Water, Land, Energy and Agriculture

Convener

WaterNet

Land, which is defined as the terrestrial bio-productive system that comprises soil, biota, vegetation and other interwoven natural processes (ecological and hydrological) operating as a system, is the anchor of life systems. The land or soil is the bank of life, and the foundational life support system for plants, animals, and human beings, which renders it fundamental to life on the planet earth. Land resources support ecosystem function and services. It is upon the land where natural and socio-economic systems function together to support and sustain life. Thus, land degradation and any threats to the quality of land and land systems due to changing land use and cover dynamics is the direct threat to existence of life systems on earth. Over time factors such as population growth and socio-economic developments have exerted pressure on land and land-based resources through different social and physical stressors. 

Agriculture consumes most of the freshwater resources in the world, while food production and distribution consume more than a quarter of the world's energy. Agriculture is a land-based industry by nature, and there is competition for available land to grow food and live on. Thus, water, energy, and land are critical resources for sustaining life and livelihoods. Population growth, rapid urbanization, dietary alterations, and economic development are all factors contributing to an increasing demand for water, energy, and land, all of which compete with agriculture. The links between these three resources form a nexus that requires research in order for it to be well understood.

Feeding a worldwide population of 9 billion people by 2050 will necessitate a 60% increase in food production. As a result, enhanced land tenure, management, development, and conservation are required to boost agricultural production, sustainable land use, and water resources. In most regions, meeting the need for agricultural goods while minimizing the demand for and conserving the quality of land and water is a serious challenge. Across the SADC region, the share of irrigated land as a fraction of total arable land is low. Agriculture's water and energy demands are expected to rise. Better techniques of accounting for and utilizing biophysical resources are necessary. However, the assessment is based on fundamental procedures that urgently require modification. The assessment of biophysical resources must involve the calculation of irrigation potential vs. arable land, the applicability of agricultural performance measures (water use efficiency, water productivity), and water usage by diverse land uses (such as forestry and biofuel feedstock).

Energy access is critical for poverty reduction and economic growth promotion. Agricultural development and the expansion of urban water systems both necessitate access to abundant, dependable, and affordable energy sources. Renewable energy applications have the ability to ameliorate many of the difficulties that Africans confront on a daily basis, especially if done in a sustainable manner that respects human rights. However, in eastern and southern Africa, the usage of renewable energy for irrigation is still quite low.

The papers under this sub-theme should emphasize the interaction of land, water, and energy as an important nexus that must be fully defined, particularly the use of solar energy, rain-fed vs. irrigated agriculture production, water harvesting technologies, and other best practices to reduce pressure on the strained water resource systems. How can water, land, and energy be managed together in a way which considers the fact that there is less water than there used to be, that water is largely utilized for agriculture, and that water must be cleaned and pumped, which requires energy, including renewable energy? The sub-theme also entails the management of land and water to manage or reduce soil erosion.