Experts worried over water scarcity in NENA region

NaijaAgroNet reports that with fresh water availability in the region expected to drop by 50 per cent by the year 2050, FAO disclosed that as ministers of agriculture and national officials prepared to tackle the issue at a meeting of the organization's highest regional governing body.

Hence, participants in the 32nd FAO Regional Conference for the Near East and North Africa (NERC-32), to be held from 24 to 28 February, are set to discuss a new Regional Water Scarcity Initiative.

This initiative was recently launched by FAO to support member countries in identifying strategies, policies and practices that promote sustainable solutions to water scarcity and related food security problems.

Also NaijaAgroNet gathered that per capita fresh water availability in countries of the Near East and North Africa has plummeted by two-thirds over the past 40 years, heightening concerns over the degradation of water quality and the impact of climate change.

Demographic trends are adding urgency to the issue: Chronic undernourishment in the region is estimated at 11.2 percent, based on the 2010-2013 reporting period, while the population continues to grow at 2 percent, almost twice the global rate.

Farming and other agricultural activities consume more than 85 percent of available rain, irrigated and groundwater resources, and the demand for agricultural products is expected to grow amid burgeoning urban populations and increased exports.

"Agriculture must be central to our responses to the challenge of water scarcity in the Near East and North Africa Region. Agriculture is by far the largest user of water in the region, but it is also fundamental to our survival and long-term resilience, accounting for some $95 billion in added value to regional economies," said Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa.

Water scarcity in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) has become a source of worry for experts, says the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

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