Exploring innovative water solutions: World Water Week highlights
In this blog, IHE Delft MSc student Yonas Asfaha, of Eritrea, shares insights on innovative water solutions he gained while participating in the World Water Week held in Stockholm, Sweden, from 20 to 24 August. Yonas worked for Eritrea’s Ministry of Agriculture before starting his IHE Delft MSc. His research interests include spatial data analysis and remote sensing using open source data and tools for water-related studies.
World Water Week emphasized the pivotal role of water in addressing complex challenges that affect us globally. Water is key to ensure food security, ecosystem health and much more. The increasing challenges posed by climate change demands a comprehensive grasp of the hydrological system, existing water productivity and the disparities in water productivity.
That’s why I took part, with interest, in a World Water Week session that highlighted the ’WaPOR, Remote Sensing for Water Productivity’ program by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This key program includes the WaPOR platform, an online hub that employs satellite-based data provided by eLEAF to monitor and report on agricultural water productivity. The historical and near-real-time water productivity data spans from 2009 to the present and is available at various scales. Updated every 10 days, the WaPOR platform aims to empower governments and organizations to assess and bridge water productivity gaps, thereby contributing to sustainable agricultural growth.
More productivity with less water
Livia Peiser, a Technical Officer in FAO’s Land and Water Division, highlighted the significance of WaPOR in monitoring water use for agriculture, saying it helps countries striving to achieve “more productivity with less water”. It does so by assisting in monitoring water productivity, identifying gaps, proposing solutions and contributing to a sustainable increase of agricultural production. The session also focused on the evolution of FAO’s AQUASTAT program, a global water information system that includes WaPOR. AQUASTAT contains high-quality information on water resources and uses, mainly for agriculture, as a basis for analysis and planning at national and international levels. Representatives from the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture and the Jordanian Ministry of Water and Irrigation shared practical insights into their experiences, offering valuable perspectives on water productivity and the challenges facing their countries.
I can only agree with the session participant from the United Kingdom who said WAPOR brought immense value by facilitating free data access and utilization, ultimately enhancing water management practices.
Manage every drop of water
Before I came to IHE Delft, I didn’t know about WaPOR, but now I share it with all my contacts – it is a great resource that can help countries understand agricultural water usage better. In water scarce countries, such as my country, Eritrea, you have to manage every drop of water. If you don’t know how much water you use, you risk wasting water that could be used to produce more crops.
IHE Delft is a main implementing partner of WAPOR and has developed various valuable resources including a free open online course, available in English, Arabic and French, in which participants learn what they need to use the WaPOR database to make a water productivity analysis of a specific area.
As agriculture is a major water consumer, effective monitoring of water productivity and strategic enhancements become vital to alleviate the growing strain on water resources. This requires accurate and timely data on water use in both irrigated and rainfed crops, bolstering resilient water management to address the escalating challenges faced by our food systems.
At World Water Week, I saw efforts to foster collaboration and innovation to meet this need and other water-related needs. Professionals from diverse backgrounds united to explore pioneering solutions for water-related challenges. To me, the event underscored the importance of responsible water management, and it reflected a global shared commitment to ensure a water-secure future for generations to come.