Distribuera "vatten hållbarhet" i MENA& genomförandet av 2030 agenda

The partnerships has for six years mobilized policy makers, technical experts, rural development specialists and farmers in eight MENA countries. The project has been unique in in its broad, inclusive and multidisciplinary approach to promote a transition needed to deliver water related targets under agenda 2030. The WEPS programme has produced a wealth of knowledge and innovative thinking to support counties in the region to move towards a more efficient and effective use of water resources in the agricultural sector producing more food with less water. More than 5000 people have been directly involved in project activities and some 10000 people involved in water management and use across the region have been interactions with the WEPS programme. In each country, one or two sites were established and used for experiments and the piloting of different tools and approaches. The beneficiaries included local farmers, extension agents, researchers, academics and government officers in charge of decisionmaking, planning, managing or monitoring in institutions having a role in water resource management. The knowledge sharing and interactions took place on different levels, from project sites functioning as laboratories to generate evidence and promote new practises locally, to national trainings and conferences bringing ministries and agencies responsible for water and agriculture closer together, to regional events allowing policy development and the dissemination of best practises. Technologies that have been tested are: water harvesting techniques, water saving technology, ground measurements of evapotranspiration, satellite remote sensing. Aslo, the WEFE nexus approach was piloted in operational strategic planning in Morocco and Jordan. Significant results that were highlighted in the report were: -A water accounting unit has been set up in Egypt within the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, and Jordan and Palestine are integrating water accounting into their regular reporting requirements. -Tunisia has launched a master degree in water productivity. -The first Joint Meeting of the Arab Ministers of of Agriculture and Water in Cairo was held at the League of Arab States providing policy guidance for improving the coordination the work between the two sectors. -Climate vulnerability action plans have been developed at the watershed level in Algeria and Lebanon. -A technical community of practice was established involving an more than 10 000 people. -Farmer field schools was originally planned for 5 countries but expanded to all eight during course of the programme

The project will set the proper framework for implementing the 2030 Agenda for water efficiency and productivity through four major work packages: 1. Establishing a robust water accounting system providing the evidence base for the full water budgeting and for monitoring progress in the achievement of the targets while assessing the institutional effectiveness to govern water resources; 2. Implementing a series of interventions to increase water efficiency and productivity in selected farming systems of the countries through for example: introduction/ enhancement of good practices and affordable technologies; improvement of decentralized water governance; development of underexploited value chain rural agroindustry; elaboration of incentive frameworks adapted to each local conditions to promote the uptake of good practices and technologies at farm level and to stimulate entrepreneurial initiatives along the value chain. 3. Ensuring that higher efficiency/productivity achievements are attained within safe operational boundaries of water use, defining the conditions for water sustainability. 4. Communication and stakeholder engagement an activity that cut across all three others.