Officials and technical staff of ministries of agriculture and national water and irrigation related agencies in Southeast Asia, local governments, irrigators' and farmers' associations, academe, and research and international organizations will convene at a program development workshop for sustainable water resource management for food security in Southeast Asia on June 26-28 in Los Baños, Laguna.
The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is holding the international workshop to take stock of research, policy, and initiatives towards sustainable water resource management systems for food security in the ASEAN.
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.
Dr. Gregorio added that 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.