Stockholm International Water Institute » food & water

Feeding a Thirsty World

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:57:25 +0000

The World Water Week 2012 in Stockholm will zoom in on food security and the global water situation. This is warranted not least from the perspective of the increasing imbalances in global food security. In this article, Dr. Anders Jägerskog sums up the thrust of a report he edited on this topic, which is meant to provide input for the Weeks deliberations.

Article in Stockholm Water Front Magazine, issue no 2, 2012.

California – Balancing regional sustainability and imported

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:49:30 +0000

Water leaders in Southern California (and the San Francisco Bay Area) will be increasingly challenged to implement a new state policy on regional sustainability and self-sufficiency while reducing the urban dependence on imported water supplies. The future of massive urban water projects is not clear and will be a central part of this public policy debate.

Green Water Use in an Era of Growing Scarcity

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:45:56 +0000

Agricultural water use, the primary consumer of freshwater around the globe, is increasingly threatened by climatic stresses and demands from other sectors of society including for domestic, industrial and livestock production, and environmental flows. As a result, developing strategies for the sustainable use of water in agriculture is paramount. Dr. Claudia Ringler and Dr. Timothy Sulser of the International Food Policy Research Institute say we should be thinking green.

Published in Water Front Magazine No. 1 2010.

Overeating, Hunger and Waste: Recipe for Worsening Food and Water Crises

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:40:10 +0000

The world population has increased 50 percent over the last half century alone. That is a staggering 3 billion more mouths to feed. Never before have so many suffered from being overweight and obese. Both under nourishment and over eating are increasing. These questionable trends are linked with dire natural resources consequences: water and other natural resources are over-exploited, rivers are running dry, downstream ecosystems are suffocated and pollution loads are heavy in what little remains of water systems in regions worldwide.

Published in Water Front Magazine No. 3-4 2008.

Saving Water: From Field to Fork – Curbing Losses and Wastage in the Food Chain

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:39:46 +0000

As much as half of all food grown is lost or wasted before and after it reaches the consumer. And this wasted food is wasted water too. To meet the challenge of feeding growing populations and the global hungry, massive reductions in the amount of food wasted after production are needed.

This policy brief calls on governments, businesses, consumers and other important actors in society to reduce by half the amount of food that is wasted by 2025 and outlines concrete steps to achieve this goal.

Do the Right Thing a Little Badly: An Interview 2008 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate Prof. J.A. Allan

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:39:42 +0000

On August 21, during the World Water Week in Stockholm, Professor John Anthony Allan will receive the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize from the hands of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. A powerful acknowledgement for a man who introduced a virtual water concept and whose work is helping solve conflicts over water, even in places where water is scarce and politics tense. Stockholm Water Front wanted to learn more about him, his thoughts and pathways to accomplishments during his distinguished career.

Published in Water Front Magazine No. 2 2008.

Virtual Water: Real Challenges Remain

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:39:36 +0000

The concept of virtual water will continue to be relevant for a long time. Looking forward Prof. Allan, author and inventor of the concept, envisions two main directions where the improved application of the virtual water concept can head. First, a number of key communities, including the water users and policy-makers in developing economies, are yet to adopt the concept. Second, the concept has been foundational in the development of a number of rapidly evolving ideas and tools. The continuing evolution and impact of related concepts, such as the water footprint and the complex linkages between water and energy, will strongly affect the future.

Published in Water Front Magazine No.2 2008.

“Virtual Water” Innovator Awarded 2008 Stockholm Water Prize

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:39:34 +0000

Professor John Anthony Allan from Kings Collage London and the School of Oriental and African Studies has been named the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate. Professor Allan pioneered the development of key concepts in the understanding and communication of water issues and how they are linked to agriculture, climate change, economics and politics.

Published in Water Front Magazine No.1 2008.

Water and Sustainability: A Reappraisal

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:38:24 +0000

In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) analysed the environmental problems of the time. It presented as its core idea the concept of sustainable development, with the goal of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The committees guiding image of the world followed the mainstream idea at the time of environmental problems as pollution and land degradation. The committee paid no particular attention to crucial environmental resources such as water, nor did it examine fundamental environmental constraints that would influence the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Published in the March/April 2008 issue of Environment Magazine.

Click here to read the article.

From Field to Fork – Wastage of Water in the Food Chain

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:37:42 +0000

With rising population, urbanisation and higher incomes, food demand may double in the coming 50 years. Given the water scarcity and related environmental problems that are already occurring in many parts of the world, the corresponding increases in the pressure on water and land resources that will accompany these trends is a critical and grossly under-appreciated concern. For real solutions to the food, water and environment nexus, it is essential that we pay attention to the entire production to consumption process, that we understand what happens from field to fork.

Published in Water Front Magazine No. 3 2007.