The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture is holding an international workshop to take stock of research, policy, and initiatives towards sustainable water resource management systems for food security in ASEAN.
Officials and technical staff of ministries of agriculture and national water and irrigation related agencies in Southeast Asia will convene on June 26 to 28 in Los Baños, Laguna.
Local government officials, irrigators’ and farmers’ associations, academe, and research and international organizations will join the program development workshop for sustainable water resource management for food security in Southeast Asia.
According to the World Bank, “in most regions of the world, over 70 percent of freshwater is used for agriculture. By 2050, feeding a planet of 9 billion people will require an estimated 50 percent increase in agricultural production and a 15 percent increase in water withdrawals.”
“The workshop will review current initiatives toward sustainable water resource management for food security in Southeast Asia in order to distill needs and gaps that research and development, capacity building, and knowledge management may address,” said Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director.
The intention is to develop an umbrella program that could serve as a platform for collaboration across participating institutions and other partners working in Southeast Asia, Dr. Gregorio added.