Guyana’s Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, recently emphasized the critical role agriculture can play in addressing the ongoing water crisis facing many nations.
Speaking at a high-level panel discussion by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) during the 2023 Borlaug International Dialogue, Mustapha said, “The relationship between water and agriculture is undeniable. But there is a part of the world that can produce food freely, thanks to the different sources of water it possesses. In other places we see droughts, which lead to poverty and hunger.”
He added that while Guyana is known as the “Land of Many Waters”, it is continually working on ensuring water availability even during droughts.
Mustapha was joined by other esteemed speakers including Álvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); Christopher Neale, Director of Research at the University of Nebraska’s Daugherty Water for Food Institute; and Fernando Schwanke, IICA Project Director. The panel discussion, which annually occurs in Iowa, serves as a platform to discuss sustainable, equitable, and inclusive agrifood systems.
Álvaro Lario highlighted that water is central to IFAD’s investments and noted the vast percentage of the global population facing water insecurity. “Small farmers, women, indigenous peoples, and other vulnerable sectors are disproportionately affected by drought, desertification and soil degradation,” Lario said. He also shared details on IFAD’s initiatives in Latin American and Caribbean countries to promote water access.
Christopher Neale during his remarks focused on the need for resilience in agriculture, underlining the importance of preparedness for climatic extremes. Neale underscored the urgency of refining water governance systems and advancing accessible technologies for improved water management among small farmers.
IICA’s Hemispheric Water and Agriculture Initiative was elaborated upon by Fernando Schwanke. The initiative seeks solutions to the water crisis in the Americas by emphasizing the interdependency of agriculture and water. Schwanke mentioned, “Agriculture must be part of the solution to the water crisis and that is our responsibility.”
The IICA panel serves as an integral event organized by the World Food Prize (WFP) Foundation, an institution dedicated to innovation and sustainability in food production. The foundation also presents the World Food Prize, equated to a Nobel Prize in the agrifood sector.
