ABSTRACT
Lead authors: David Molden, Karen Frenken, Randolph Barker, Charlotte de Fraiture, Bancy Mati, Mark Svendsen, Claudia Sadoff, and C. Max Finlayson
Contributing authors: Sithara Attapatu, Mark Giordano, Arlene Inocencio, Mats Lannerstad, Nadia Manning, François Molle, Bert Smedema, and Domitille Vallée
To meet the objectives of increasing food production and alleviating poverty and hunger in an environmentally sustainable manner will require a renewed focus on agricultural water management and institutional innovations for managing water. In some areas of the world demand for water for various uses exceeds supply. But for much of the world there is a pending crisis of water supply not because of a shortage of water but because of mismanagement of water resources. This report defines water scarcity from the perspective of individual water users who lack secure access to safe and affordable water to consistently satisfy their needs for food production, drinking, washing, or livelihoods.
