ROME, Mar 28 (IPS) – Degrading soil, air pollution, vanishing biodiversity, emerging plant and animal health issues and more are coming together in the current situation of multiple crisis. Ensuring water security is just one, among the many challenges individuals, countries, and the world faces. Yet, we shouldn’t forget that water makes up the largest percentage of our bodies and the same applies to animals, plants and the planet’s surface. The threat of water insecurity is, as we all see, not a petty problem, but one of the greatest challenges of our century.
We need water security to ensure people have food on their plates. Moreover, water security is a catalyst for transforming the food and agricultural sectors to become more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable. Since its founding in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has been an advocate for improved natural resource management, and more recently, the Organization is raising its voice every day for the application of sustainable water management practices as a prerequisite for farmers’ resilience and, thus, for safeguarding food security.
The 50-plus countries of Europe and Central Asia are not exempt from this situation, where growing water insecurity threatens to undermine agrifood systems, exacerbate inequalities, and impede progress toward a sustainable future.
For these reasons, water security was selected as the main theme of the Europe and Central Asia Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2024 report that will be released on 2 April, highlighting the water sector’s interlinkages with agriculture, food security and nutrition.
Growing water insecurity and unequal impacts
Water security in this region is marked by stark disparities. While certain European Union member countries have from more water security, people living in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and the Western Balkans face significant challenges. Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are among the least water-secure nations in the region, with water consumption exceeding available resources in some cases, worsened by inefficiencies and losses caused by ageing irrigation infrastructure. The human toll is significant: floods and droughts affect over a million people, resulting in USD 14 billion in damages across the region, which brings me to a crucial point: climate change.
Climate change and rising demand for water are exacerbating water scarcity across the region. Variability in precipitation patterns, glacier melt, and prolonged droughts are becoming more frequent and more intense, taking a growing toll on agriculture and especially on farmers. In some parts of the region, energy demands – especially for hydropower in upstream countries like Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan– compete with downstream irrigation needs, highlighting the need for coordinated, transboundary water management.
Water security extends beyond quantity to quality and this aspect shouldn’t be overlooked. Agriculture remains a significant contributor to water pollution in many parts of the region, mostly through fertilizer and pesticide runoff, undermining both food safety and soil health. Ensuring adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure is critical to food security, particularly in rural areas.
The way forward: Innovation and governance
The complexity and interlinkedness of food and water security challenges call for innovative solutions and robust governance. FAO advocates for a water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus approach that emphasizes integrated resource management and which considers the needs of all relevant sectors. Among others, precision and digital agriculture, energy-efficient irrigation, reuse of treated wastewater, and nature-based interventions such as we can see in the example of the artificial glaciers in Kyrgyzstan are already contributing to this comprehensive approach.
In Europe and Central Asia, FAO has been putting its 80 years of expertise into supporting countries to strengthen climate resilience and water governance. These efforts include the Regional Water Scarcity Initiative, which focuses on modernizing irrigation, building drought resilience, and improving water quality. Water, sanitation, and hygiene standards are being enhanced in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan under the global One Health approach. Additionally, the Inter-Regional Technical Platform on Water Scarcity facilitates global collaboration and knowledge exchange to support countries in coping with the pursuit of food and water security, for a sustainable social and economic development.
One thing is clear as water: today’s investments in sustainable water management will yield dividends in food security, peace, and prosperity for future generations in Europe and Central Asia, and beyond.
Viorel Gutu, is Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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