Resource information
As water becomes scarcer in many countries, governments increasingly have to deal with the considerable challenges of water management. Sound information on water vailability and use is key to shaping water policies that aim to provide equitable and sustainable use of increasingly scarce water resources. Accurate information on agricultural water withdrawal is particularly important to planners and decision-makers involved in water management, as agriculture represents the largest water us er in many countries, representing about 70 percent of total withdrawal worldwide. This report summarizes the results and lessons of the project ?Strengthening national water monitoring capacities, with emphasis on agricultural water management?. The project was implemented in two African countries, Benin and Ethiopia, and worked for two years with specialists in key stakeholder institutions to establish an information system on agricultural water management based on AQUASTAT, FAO?s inform ation system on water and agriculture, It is hoped that the report will serve as a useful guide and provide detailed resources for governments, research institutions, donor agencies and other stakeholders working on the important task of improving their country?s information base for the management of agricultural water resources to create an equitable, efficient, and sustainable use of ever scarcer water resources.
