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Editorial – Agroecology: living wisely with water
September 22nd, 2015

Water is vital for the survival of every living being. Agro-industrial farming, nonfarm industries, urbanisation and mining continue to pollute water. Droughts and floods are more frequent due to climate change. And, the competition for water between different sectors is intensifying. This issue of Farming Matters looks at efficient and resilient ways of using water … Read more

Opinion: Our water, our right
September 22nd, 2015

Nnimmo Bassey argues that the right to water is today’s most violated of human rights. He makes a plea to reject privatisation of water in any form and to value agroecological knowledge on water management. In August 2015, I spoke at the Lagos Water Summit. As part of a social movement process for strong, democratically … Read more

Farming for healthy urban tap water
September 22nd, 2015

New York City’s water is kept safe and clean by an innovative cooperative agreement with farmers that benefits both the city and rural communities. The programme demonstrates that water utilities can go beyond applying traditional engineering solutions and pioneer innovative governance, management and financial arrangements with upstream farming communities. At the heart of how New … Read more

The páramo, where water is born
September 22nd, 2015

San Isidro is an indigenous community in Ecuador’s central Andes that collectively built and manages an irrigation pipeline. The pipeline has brought life back to family farming and created more space for the community to protect the páramo, a source of water and life for farming communities and urban residents alike. This story proves the … Read more

From water wars to world peace
September 22nd, 2015

Harvesting the monsoon: livelihoods reborn’, published in the March 2000 edition of LEISA Magazine, documents how in Rajasthan, India, traditional water harvesting was revitalised and local rivers were transformed from ephemeral to perennial. Rajendra Singh, chairman of the NGO which started the initiative, talks about his next steps – launching World Water Walks. He recently … Read more

Locally rooted: Ideas and initiatives from the field
September 22nd, 2015

Farming communities worldwide relate to water in myriad ways. The experiences here highlight grassroots initiatives focused on equitable use and distribution of water, community restoration of degraded ecosystems and innovative water saving techniques. Nepal: Community participation The community of Rajha village in Gulmi district has incrementally improved water management with a combination of technology and … Read more

An Ethiopian watershed evolving
September 22nd, 2015

Intense watershed management and water harvesting in the state of Tigray, northern Ethiopia, have transformed the area beyond recognition and increased food security and enhanced resilience to floods and droughts. A new way of thinking about watershed management and the efforts of local farmers have contributed to the success of a number of initiatives. The … Read more

Opinion: Learning from nature
September 22nd, 2015

Pablo Tittonell makes the case that we can learn from nature about how to restore the soil’s capacity to capture and store water. Moreover, he argues, this agroecological solution brings many additional benefits for society. The need to increase water availability for agriculture through the construction of dams, channels or costly irrigation systems has dominated … Read more

Mind! Books and films
September 22nd, 2015

Water resilience for human prosperity J. Rockstrom, M. Falkenmark, C. Folke, M. Lannerstad, J. Barron, E. Enfors, L. Gordon, J. Heinke, H. Hoff and C. Pahl-Wostl, 2014. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 292 pages. ISBN: 9781107024199 This book aspires to a deeper understanding of new water dynamics in the globally integrated system of people and … Read more

Perspectives: How global food traders manage our water
September 22nd, 2015

To many analysts, global water governance is about getting the institutions right: more accountable water users and more public participation in decisions. But are we barking up the right tree? In this analysis, we argue that when analysing global water governance, one needs to look at the global players that really matter – an exclusive … Read more