The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations\n(FAO) launched today in Tunisia the Regional Conference on Improving Water\nProductivity in Agriculture in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region.
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\nThis three-day conference is the first meeting of the \u201cCollaborative Platform\non Water Productivity\u201d of the regional Initiative on Water Scarcity (IWS) for\nNENA. This conference is gathering researchers, young innovators and policy\nmakers in a scientific arena to discuss the status of water productivity in the\nregion, the challenges facing the agricultural sector and the available\nsolutions.
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\nThe conference is also supported by the FAO regional project \u201cImplementing the\n2030 Agenda on Water Efficiency, Productivity and Sustainability in the Near\nEast and North Africa,\u201d funded by the Swedish International Development\nCooperation Agency (SIDA).
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\nThe conference is allowing experts to debate on methods for Water Productivity\n(WP) improvement, and the role of WP in reinforcing agricultural\nsustainability, promoting economic development, maintaining social stability\nand protecting the environment in rural areas and cities.
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\nIn his inaugural speech, Philippe Ankers, FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for\nNorth Africa, said that \u201cprojections show that the frequency of drought could\nincrease by 20 to 60 percent before the end of the century, and that no other\nregion was touched by desertification as much as the Near East and North\nAfrica.\u201d
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\nHe called for acting \u201cquickly\u201d to address \u201cthe triple burden of sustainable\nwater management, climate change, and food security and nutrition.\u201d
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\nMr. Ankers urged experts, decision-makers and young innovators to help\ntransform the way we use water in the short-, mid- and long-term, hoping that\nthe collaborative platform created by FAO can facilitate this process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n