29 Apr 2013
00:00
—
02 May 2013
00:00
FAO Regional Meeting // Near East Land and Water Days (NE-LWD)
The objective of this regional meeting is: to highlite and build on major achievements and impacts of FAO, IFAD, WFP and GIZ land and water programmes and projects implemented by Member Countries in the region through the exchange of success stories, lessons learned, good approaches and practices; and to draw conclusions and recommendations for follow-up actions to improve the impact and effectiveness of land and water projects , initiatives and programmes in the region.
The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture (SOLAW), recently published by FAO, notes that food production has been associated with inappropriate management practices that have degraded the land and water systems. This degradation constitutes an important threat for the entire ecosystem in addition for the human society especially in the Near East region. This region is characterized by intense scarcity of land and water. With more than 70% of the total area located under desert and arid conditions, social and economic development in general and food security and agricultural production in particular are highly dependent on water availability. Recently, the Near East Region priority framework identified the scarcity of natural resources, particularly land and water, as the first priority that needs support from both Member Countries and FAO. The optimal management of these resources is being a key for sustainable agriculture and food security for the region.