Farmers urge ministers to take into account their

water needs in agriculture

Bruges, 18 April 2005 - Worldwide farm leaders gathered in Bruges, Belgium, for the 2nd Policy Conference of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) urge Ministers attending the High Level Ministerial Segment Meeting of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in New York to integrate in their final declaration key elements for farmers and agriculture in terms of management of water resources.

“Farmers must be full participants in any national process to allocate water resources,” said Jack Wilkinson, President of the IFAP. “A high priority must be given to agriculture for water for irrigation in order to meet the food needs of a growing population”. At the same time, farmers need technology and incentives for efficient water use.  IFAP also encouraged governments to recognise the need of rural people for water for sanitation, along with urban needs.  The IFAP President stressed that water must be priced at a level that poor rural communities can afford.

From a farmer’s point of view, the text should include the following:

- the linkages between water for food and water for ecosystems,

- the need to balance urban and rural strategies,

- the involvement of farmers as essential stakeholders in policy formulations as well as in decision   making processes pertaining to water issues, including in river basin water management activities,

- the major role of agriculture and farmers in protecting water quality.

- highlight linkages between water for agriculture, biodiversity and desertification issues,

- integration of water issues in development strategies including poverty reduction strategies,

- provision of farmers organisations capacity building to manage water more efficiently,

- moving from supply driven to demand driven approaches for the management of the water resources,

- provision of economic incentives to farmers to encourage investments in water conservation,

- developing innovative technologies easily replicable and adapted to local conditions,

- developing extension services for farmers to improve water use efficiency, and

- strengthening of applied research and development and involve farmers in setting up research agendas to capture their real needs.

Note: “IFAP Priorities for Action” for water management resources can be read on the IFAP website at http://www.ifap.org/en/newsroom/news.html