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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - FAO
(College 1 - Intergovernmental institutions)
About the organization
In the face of increasing water scarcity, and the dominance of agricultural water use, FAO is in the forefront to enhance global agricultural performance while promoting the sustainability of water use for food production. The Water Development and Management Unit (NRLW) is engaged in a programmatic approach to agricultural water management addressing water use efficiency and productivity, and best practices for water use and conservation, throughout the continuum from water sources to final uses. Specific target areas are: integrated Water Resources Management, water harvesting, groundwater, use of non-conventional water, modernization of irrigation systems, on-farm water management, water-quality management, agriculture-wetlands interactions, drought impact mitigation, institutional capacities, national water strategies and policies, and river basin and transboundary waters management. NRLW collaborates with all other technical departments of FAO in order to generate a coherent and comprehensive FAO-Water programme effectively contributing to the achievement of the related Millennium Development Goals.
With its continually updated water information system AQUASTAT, and tools for analysis such as CROPWAT, AQUACROP and MASSCOTE, NRLW is able to contribute in the formulation of national and regional water management strategies and perspective studies.
About the Governor representative
Mr. Pasquale STEDUTO
Holding a MSc in Water Science and a PhD in Soil-Plant-Water Relationships from the University of California in Davis, Mr Steduto has been working for more than 20 years on agricultural water use efficiency and water productivity, with a focus of crops water requirements, their yield response to water and associate modelling development under water scarcity conditions. Scientific and technical activities have been conjugated with the management of many water-related development projects in Southern Europe, North Africa, Near East and Sub Saharan Africa, also in cooperation with Centres of the CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research). Authors of over 100 publications in scientific journals and books, he has joint FAO in 2003 and is currently the focal point for FAO in chairing UN-Water.
About the Alternate representative
Mr. Daniel RENAULT
A civil engineer with specialisation in irrigation management with a diversified career of professor, researcher and project manager – in several institutes ENGREF/CEMAGREF, IWMI and FAO, and a focus on South Asian countries. PhD on surface irrigation optimisation with UC DAVIS. Expert on large irrigation system management from technical and institutional perspectives, developing tools and capacity development programs for performance assessment and for designing modernization strategies at project and state levels for Service Oriented Management (SOM) and Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). Coordinate FAO participation at 3rd and 5th World Water Forum. Led a consortium for Multiple use of water at 5th Forum and represent FAO in the political process.