience food shortages. A common goal for the next 25 years for the region ought to be to minimize poverty, a program that will require the contribution and participation of all concern.

Carlos Garces-Restrépo, Irrigation Specialist,
E-mail: C.Garces@cgiar.org