International Soil & Water Forum opens in Bangkok to tackle water scarcity & soil degradation | FAO News

Bangkok – The first International Soil & Water Forum opened today to map out concrete measures to boost global efforts in managing water scarcity & reversing soil degradation – both critical for global food security & environmental health.

“The world’s natural resources, including soil, water & land, are being depleted at an alarming rate, while climate-induced natural disasters are occurring more frequently & with more intensity,” said QU Dongyu, Director General of the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in opening remarks at the new global forum, co-organized by FAO & Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture & Cooperatives. With agriculture using roughly 70% of global freshwater, land & soil degradation are directly undermining agrifood systems with human-induced degradation contributing to “pushing land, soils & freshwater systems to their productive limits, & increasing the water crisis, including water scarcity, droughts & floods, & pollution – the four elements of water that together compose the global mapping of water,” he added.

Also delivering opening remarks were Prof. Dr. Narumon Pinyosinwat, Thai Minister of Agriculture & Cooperatives; Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, Deputy Prime Minister of Timor Leste; & Retno L.P. Marsudi, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water.

Sharing perspectives

Ministers from countries including Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand & Timor Leste, shared their perspectives as they began a Ministerial Dialogue taking place from 9 to 11 December in Bangkok. Among the issues they highlighted were a deteriorating water & soil situation caused by population pressure & the climate crisis, the potential for improvements through land restoration & water-saving irrigation techniques, along with developing countries’ vital need for investment & support to achieve further progress & the critical nature of water governance using an evidence-based systems approach. Also taking part in the forum are technical specialists from a range of countries.

The gathering endorsed a “Ministerial Declaration on managing water scarcity & reversing soil degradation for sustainable & resilient agrifood systems”, which will serve as a critical framework for promoting sustainable practices enhancing agricultural productivity while safeguarding global ecosystems.

The forum is organized along four themes: Managing water scarcity; Reversing land degradation, Boosting land restoration; Sustainable soil management; & Integrated climate resilient land, soil & water management.

Its objectives will reinforce commitments to sustainable & integrated land, soil & water management; champion technological, institutional, governance & social innovations; deliberate on the challenges & opportunities; identify technical & knowledge gaps & research priorities; & promote partnerships & collaboration.

The “Global Status of Salt-affected Soils” report, to be launched at the forum on December 11, will be the first major assessment of global salt-affected soils in 50 years. It will provide a new estimate on the areas of salt-affected soils in the world & introduce many innovative ideas & sustainable approaches to tackling the challenge posed by saline soils.

SDG progress reports

Also to be unveiled are progress reports on two Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators – 6.4.1 & 6.4.2 – which are critical for agricultural productivity & resilience, as well as food security, ecosystem balance, & enhanced climate resilience. The indicators, for which FAO is the custodian, relate to water-use efficiency & water stress.

More than 730 million people worldwide faced hunger in 2023 & more than 2.8 billion live in water-stressed countries. The FAO Director-General said it was vital to speed up concrete actions on the ground if the 2030 SDG targets are to be met. He emphasized the overwhelming importance of data, the need to focus on the availability & affordability of water as well as food, taking a holistic approach with decisive leadership. FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022-31 seeks to support the 2030 Agenda through the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient & sustainable agrifood systems. That is key for realizing the aspiration for Four Betters – Better production, Better nutrition, a Better environment, & a Better life, leaving no one behind, Qu said.

You can find out more about FAO’s work on Land & Water here.