Water and Cereals in Drylands
06 agosto 2010P. Koohafkan Director, Land and Water Division, FAO, Rome
B.A. Stewart Director, Dryland Agriculture Institute, West Texas A&M University, USA
Published by
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations and Earthscan
Paperback ISBN: 978-92-5-1060520 (FAO)
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-84407-708-3 (Earthscan)
Hardback ISBN: 978-1-84407-709-0 (Earthscan)
Copyright © FAO 2008
World food crop production has more than kept pace with the rapid growth in population in the past four decades. World population increased from 3 billion to 6.6 billion between 1960 and 2006 (UNFPA, 2008), food consumption measured in kcals per capita increased from 2 358 to 2 803 between 1964 and 1999 (WHO, 2008), and food prices fell between 1961 and 1997 by 40 percent in real terms (FAOSTAT, 2007). However, these global statistics do not fully reflect the wide range of differences between and within individual countries.
Cereals are by far the most important source of total food consumption in the developing countries. Direct food consumption of cereals in these countries provides 54 percent of total calories and 50 percent for the world as a whole (FAO, 2006). There are, however, wide variations among countries. Only 15-30 percent of total calories are derived from cereals in countries where roots and tubers are dominant (e.g. Rwanda, Burundi, the two Congos, Uganda, Ghana, etc.) and in high-income countries with predominantly livestock-based diets (e.g. U.S., Canada, Australia, etc.). These latter countries, however, consume large amounts of cereals indirectly in the form of animal feed for the livestock products consumed as food.
The objectives of this study were to:
• Emphasize the importance of dryland development for future food production (particularly
cereals), food security and poverty alleviation;
• Present water-conservation and water-harvesting approaches and investment options that
can increase cereal production in dryland regions;
• Suggest policies for more efficient use of existing natural resources in order to lessen the
dependence of agriculture on further irrigation development.