E-conference
on
Integrated Land and Water Resources Management in Rural Watersheds

2 November - 4 December 2009
Organized by: FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

1. Background

Rapid degradation of rural watersheds in the Asia-Pacific has been a major concern of the governments and civil societies in the region. Segmented management of land and water resources is one of the root causes, greatly exacerbated by a “domino effect” from continuous population growth with associated increased food, fuels and water requirements, changing pressures on land from biofuels and increased demands for protein-rich diets, as well as anticipated adverse impacts of climate change in the coming decades. The outcome is land and water scarcity, particularly of better quality land and more accessible and (in the past) naturally renewed water supplies. In response, the immediate need is the wider promotion and uptake of integrated land and water resource management with a focus on rural watersheds to ensure their sustainability while improving local livelihoods. For this purpose, the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO-RAP), in partnership with concerned development partners, is organizing an E-conference on Integrated Land and Water Resources Management in Rural Watersheds.

2. Objectives

The principal objectives of the E-conference are to:

a) Review the nature of, and current levels and scales of implementation of integrated land and water resources management within rural watersheds;

b) Share good practices and successful experiences within and outside the region;

c) Identify major constraints and gaps; and

d) Facilitate in building a regional consensus on the roadmap for widespread implementation of best practice for sustained use of rural watersheds.

The E-conference is also aimed to facilitate the establishment of an informal regional network of government departments, institutes, development partners, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and others interested in exchanging experiences and promoting integrated land and water management in rural watersheds.

3. Expected Output

A synthesis report on integrated land and water resources management in rural watersheds in the Asia-Pacific will be produced based on the outcomes of the E-conference. The report will provide policy and technical guidance to member countries and concerned partners working in land, water and watershed management.

4. Structure

Five topics identified for the E-conference are:

Topic 1: Strategic planning for integrated land and water management – concepts, approaches and methodologies for integrating land and water resources management and incorporating land and water management into integrated watersheds management, especially coordination between on-farm/forest activities, and upstream and downstream effects.

Topic 2: Legal and policy settings for integrated land and water management – land tenure, land market, water rights, water pricing, management and investment policies, combined application for integrated land and water management and adoption of conservation policies.

Topic 3: Institutional arrangements for integrated land and water management – water users’ organization, river basin organization, and land and water management institutions within government departments, coordination mechanism and their capacity building.

Topic 4: Technical measures and tools for integrated land and water management – technical measures and tools for assessment, management, conservation and utilization of land and water resources and systems.

Topic 5: Enabling environment for integrated land and water management – social mobilization, participatory approach, multidisciplinary cooperation, multi-sector coordination and information sharing at regional, national and local levels.

Each topic will be reviewed and introduced by an introductory paper with a set of identified reference materials prior to email discussions. To facilitate and give common focus to the e-discussions, respondents will be requested to address four indicative questions for each topic:

Q1: What are the current status and challenges?

Review the current situations of each topic area, major issues to be addressed and challenges to be faced, such as land and water degradation in terms of quantity and quality, population pressure and economic growth, impacts of climate change, etc.

Q2: What practices and experiences could be shared?

Share good practices and successful experiences within and outside the region in each of the topic areas, such as Conservation Agriculture (CA), integrated agroforestry/cropping/animal production, soil and water conservation, participatory land resources management, sustainable home gardens, Integrated Plant Nutrient Management (IPNM) – balanced fertilization, Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs), Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), RBDP, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), irrigation modernization, etc.

Q3: What are the major constraints and gaps?

Identify major constraints and gaps existing in current interventions and institutional coordination for each topic area, such as segmented management, inefficient implementation of river basin development plan, underinvestment of water infrastructure, and ineffective response to climate change, expensive start-up costs of new practices, lack of farmer field schools/demonstration sites to support change, etc.

Q4: What to do and where to go?

Facilitate regional consensus on options needed for better integrated and more widely implementable land and water resources management in rural watersheds, such as adoption of conservation policies, strategic planning, policy innovations, development and dissemination of technical measures and tools, streamlining climate change adaptation into sustainable watershed management, etc.

5. Expected Participants

The conference is open to all interested persons from government departments, academic institutes, universities/colleges, development organizations, NGOs, local land and water practitioners as well as farmers.

6. Timing

First announcement: August
Second announcement: September
Opening of website: September
Posting of introduction paper and reference materials:September
Registration of participants: September
Email discussion: 2 November - 4 December
Posting of synthesis report: December

7. Language

Working Language of the E-conference is English.

8. Registration

To participate in the Conference, please CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. There is "no cost" for participation. You will receive a confirmation email to activate your account after registration.