©FAO/Lea Plantek
Berlin, Germany – Agriculture ministers from more than 60 countries meeting at the 2026 Global Forum for Food & Agriculture (GFFA) agreed that addressing water scarcity & competing uses requires placing agriculture at the core of water policy & governance. In the final ministerial communiqué, adopted at the Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference, ministers recognized the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for its leadership in supporting countries to translate global water & food security commitments into coordinated, on-the-ground action.
The ministers affirmed that, as population growth drives rising food demand while water resources continue to decline, effective water governance has never been more essential for the human rights to water & food.
“This communiqué sends a clear message: water security & food security are inseparable, & agriculture must be at the center of solutions,” said FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol. “As we move toward the 2026 UN Water Conference, agriculture must remain firmly anchored in the global water agenda — with concrete action that improves water access, governance & resilience for farmers & rural communities.”
Driving political momentum on water & agrifood systems
The GFFA is an annual high-level global platform where agriculture & food policy priorities are shaped. The 2026 edition (14-17 January), organized by the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Regional Identity, focused on the theme “Water. Harvests. Our Future.”
At GFFA 2026, FAO brought evidence, country experiences & policy solutions into ministerial & technical discussions. These exchanges demonstrated the importance of sustainable water use in agriculture, integrated land & water management, & inclusive governance to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022–31 positions water governance as a cornerstone for food security, rural livelihoods & environmental sustainability, calling for more integrated approaches that link water, land & agrifood systems through sound policies & inclusive institutions
Turning competing water demands into solutions for food security
Balancing competing uses for water took centre stage at the FAO-organized GFFA High-Level Ministerial Panel “Finding Constructive Solutions to Competing Uses,” held on 16 January. With agriculture accounting for more than 70 percent of global freshwater withdrawals, panelists called for moving decisively beyond siloed approaches towards integrated management of water, land & soil, backed by coherent governance frameworks, innovation & cross-sectoral cooperation.
FAO also identified priorities to enhance coherence between water governance & agrifood systems, in preparation for this year’s UN Water Conference.
The blue economy was another focus, with FAO contributing to discussions on blue foods, aquatic food systems & aquaculture as drivers of nutrition, resilience & sustainability, while stressing responsible development in line with FAO’s Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture.
FAO experts, including Beth Bechdol, Viorel Gutu, Manuel Barange, Lifeng Li & Kazuki Kitaoka, contributed across the programme. FAO also engaged partners at the Cooperation Market, showcasing initiatives that turn policy into impact.
Source: FAO News