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Reformulating the value proposition of water in agriculture under changing conditions *
Author(s) -
Waalewijn Pieter
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
irrigation and drainage
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.421
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1531-0361
pISSN - 1531-0353
DOI - 10.1002/ird.2569
Subject(s) - water sector , value proposition , agriculture , business , work (physics) , environmental planning , environmental resource management , water supply , engineering , economics , marketing , geography , environmental engineering , archaeology , mechanical engineering
Agri‐water holds the key for many of the world's most profound development issues, if the sector is willing and able to rethink its responses. The sector is far from addressing these challenges and needs to reformulate its metrics of success along broad development objectives in light of the water, jobs, food and climate crises. Sector interventions and reforms need to be placed on a more outcome‐oriented trajectory. This includes sustaining water resources through the irrigation sector, and attuning water services to changing agricultural needs. It requires a fundamental shift towards service delivery as the core focus of institutional reform in large‐scale irrigation, a recognition of, and support to, farmer‐driven irrigation development in diverse circumstances, and an action‐oriented approach to bring this vision into practice at systems level. This paper presents the World Bank water strategy and points of emphasis for action, and calls for programmatic approaches to work towards this vision and transformation of the sector to meet today's and future challenges.