Water and Nutrition

"An ounce of practice is worth

more than tons of preaching"
Mohandas Gandhi
 Water is Essential for life
• But 1:8 of the world's
population does not have
access to it (WHO/UNICEF)
• Worldwide, 2.5 billion people
(2/5) live without this essential
service.
 Food insecurity in the world
• World hunger is increasing
• High food prices share much of the
blame
• The poorest, landless and female-headed
households are the hardest hit
• Initial governmental policy responses
have had limited effect
• High food prices are also an opportunity
• A comprehensive twin-track approach is
required.
 Water sources
• Barely 3% of the water in the
planet is freshwater

The sources of water:

• Surface water; lakes, rivers,
streams, or other fresh water
sources used for drinking water
supplies, or/and
• Groundwater; any subsurface
water that occurs beneath the
water table in soil and other
geologic forms, 95% of all
freshwater available for drinking.
Present and future water
requirements for feeding humanity.
M. Falkenmark & J. Rockström & L. Karlberg

• Special attention to be paid to the agricultural

production potential of the semiarid tropics.
• The increasing river depletion in irrigated regions
• Food production is one of the world’s largest freshwater
consuming sectors, and that the process of growing
biomass consumes huge volumes of water (an adequate
diet consumes in the order of 1,000– 1,300
m3/capita/year).
• For 2030, would require an average production of 3,000
kcal/capita/day, Assuming that 20% of this is animal
protein, an estimated 1,300 m3/capita/year of
freshwater would be needed
• Two thirds of the total water requirement for food
production is used for animal based food items.
• It was assumed that only 50% of the total water
availability on permanent grazing lands could be used
sustainably
Results: Water deficits
• Cumulative country-based food
water requirements by 2050
amounts to approximately 14200
km3 /year SRES-A2 population
projection and to 11900 km3 /year
for the UN medium projection.
• Water availability 2050: 8,085 km3
/year
• Water decifit 2050: 6130 or 3800
km3 /year
Countries colour coded according to water availability for
food self-sufficiency. Those with <1,300 m3/capita/year
are in deficit. From Rockströ
Rockström et al. 2008
What options are
there to meet these massive water
deficits?
• Water productivity improvements: 15%
extra of blue water
• Irrigation expansion
• Contribution from grazing on permanent
pasture lands
Discussion
• In 2050: 1/3 world’s population will live in
each of the three regions: those that export,
those that import and those that have to
expand their croplands.
• 3.8–4.2 billion people will live in regions which
cannot produce enough food on current
croplands.
• Cropland expansion; transforming grazing, can
only cover less than 1/3 of the needed
cropland expansion
• By 2050 Food exporting countries will be
located in N America, C America, the former
Soviet region, southern African countries and
some European countries with plenty of
cropland area and surplus freshwater
resources.
 Water Resources
• The blue water is defined as the generated
runoff stored in aquifers, lakes, wetlands and
reservoirs, flux of surface and sub-surface
runoff.
• The green water is the rainwater to the
extent it does not become run-off; Composed
by non-productive green water flow
(evaporation) and productive green water
flow (plant transpiration).
• The grey water refers the volume of
freshwater that is required to assimilate the
load of pollutants given natural background
concentrations and existing ambient water
quality standard.
• Water footprint of a product; is the
volume of freshwater used to produce the
product, measured over the full supply
chain.*
• Losses occur when water evaporates,
returns to another catchment area or the sea
or is incorporated into a product.
Categories of use of water
• Commercial water
• Domestic use
• Industrial water
• Irrigation water
• Livestock water
• Mining water
• Public Supply water
• Thermoelectric Power water
 Americas Region: USA
• Most of the water use is fresh water,
about 85%, and 15% saline water.
• 1995: The majority of fresh-water
withdrawals; about 77% came from
surface-water sources, while about
22% from groundwater.
• Over 80% of total agricultural
production in the United States is
used to feed animals, not human
beings directly, and most animal feed
is produced for ruminants (cattle).
• 100 gallons: $34.39 in Phoenix
$65.47 in Boston
 Brazil
• 60% of the
investment for soja
plantations comes
from USA
• In the last 30 years
20% of the Amazon
has been deforestated
• Has 14% water from
the world (Africa 9%)
 Soy Production vs. Consumption
Lider Companies:
Top Top
• ADM, Illinois, USA Producers importers
USA China
• Bunge, USA
Brazil EU
• Cargill Inc., USA
Argentina Japan
• Louis Dreyford Group,
Mexico
France
Biggest producers
of Biodiesel
1. Germany
2. United States of
America
3. France
4. Brazil
5. Argentina

Limitations:
-Conflicts with food production
-Available land
-Greenhouses gases emissions
-Water use
-Biodiversity (doubble cropping?)
 How to save water?
• Apply Leaf protein concept; refers
to the form of the proteins found
in the leaves of plants, eg.
Alfalfa>soybean meal (cattle feed
option?) aprox. 10%*.
• 85% of the soy production in the
world is processed as soy meal
and oil
 Africa
• One of world’s driest regions, but huge
volume of freshwater resources (lakes,
rivers, wetlands, widespread
groundwater)

• Some of worlds largest river systems:

Congo, Nile and Zambezi

• Some of the world’s

largest deserts: Sahara and Kalahari
Water resources
• Renewable water resources: about 5,400 billion
m2 per year (15% ground water)
• Central region: 48%, Northern region: 1%
• Main source:
large river/lake basins
• Congo river basin:
almost 30% of Africa’s total
fresh surface water reserves
 Water availability
• More than 300 million: Water-scarce
environment
• Only 4% of renewable resources
used
• Water resources not properly
exploited, developed
• Lack of wells, canals, pumps,
reservoirs
• Rainfall regime: Highly unstable,
uneven
• Low infrastructure, socio-economic
development
• Annual total water withdrawal: 215
km3
Water supply
• Rural areas: Piped water coverage: 47%
• Urban areas: Piped water coverage: 83%
• 61 shared river and lake basins, managed by
basin organizations (Nile Basin Initiative)
• Reuse of treated wastewater,
water desalination
• Sub-Saharan Africa: 69%
• no sanitation
Access to safe water
• Northern Africa: 92%
access to drinking water
(MDG achieved)
• Sub-Saharan Africa:60%
acces to drinking water
• Rural areas: 50% no acces
to safe water
• Urban areas: 82% acces
to safe water
• Increasing pollution by
industry and agriculture
Water related diseases
• Lack of drinking water, sanitation, wastewater
facilities, water to wash food, hands, utensils
Water-borne diseases (cholera, typhoid)
Water-related diseases (malaria, yellow fever)
Water-based diseases (bilharzia)
Diarrhea
• 3 million deaths from water related diseases
• Malaria: 90% of deaths in SSA
• Bilharzia: 80% of transmissions in SSA
Use of water
• Less than 4 % used for agriculture, domestic
supply, sanitation and industry

• Agriculture: 86%
• Industry: 4%
• Domestic: 10%

• Only 7% of total arable land is irrigated

Water used for food

• Rainfed and irrigated food

crop production,
freshwater fishery, aqua-
culture, forest and
wetland food harvesting,
coastal fishery
• Competition: cash-crop
production, industry,
households and mining
 Water and food security
• Increase in agricultural production
only possible by increasing irrigation
• Lack of water hampers food
production
• FAO vision(2030):Food security
dependent on irrigated agriculture
for 70- 80%
• Competition: Agriculture and urban
population
• Approaches: Development of
wetlands, groundwater
management, waste recycling
Study case: Kenya
• 50% of the exports of Kenya are attributed to
agricultural products; 15% of total export are fruit and
vegetable, 7% flowers, 80% of the work force is
engaged in agriculture. Its main water resource:
Victoria Lake, shared with Tanzania and Uganda.
• Kenya receives less than adequate rainfall needed to
support crop cultivation, as a result, the coastal area
and Lake Victoria boast the most intensive agriculture
and greatest concentration of people.
• 50% of Kenya's pineapple production is going to Del
Monte Foods. Ltd (work force pay locally, with an
international trade that brings lots of revenues for big
companies).
• Lake Naivasha Basin; commercial farms for flower
production consume about 98% of the surface and
groundwater surround of this lake, and are responsible
for the 61% of the grey water consumption (water
needed to assimilate the load of pollutants such as
pesticides).
• Flowers grown in greenhouses are fully irrigated, while
flowers grown outside receive rainwater.
• 95% of the flowers export are cultivated with water
from this lake, responsible for 45% of water
exportation through them.
 Study case: Tanzania
• Principal water source: Victoria Lake
• Aproximately half of the national income
is coming from agriculture, where 80%
of work force is engaged.
• 85% of the agriculture is food crops; rain
fed agriculture; climate change and
droughts have affect directly the
production.
• Tanzania agriculture exports in 2006 was
20%; in 2008 sold to India 9.1%, Japan
6.5%, the People's Republic of China
6.3%, United Arab Emirates 5.7%,
Netherlands 5.5%, Germany 5.1%
• Difficulties: for example coffee Arabica
prices dropped from US$ 4.10/kg in 1997
to US$ 1.9/kg in 2003, negative growth
of coffee production
 ASIA
Basin boundaries and rivers courses of Indus, Ganges,
Brahmaputra, Yangtze and Yellow rivers
 Climate Change implications in Asia
• Upstream snow and ice reserves of these basins are important in sustaining
seasonal water availability
For instance: melt water is extremely important in the Indus basin and
important for the Brahmaputra basin
• Outcome: climate change is predicted to affect water availability and food
security. The Brahmaputra and Indus basins are most susceptible to
reductions of flow, threatening the food security of an estimated 60 million
people.
Water availability in the future
Water availability on m3/per capita basis in the
Himalayan River Basins of Bangladesh, China, Nepal
and India is set to decline in 2030, according to a
report of the Himalayan Challenge: Water Security in
Emerging Asia.

"China will experience an annual water deficit of 50-

100 BCM in 2030 at a relatively low utilization rate of
28 percent in 2030 and India’s water surplus will
become half to 200-260 BCM despite an
unsustainable utilization rate of 61 per cent at that
time. Bangladesh and Nepal will also see their water
balance shrink," the report said.
 Water consumption
• Agriculture use: the most
• Domestic use
• Industrial use

Water Footprint:
The national average water footprint of Chinese consumption
was about 700 m3/ /yr per person in the period 1997-2001.
Only 7% of this footprint lies outside China, which means that
China still has a relatively high degree of water self-sufficiency.
Total irrigation water consumption by region,
1995 and 2005
 Drinking water and health
Safety and adequacy in water supply and
sanitation

• Unsafe water and inadequate sanitation

and hygiene contribute significantly to the
high burden of disease due to diarrhea and
other infectious diseases in the region,
especially among children.
• Countries of region have made
significant progress in the provision of
access to improved drinking water sources
country Access to improved drinking water Access to improved sanitation(%)
sources (%)
Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total
Bangladesh 85 78 80 48 32 36

Bhutan 98 79 81 71 50 52

DPR Korea 100 100 100 58 60 59

India 96 86 89 52 18 28

Indonesia 89 71 80 67 37 52

Maldives 98 76 83 100 42 59

Myanmar 80 80 80 85 81 82

Sri Lanka 98 79 82 89 86 86

Thailand 99 97 98 95 96 96

Timor-Leste 77 56 62 64 32 41

Nepal 94 88 89 45 24 27

South-East 92 81 84 70 51 56
Asia Region
Drinking water and health: Asia
Arsenic contamination of groundwater
and drinking water in Vietnam: A
Human Health Threat

• In the city Hanoi and in surrounding

rural districts
• Groundwater are anoxic and rich in iron
• The high arsenic concentrations found
in the tubewells (48% above 50 μg/L
and 20% above 150 μg/L) indicate that
several million people consuming
untreated groundwater might be at a
considerable risk of chronic arsenic
poisoning.
 Water availability: Europe
• Water and population are unevenly
distributed in Europe.
• The total renewable freshwater
resource in Europe is around 3500 km3
/year
• The Mediterranean islands of Malta and
Cyprus and the densely populated
European countries (Germany, Poland,
Spain and England) have the least
available water per capita
• European countries are dependent for
more than 10% of their supply on river
water from neighbouring states (for
The Netherlands and Luxembourg rises
up to 75 %)
Water Supply
• Used by households and industry, which they
rely heavily on groundwater.
• In Southern European urban areas, water
supply can be severe
• 13% of mean annual runoff is stored behind
dams
• Functions of the reservoirs are hydroelectric
power production, public water supply and
irrigation storage
• Spain and the UK have the largest number of
reservoirs used for public water supply
Water use
• 42% of total water abstraction in
Europe is used for agriculture, 23%
for industry, 18 % for urban use and
18% for energy production
• In France (64%), Germany (64%)
and the Netherlands (55%) most of
the water abstracted is used to
produce electricity
• In Greece (88%), Spain (72%) and
Portugal (59%), water is mostly used
for irrigation
• In Northern European countries
(Finland and Sweden) little water is
used in agriculture
• Intensive water-consuming industries
are cellulose and paper production
 Agriculture use :

• Agriculture accounts for approximately 30% of total

water abstraction and about 55% of water use in Europe
• The amount of water used for irrigation in Italy and
Spain is about 10 times higher than in the central EU
countries combined
• Crop intensity is higher in basins in northern France, the
Netherlands, and southern England, and in the sub-
basins of the Oder, Vistula, Dnieper, and Don rivers in
Eastern Europe. There are also intensively cropped areas
in parts of the Danube basin and sub-basins close to the
Black Sea, particularly around the Sea of Azov.
 Industrial use:

• The amount of water used by industry vary

greatly between countries
• Abstraction for industrial purposes in Europe
has been decreasing since 1980
• Water withdrawals for industry: 59% of total
water use
• Some 300-500 million tons of heavy metals,
solvents, toxic sludge, and other wastes
accumulate each year from industry
• Contribution of the food sector to the
production of organic water pollutant: 40%
Food production and water
• A great deal of water goes into producing the foods and beverages
we consume:
- 16,000 - 100,000 litres of water to produce 1 kg of beef
- 3,000 - 4,500 litres of water to produce 1 kg of rice
- 1,350 - 1,500 litres of water to produce 1 kg of wheat
- 990 - 1,000 litres of water to produce 1 litre of milk
- 500 litres of water to produce 1 kg of potatoes
- 140 litres of water to produce 1 cup of coffee
- 25 litres of water to produce 1 litre of beer
- 1 litre of water to produce 1 kg of vegetables
 Water pollution
• Nutrients (Nitrates,
Phosphorus, Ammonium,
Organic Material..)
• Hazardous Substances
(Pesticides, Heavy Metals
– Cd, Hg…)
• The consequences are:
biodiversity loss,
reduction in fish
diversity, appearance of
abnormal colours, smells
and in creased cost from
drinking water treatment
Water-related Diseases
• Waterborne diseases: diarrhoeal diseases, hepatitis A
and typhoid fever
• The chemical composition of water may also have
significant impacts on human health.
• New and emerging pathogens (Giardia,
Cryptosporidium)
• Although high water sanitation standards have been
reached in some countries, outbreaks of waterborne
diseases continue to occur across Europe
• Concern about the effect of agriculture on the quality
of water (agricultural chemicals, nutrients and
microbial pathogens).
 Climate changes
• The main climate change related to
water : increases in T°, shifts in
precipitation patterns, snow cover, and
floods and droughts
• Higher temperatures will intensify the
global hydrological cycle
• Northern Europe has become 10%-40%
more wet over the last century,
whereas southern Europe has become
up to 20% drier
• Changes in average water availability in
most European river basins are
estimated to be relatively small for the
next 30 years
• Low water and droughts have severe
consequences on agriculture, forestry,
energy, and drinking water provision
Why do farmers continue to grow crops for
local markets when crops for export markets
are thought to be much more profitable?

• Lack of human capital

• No access to agricultural technology
• Misperception by researchers and policymakers
• Mistakes in manage the water demand in a sustainable
way; market-based and technology-based
• Low income countries; WATER PRICING that
recognizes water as an economic good
• Tariff structures and cost recovery measures, in order
to gain acceptance, the water pricing system should be
developed with the full consultation of water users.
Challenges
• About 250 million hectares are irrigated worldwide today,
nearly five times more than at the beginning of the 20th
century
• Increasing pollution (domestic and industrial effluents,
agriculture)
• Climate change (droughts, floods, desertification)
• Rapid urbanization
• Growing population
• Economic development
THANKS...

Ghent 9th May, 2011.