Water is a political issue
It's also a global issue.How many potential political policy issues could your students identify in this Economist article?
Running dry
"MOST people may drink only two litres of water a day, but they consume about 3,000 if the water that goes into their food is taken into account. The rich gulp down far more, since they tend to eat more meat... in many farming regions, water is scarce and likely to get scarcer as global warming worsens. The world is facing not so much a food crisis as a water crisis, argues Colin Chartres, International Water Management Institute's (IWMI) director-general..."The solution, Mr Chartres and others contend, is more efficient use of water... Farming accounts for roughly 70% of human water consumption... But governments, whether to win votes or to protect the poor, rarely charge farmers a market price for water. So they are usually more wasteful than other consumers...
"As much as 70% of water used by farmers never gets to crops, perhaps lost through leaky irrigation channels or by draining into rivers or groundwater. Investment in drip irrigation, or simply repairing the worst leaks, could bring huge savings.
"Farmers in poor countries can usually afford such things only if they are growing cash crops...
"But efficient use of water, cautions Pasquale Steduto of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation, is just one step to better agricultural yields. Even if farmers use the right amount of water they also need decent seeds and enough fertiliser...
Labels: globalization, policy, politics
posted by Ken Wedding @ 6:41 AM
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