Water for Food Security, Nutrition and Social Justice

Lyla Mehta is Professorial Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies, UK, and a Visiting Professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.Theib Oweis is Director of the Water, Land and Ecosystems research program at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and a Distinguished Guest Professor of water management at the International Platform for Dryland Research and Education (IPDRE) of Tottori University, Japan.Claudia Ringler leads the Natural Resource Management Theme at the International Food Policy Research Institute and is also a flagship co-lead with the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems.Barbara Schreiner is a water resources policy expert and Executive Director of the Water Integrity Network.Shiney Varghese is Senior Policy Analyst with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, USA, and a member of the High Level Panel of Experts to the UN Committee on World Food Security.

• 1. Introduction 2. Linking Water and Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) 3. Agricultural Water Management 4. Water Governance for FSN 5. Water, FSN and Social Justice Index

"This ground-breaking book analyses vital but hitherto ignored intersections between the human right to food and the right to water. Citing recent trends, the authors comprehensively disentangle the multiple linkages between the management and distribution of water resources for domestic and productive uses, malnutrition and food insecurity from local to global levels. These novel perspectives provide pertinent policy guidance to further advance human rights and social justice." — Barbara van Koppen, Principal Researcher, International Water Management Institute"This book is a must read for those who want to explore why water for food and nutrition security should be a basic human right and what it takes to deal with water shortages for agriculture under climate change. This book successfully establishes the rationale of putting people at the center and addressing ecosystems health as entry points to achieve a paradigm change in the way we think of and use water for food security and nutrition." — Patrick Caron, President High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) for Food Security and Nutrition CIRAD, France"This interdisciplinary book boldly studies the connectivity of the crucial "cluster" issues of water for food security and nutrition. In making the quantum leap towards securing this as a human right, it demonstrates that our moral obligation to protect human dignity through basic needs can no longer be ignored." — HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, Chairman of The Higher Council for Science and Technology"Farmers, indigenous peoples and fishers are well aware that land, water and food are interconnected and crucial for human wellbeing. However, policies, programmes and right based approaches on water and food have developed often without their participation and thus with little understanding of the livelihoods and wellbeing of rural communities, including customary communities, and in isolation from each other. Local people’s rights to water and food are routinely violated. This book boldly highlights the faultlines in policy debates and practices and provides a very welcome and much needed social justice perspective to water, food security and nutrition." — Jennifer Franco, Transnational Institute "This highly readable book breaks new ground by framing food and nutrition security in terms of both the right to food and the right to water. It clearly highlights the importance of agroecological practices in renewing the availability and quality of water for food systems and the environment. The gendered analysis of water governance is generative of critical proposals for equitable policies and inclusive practices. In sum, this scholarly work fills a major gap in the literature. It is a 'must read' for many academics, policy makers and development professionals." — Michel Pimbert, Director of the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University, UK