van Koppen Barbara, 'Empowering women to achieve food security: Water rights', , IFPRI, 2001 | IFPRI1; Gender; 2020

Non-PR | IFPRI1; Gender; 2020 | DGO

Reclaimed water has been identified as a viable and cost-effective solution to water shortages impacting agricultural production. However, lack of consumer acceptance for foods irrigated with reclaimed and treated water remains one of the greatest hurdles for widespread farm-level adoption. Using survey data from 760 participants in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., this paper examines consumer preferences for six sources of reclaimed irrigation water and identifies statistically significant relationships between consumers’ demographic characteristics and their preferences for each type of reclaimed water. Key findings suggest that adult consumers prefer rain water to all other sources of reclaimed water. Women are less likely than men to prefer reclaimed irrigation water sources and are particularly concerned about the use of black and brackish water. Consumers who had heard about reclaimed water before are more likely to accept its use. Drawing on evidence from survey and experimental research, this paper also identifies disgust, neophobia and safety concerns as the key issues that lead consumers to accept or reject foods produced with reclaimed water. Finally, we identify avenues for future research into public acceptance of reclaimed water based on our analysis and evidence from prior research.

Food production in 2050 will be sufficient, globally, but many of the poor will remain food insecure. The primary cause of food insecurity will continue to be poverty, rather than inadequate food production. Thus, policies and investments that increase the incomes of the poor will remain the best ways to extend food security to all. Investments that promote growth in sustainable agriculture and provide non-farm employment opportunities in rural areas of lower income countries will be most helpful. There will be sufficient water, globally, to achieve food production goals and sustain rural and urban livelihoods, if we allocate and manage the resource wisely. Yet, water shortages will constrain agricultural production and limit incomes and livelihood opportunities in many areas. Policies and investments are needed to extend and ensure access to water for household use and agricultural production. Challenges requiring the attention of policy makers and investors include increasing urbanization and increasing demands for land and water resources. Policy makers must ensure that farmers retain access to the water they need for producing food and sustaining livelihoods, and they must create greater opportunities for women in agriculture. They must also motivate investments in new technologies that will enhance crop and livestock production, particularly for smallholders, and encourage the private sector to invest in activities that create employment opportunities in rural areas.

Information on the macronutrient composition of the diet is needed in doubly labeled water studies to convert measured rates of carbon dioxide production into values for total energy expenditure. There is no general consensus, however, about the best method to determine food intake for this purpose. Four common methods of measuring food intake (7-day weighed food intake, 24-hour recall, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Block and Willett food frequency questionnaires) were tested for their ability to provide comparable food quotient and total energy expenditure data in doubly labeled water studies in 10 young and 10 older women. All methods gave mean values for total energy expenditure that were within 1% of each other. Individual values obtained using the 24-hour recall and food frequency questionnaires were within +/-3% (standard deviation) of values determined using data from the 7-day weighed food record. These results suggest that it is not necessary to use time-consuming and expensive 7-day food records in doubly labeled water studies; instead, food intake data obtained more easily by 24-hour recall or food frequency questionnaire can provide comparable data.

CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) | High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE), 'Water for food security and nutrition A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security', , IFPRI, 2015

PR | IFPRI5;CRP5 | EPTD | CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE)