Five and a half years after the Barcelona Declaration was adopted, there is still no articulated regional Euro-Mediterranean agricultural strategy, (although the European Commission is rumoured to be working on one).

Similarly, despite efforts on national level there is no concerted regional effort to attain enhanced household security, in particular in the South Mediterranean - despite the targets of the World Food Summit Programme of Action of 1996, endorsed by the heads of state or government of all Euro-Mediterranean states as well as all other UN member states[1]. As evidenced by data in the annual reports of UNICEF, the World Bank and the UN Development Programme, poverty is increasing and malnutrition reaches unacceptable levels particularly in some South Mediterranean nations. Much of it is concentrated in rural areas, however the pockets of urban poor are increasing in numbers and size throughout the region - in particular in the South – fuelled by a continuing rural exodus – a flight from poverty, into poverty, which leads to the ‘feminisation’ of agriculture in many areas, as male family members out-migrate in search of work.

A study on the regional water situation[2] submitted to the World Water Forum of March 2000 by the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) and the Global Water Partnership's Mediterranean Technical Advisory Committee (GWP MEDTAC) stated that sustainable water management in the area would avoid the negative environmental and social impacts of a Business as Usual policy, while ensuring much greater distributional and intergenerational equity.

The study advocated supply management, international transfers, inter-country shared river basin management and 'unconventional' water production (e.g. from treated wastewater, desalinisation) to be combined with demand side management, waste reduction and modified relations between water using sectors, in particular as regards agriculture vis a vis non-agricultural sectors.

The impact of climate change, which according to the International Governmental Panel on Climate Change has already begun[3], could mean severe dislocations in Mediterranean water availability, the salinisation of coastal water tables due to sea level rise, increased temperatures resulting in a Northward shift of flora and fauna, forest dieback, as well as a reduction of the water retention capacity of its soils. These impacts predicate the imperative need to prepare for and initiate modifications in choices and farming practices to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of this change.

Salinisation is already taking place in many parts of the Mediterranean mainly as a result of overpumping of groundwater and consequent seawater intrusion, whilst poor environmental management renders our soils and woodlands extremely vulnerable to climate change impacts.

II. MEDITERRANEAN WATER INITIATIVES TO DATE

The issue of water - a key input to agriculture - has been addressed in several Mediterranean fora including the Rome conference (1992) and the Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Local Water Management, which elaborated an action plan and adopted a Declaration[4].

MIO-ECSDE has endeavoured to co-ordinate and facilitate NGO inputs and multi-stakeholder dialogue on Water since 1991. In its Athens (1991) Conference and Declaration (an input to the Rio Summit) a Mediterranean Water Community had been proposed, an idea which contributed to the subsequent formation in 1994 of the Mediterranean Commission of Sustainable Development (MCSD) within the framework of the Barcelona Convention, 1975. In Rome MIO organised the NGO Water Conference parallel to the Ministerial conference (1992), which proposed among the ten key issues that needed urgent attention, the unsustainable water use practices in agriculture resulting in overexploitation of water resources, inefficient use and massive pollution by agrochemicals. In Turin (1999) and Brussels (2000), the NGOs collectively addressed again the critical, frequently negative role of agriculture in water resources use.

However, the provisions of the Turin action plan are inadequate and far from being implemented in a satisfactory way. A number of other parallel activities have been developed, each one having a slightly different emphasis.

Within the framework of the Global Water Partnership (GWP), the Mediterranean Technical Advisory Committee (MEDTAC) was set up as a partnership of regional networks (CEDARE, CIHEAM, IME, MIO-ECSDE, MWN, MedWet, Blue Plan (UNEP/MAP)[5]. A Vision, a Framework for Action (FFA) and a mapping exercise were carried out and widely presented and debated at the World Water Forum, as indicated above.

Finally, during the November 2000 Mediterranean Water Stakeholders’ Meeting in Athens, co-organised by MEDTAC and MIO-ECSDE, a Core for Action was prepared by comparing and combining in a critical way efforts made to date. The meeting endorsed the ‘Core for Action Plan’ document[6]

In all recent synthetic documents Agriculture has been identified not only as the main water consumer in the Mediterranean but also as a vital sector with enormous potential for improvements in water use within an Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) covering entire catchment areas and taking simultaneously into account the requirements for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)  

III. A CALL TO ACTION

Our central proposal is for a EURO-MEDITERRANEAN STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER USE IN AGRICULTURE to be elaborated as an integral part of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, and to be further commented on by the environment ministers meeting in Greece in 2002 and formally endorsed for immediate implementation at the highest political level i.e. by the Barcelona V meeting of foreign ministers in Spain in mid-2002.

This strategy should be elaborated by the Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum, in accordance with the multi-stakeholder approach now formalised in the United Nations, in particular within the Commission on Sustainable Development and the World Summit for Sustainable Development process[7], and related work should be closely linked to relevant activities of the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan in particular relating to water resources, agriculture, climate change, and the proposed regional sustainable development strategy[8] as well as to the on-going work of the Food and Agriculture Organisation at the regional level[9]. It should also incorporate any new actions or targets endorsed by the World Food Summit Five Years Later in Rome, November, 2001.

We suggest ten points as the backbone for such a strategy:

1. The main water consumer in the Mediterranean Region is agriculture accounting for about 70-80% of total consumption. Water supplies are already scarce in most Mediterranean countries. Such a situation is not sustainable taking into account economic, social and environmental concerns – in particular the potential impact of climate change on water availability - and the target should be to reduce Agriculture’s share in water.

2. Current agricultural practices are water wasteful. Although the potential solution to the problem cannot be the same throughout the Mediterranean, systematic water saving efforts should become a priority investment throughout the region. Undoubtedly, in some areas we expect to see technical solutions expanding, such as the replacement by drip irrigation systems and/or rainwater harvesting systems (where feasible) of present wasteful irrigation systems involving significant losses (evaporation, leakage from channels, piping, etc). In other regions more radical changes are needed i.e. in deciding which crops are produced, and how, In other words, a reform of agriculture is now essential, involving a switch to water-efficient/saving crops, as well as water efficient farming techniques such as inter/mixed cropping, relay cropping, cover crops, agro-forestry, etc.

3. There is a major potential in proper recycling and use of wastewater after careful and thorough purification in order to avoid pollution of groundwater as well as health risks (viz pathogens in vegetables).

4. Ecosystems require water for their continued functioning, so an adequate quantity of water must be secured as "Water for Nature". Wetlands should be considered by planners and farmers as an additional asset which functions as a buffer zone between the marine and freshwater zones, in particular in view of the eventual rise in sea level due to climate change and the attendant threat of saline intrusion into coastal aquifers. They must also be recognised as an important refuge for biodiversity, rather than as potential farmland.

5. A system for valuation-pricing of water in agriculture throughout the Mediterranean should be gradually introduced, definitely with a time horizon of adequate length (e.g. to be introduced in 10 years and completed in 25). In some countries this is already the case. This valuation would capture in the best possible way the total economic value of water i.e. including the environmental value (user cost + option cost + existence value). Such a concept would have to be designed so as to ensure minimum supplies to every citizen, e.g. by means of cross-subsidisation in water tariffs, or equivalent fiscal measures, so that the poor can afford the minimum necessary for drinking water consumption and hygienic uses (50 litres a day) and so that food security and rural livelihood goals can be met.

6. Reduction of monocultures is both possible and necessary not only for water use reasons but also for reasons of climate change impacts and soil quality. Alternatives such as permaculture, organic agriculture, mixed cropping systems, silvo-pastoral agricultural systems must be carefully examined for their potential environmental and social benefits as well as for their water use efficiency. Sustainable rural livelihoods and household food security of rural families must be secured by means of developing non-agricultural income generating activities to supplement earnings from agriculture, so as to stem the present rural exodus to overpopulated urban areas.

The potential impacts of the proposed Mediterranean Free Trade Zone (MFTZ) – if liberalisation is extensively applied to agricultural products - on agricultural structures and crop mixes and related water use implications need to be carefully assessed.

A recent study by the Blue Plan entitled ‘Free Trade and the Environment in the Euro-Mediterranean Context’ warns that “the risks of negative social (increased poverty, rural depopulation... and environmental (loss of biodiversity, deteriorating landscapes...) impacts, on traditional farming sectors (cereals and livestock) which make up most of the jobs in several countries, are certainly very high if the Euro-Mediterranean free trade area is to be widened to farm produce without any precautions nor suitable policies.” "In the other direction", the report continues, "it is not certain that trade liberalisation will be of much benefit to the export sector in these countries (fruit and vegetables) whose development would also have negative environmental impact (increased pressure on water resources and pollution) besides positive aspects (complying with environmental standards for certain products)…

"Particular emphasis should be placed on a deeper investigation of the likely linkages existing between agricultural production and trade flow changes induced by the trade liberalisation and the issues of natural resources (water, soils, …) and territories (rural human settlements, biodiversity, …), as well as health problems related to food and nutrition."

At the same time, island populations must not be enticed to abandon agricultural practices but rather combine them with e.g. tourism, in particular eco or agri-tourism.

7. Specific "labels" for quality products (“appellation controlee”, quality guarantees, biological-organic produce) should be systematically introduced for products sold in quality markets and in the tourism sector (hotels, etc.), as well as for export. A single region-wide organic certification procedure for all Euro-Mediterranean countries should be developed to gradually replace the present variety of national systems applied in non-EU Mediterranean countries.

8. There should be few clear, ambitious but also realistic targets to reduce water consumption in agriculture e.g. by 20% by 2010 (the exact figure and date to be discussed with all interested stakeholders) taking full account of ecosystems constraints, as well as rural livelihood and food security considerations. The first 10% seems to be a relatively easy task.

9. In view of the functional limitations on how far water use in agriculture or for ecosystems maintenance can be reduced, maximum water efficiency must be sought in non-agricultural sectors, by demand side management including pricing measures, industrial process redesign, water impact assessments of proposed industrial, energy generation and tourism projects, reduction of water losses due to leaks in distribution systems, etc.

10. Finally, measures in agriculture and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) go hand in hand with the need for environmentally beneficial management of fertilisers and pesticides in soils. Therefore, simultaneous reform of present policies favouring/subsidising the use of agro-chemicals is needed with a view to reducing their use as far as possible in favour of organic alternatives and/or integrated plant nutrition systems.

National measures are being taken along several of the aforementioned lines in many countries, and documented to some extent by various regional water bodies as well as by the FAO. However, there is need to systematise data at a regional level into a user-friendly 'water resources management knowledge network' so that it can serve regional policy making as efficiently as possible.

IV. CONCLUSION

We must make visible and clear the links between sustainable water management and sustainable agriculture, and both policies should ensure regional food security, viable rural livelihoods and management of rural ecosystems as well as adequate quantities of good quality water in the region for the present and future generations.

We consider that these goals can be most effectively attained by the rapid elaboration and adoption of a EURO-MEDITERRANEAN STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER USE IN AGRICULTURE, to be launched, if necessary in outline form due to present time constraints, by the Barcelona V conference in mid-2002.

We propose that a resolution recognising the need for such a strategy eventually based on or inspired by the aforementioned key points be adopted at the forthcoming conference on Euro-Mediterranean agriculture at the Council of Europe (14-15 June, 2001), and transmitted to the conference of Euro-Mediterranean foreign ministers in Brussels, November 4-5, 2001, for subsequent transmission to the meeting of Euro-Mediterranean Environment Ministers in 2002 as well as to the Barcelona V conference of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership in the same year.

ENDOTE

The issue of water pricing in the Mediterranean will be the focus of two conferences to be organised by MIO-ECSDE, back-to-back in Cairo between 19 and 22 December 2001. The first will be in the framework of the European Rio+10 Coalition and the second with the Global Water Partnership (GWP-Med).

Michael Scoullos
Vanya Walker-Leigh