Waters, soils, agroecology and food security

The members of the Water, Soil, Agroecology and Food Security working group are currently working collectively towards:

1. The need to take into account the complexity, and therefore an inclusive, territorial and systemic, dynamic and adaptive vision of rural development based on optimized and integrated management of water and soil, biological, agricultural and forestry resources;
2. The cross-cutting nature of the 2030 Agenda and the strong links that need to be made within rural territories between the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The transitions to be made in rural areas should therefore aim to jointly achieve SDG 2 (zero hunger and sustainable agriculture), 6 (water), 13 (climate) and 15 (life on earth), while taking into account the other major issues related to rural development, particularly the creation of jobs along production value chains (agri-food, forestry, crafts, industrial, etc.) and the reduction of gender inequalities. The challenge is also to preserve or re-establish the demographic and territorial balance between urban, peri-urban and rural areas;
3. An integrated management of resources and development, taking into account the links to be promoted and the obstacles and contradictions to be overcome, producing a considerable leverage for achieving all the other SDGs and in particular SDG 1 (no poverty), 3 (good health), 5 (gender equality), 8 (decent work and economic growth), 10 (equality), 11 (cities), 12 (responsible production and consumption), 16 (peace).

In the absence of sufficient progress, and with the Covid 19 crisis now dramatically amplifying the consequences, it is indeed the entire Agenda 2030 that would be compromised by the lack of sustainable rural development.

Background

Three-quarters of the world’s poorest people live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods (FAO), as well as access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene for their health.

At the same time, the kind of development promoted in the more privileged regions has led to the loss of agricultural land through urban sprawl, pollution, soil exhaustion and salinization, depletion of biodiversity and overexploitation of groundwater, as well as resource grabbing at the expense of rural communities.

This inadequate development has consequences that extend beyond rural areas: increased vulnerability to flooding, rapid silting-up of dam reservoirs, reinforcement of inequalities, continued strong demographic growth, rural exodus and export of poverty to suffocating big cities and, ultimately, aggravation of the risks of food, water and health, climatic and socio-political insecurity in our world.

In addition, climate change, as it relates to water, land, food and forests, is now a major issue. Indeed, the latest IPCC reports highlight:

1. The high risk of “loss of livelihoods and income in rural areas due to inadequate access to drinking and irrigation water” and “disruption of food systems”. The worsening phenomena of droughts and floodings are a wake-up call;
2. The ability of land, water and soil, via the agricultural practices, forestry and bioeconomy, to make a decisive contribution to fighting climate change by playing a positive role in the carbon cycle (capture, sequestration, storage, substitution);
3. The possibility of high co-benefit solutions (soil conservation and improvement, food security, adaptation, mitigation, etc.). If soils, agriculture and the rural world need water, they can also serve the climate and water: by creating wealth that helps finance the service and by capturing carbon that improves soils and their characteristics and functionalities, i.e. fertility, porosity, water retention, water infiltration, biological diversity, purification…

Guillaume BENOIT Chairman of the working group Guillaume is a member of the French Academy of Agriculture and general rapporteur for the SESAME seminars.		Philippe GUETTIER Advisor to the Chairman Philippe is the former Director general of the French Water Partnership.

For further information or to collaborate with the working group, please contact: karine.causse@partenariat-francais-eau.fr