AGRICULTURAL WATER PRODUCTIVITY : Issues , Concepts and Approaches Basin Focal Project Working Paper No . 1

Abstract

The world has finite water resources, which are under increasing stress as the human population and water demand per capita both increase. These problems are not new but are now becoming more widespread and their impacts more devastating. This has provided additional impetus for the search for solutions to problems arising from the mismatch between demand and supply in terms of water quantity, quality and timing. Increasing water productivity has been identified as one of the global challenges that requires urgent attention. This document examines issues, concepts and approaches to assessing water productivity in agriculture. Section 2 presents a set of concepts and issues for improving our understanding of the complexities associated with assessing and improving water productivity. Section 3 presents approaches in assessing agricultural water productivity and highlights the challenges in quantifying and valuing inputs and outputs. Section 4 presents the rationale for increasing water productivity from the global, basin, irrigation system and farm level perspectives