It is a privilege to be here with you today. IFAD is proud to be a partner in this event, which brings together so many key players in agricultural development, from government, to scientists; from donors, to farmers themselves.

In dry land areas, water has always been a scarce and precious resource. Today, with the increasing effects of climate change, water is more precious than ever.

This is particularly true here, in the Arab region, which has the lowest per capita water availability in the world. But it is also true in areas that do not have a history of water shortage.

It is in these areas where the perceived trade-off between water for agriculture and food security, and water for other purposes become a difficult choice. After all, about 70 per cent of the fresh water consumed in the world goes to agriculture.

But the truth of the matter is, we simply do not have a choice. We must increase food production and we must conserve water. We must never forget that without water security, there is no food security.

As you know, Qatar and the Middle East face serious water challenges and depend on substantial food imports for their food security. The creation of the Dubai-based International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, and also ICARDA, demonstrates the foresight of the region's leaders in tackling this challenge.

Indeed, the need to improve productivity in marginalized environments is taking on a new urgency, in the region and beyond, which is why IFAD is contributing to the research programme. We must be constantly on the lookout for new innovations and solutions.

Today, few people question the reality of climate change. We are already faced with more frequent floods, more frequent droughts and flash floods, more extreme temperatures, reduced average rainfall, increasing desertification and declining soil fertility.

Yet even under these conditions, even in the most marginal and ecologically fragile areas of the world, we can achieve remarkable results.

At IFAD, we see time and time again, in Africa, the Americas and Asia, the transformation that occurs when development is economically, environmentally and socially sustainable, when it is centred on smallholders, and when local people are involved from the start.

This approach guides our investments, as it has for the more than US$1.5 billion that IFAD has invested in loan financing in the Near East and North Africa for 110 rural development programmes and projects.

In Egypt, more than 1.3 million households have benefited from IFAD-supported programmes. Together we have helped reclaim around 188,000 hectares of productive land and supported the establishment of 570 water users’ organizations, thereby reducing irrigation costs by 25 per cent and leading to dramatic improvements in water savings.

There are many other examples, such as in Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia where working in close partnership with pastoral communities has lead to improved rangeland management. As a result, there has been significant increases in livestock productivity and income generation. 

Even in the Sahel, where drought has once more led to a food crisis that is threatening the lives of millions of people, we have seen very encouraging results.

At a project in the Peruvian Altiplano, the native indigenous communities have always had to contend with a harsh environment and extreme temperature variations. In recent years, temperature variations and water shortages have become worse.

But today, families are better fed because they have rediscovered traditional irrigation methods and are using them. They are diversifying their crops. They are planting trees that serve as wind breaks and stabilize the soil on the slopes. They are also using stones as heat reservoirs, soaking up warmth from the sun during the day and releasing it slowly at night to reduce freezing.

And I will never forget my visit to the South Gansu province of China. The area suffers from frequent drought, limited water for irrigation and severe soil erosion.

Yet the farmers I met were not only feeding themselves and their families, they were also increasing their incomes. They were doing this by using basic but effective environmental practices such as rainwater harvesting, mulching maize, terracing and using trees to improve soil quality and moisture content.

Of course, farmers must have the right policy support and the right training. They must be connected to markets and have access to financial services and agricultural technologies. And farming must be done in ways that respond to and respect the physical environment.

Achievements can only come about when development efforts in smallholder agriculture are whole-heartedly supported by government.

Today, IFAD is looking at ways to sustain and scale-up solutions to water use for agriculture in dry lands. IFAD's Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP) is a new direct entry point for climate finance that is earmarked for smallholders to increase their climate resilience.

Global environmental problems, such as the impact of climate change, do not respect borders. And there are growing indications that the impact of climate change is going to be harsher and come sooner than had been predicted even a few years ago.

Addressing this reality requires global partnerships and initiatives, such as the Global Dry Land Alliance. We can and we will succeed, as long as we have strong partners, such as those represented here today.

The Doha declaration is an indication of the strength of our united front in addressing food security.  But now, let us follow up this declaration with a commitment to deliver results.

At IFAD, we have committed to help 80 million rural people move out of poverty during IFAD’s 2013 to 2015 programme cycle.
Let each and every one of us here also commit to improving food security in dry lands.

Let us commit to working together, towards a world where everyone has access to sufficient clean water. Let us commit to creating a world where every woman, every man and most importantly, every child, has enough to eat and drink.

We should remember that today, 870 million people are not getting enough food for their most basic dietary needs.  Whether the number is 1 billion or 950 million or 870 million is irrelevant.

Until the day comes when not one child dies of hunger or suffers from malnutrition, our work will not be done. 

       
Thank you.

 

Opening ceremony - International Conference on Food Security in Dry Lands Doha, Qatar
14 November 2012