Anuncio: Foro Electronico "Water for Food and Ecosystems"

Tengo el gusto de saludarlos y comunicarles que el Seminario Internacional
organizado por CONDESAN en Bogota (www.condesan.org/AGUA), proveera insumos para la
Conferencia Internacional que tendra lugar en Holanda
(Febrero 2005), titulada "Water for Food and
Ecosystems" (www.fao.org/ag/wfe2005/es/index_es.htm),
organizada por FAO-Holanda.

Entre los mecanismos preparatorios de esta conferencia internacional, figura
un debate electronico sobre casos relacionados a la problematica del manejo del
agua en un enfoque ecosistemico, organizado por FAO y Holanda.

La conferencia cubrira 3 temas principales:

1. Fostering Implementation: Know-how for Action: We need to
know more about the complex interactions of water for food and ecosystems.
Increased knowledge, reliable information and greater awareness, will help
improve the capacity of stakeholders and ensure that sound decisions are made,
mostly at local level, on inputs (water quantity and quality), outputs and
impacts. Through focussing on best practices, this theme will contribute, in a
practical way, to implementing our commitments to effectively balance water for
livelihoods and resilient ecosystems. Key questions facing the Conference,
therefore, are: a) how to enhance effective stakeholder involvement and b) how
to integrate and apply knowledge for managing the intertwined relation between
water for food and ecosystems?

2. A "New Economy" for Water for Food and Ecosystem: Inputs,
services and impacts must then be analysed in terms of their social, economic,
and environmental values for each stakeholder. The goal is to help all involved
stakeholders make well informed, transparent decisions on the allocation of
natural resources, and ensure that their decisions are consistent with higher
level (national/cross boundary) priorities. This will lead to a new prospect, "a
new economy" of Water for Food and Ecosystems. Some key questions include a) how
to assess the various positive and negative externalities of water use? and b)
How to ensure that the diverse value of water is included in decision making
processes by stakeholders?

3. The Enabling Environment: Finally, promising
institutional and managerial arrangements must be adopted at local and
national/cross boundary levels to enable sustainable water management for food
and ecosystems, equitable representation of all stakeholders in the decision
making process, and consistency at all levels. key questions facing the
conference are a) What institutional arrangements and policies help to enable
local stakeholders to manage their resources and to accommodate the diverse
users and uses of water? b) How can institutions and organizations offer a
platform for joint decision making/negotiation involving fishers, pastoralists,
rainfed agriculturists, industries, that includes the specific needs of nature
and environment?

Los invito a participar en este importante debate global, enviando sus casos,
con una nota introductoria en los terminos abajo indicados.

Los casos seran clasificados por los organizadores para elaborar las memorias
de este importante evento internacional, el plazo para el envio de casos
es el 1 de Noviembre. La direccion es: wfe2005@fao.org , Subject: E-forum Case

Entre el 21 de Noviembre y el 16 de Diciembre se abrira el "debate virtual"
sobre los casos presentados y aceptados por los organizadores.

Agradeciendo de antemano su participacion en este importante debate global,
que ha hecho posible la organizacion del Seminario Internacional de CONDESAN en
Bogota, quedo de Uds.

E-Conference Stage 1: CASES DATABASE

Provide us with your experiences, insights and lessons to be shared in
implementing sustainable water management practices that harmonize the
requirements for food and ecosystems.
How Send your contributions to:
wfe2005@fao.org with the subject: E-forum Case

WHAT?

To facilitate the processing of your contributions, and enhance the
accessibility of the data-base, please follow the following
format-guidelines:

I. A summary sheet of your case: general description, practices, conclusions
and issues, as well as your proposal for a statement or recommendation for the
conference. [See: E-Forum Case summary sheet guidelines]

II. Supporting background material of your case that can be taken up in the
data-base. In pdf-format, word, or url-web linkages.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[E-Forum Case summary sheet guidelines]

Title: Reflecting basin / location, and primary
scope / objective of the management practices undertaken

Supplied by: name of author, organization

Partners: list partner organizations involved in
the case.

Proposed Statement:

Provide a statement (no longer than one paragraph) for adoption in the
conference statement that is clearly supported by the case and its
conclusions.

Summary Description of the context:

Provide a brief summary description of the case covering elements as:

• 
  

  water availability, extraction and use, stresses/conflicts

  
  
• 
  

  requirements made on water resources by agriculture (including rainfed),
  ecosystems (wetlands, forest; agro-forestry, livestock, other)

  
  
• 
  

  the situation/context governing food and ecosystems

  
  
• 
  

  institutional setup (natural resources management, rural development)

  
  
• 
  

  poverty, livelihood strategies, economic sectors

  
  
• 
  

  stakeholders involved, engaged

Primary issues / problems / changes / trends that are being
addressed:

Provide a brief summary of the primary problems / issues the case is
addressing, and their primary causes / drivers:

• 
  

  shifts in agricultural practices (population growth, boom in markets,
  subsidies on electricity, etc.)

  
  
• 
  

  degradation in natural resources / ecosystems (increased competition,
  pollution, expansion and intensification of specific livelihood strategies,...)
  

  
  
• 
  

  etc.

The innovative approach / good practice developed in your
case:

Provide a summary description of the activities / approaches undertaken or
employed to address the primary issues and their causes:

• 
  

  stakeholder processes and establishment of natural resources management
  institutions;

  
  
• 
  

  effective increasing of agricultural water productivity and easing of
  pressure on water resources;

  
  
• 
  

  integrated management of wetlands serving multiple values and demands (food /
  livelihoods, biodiversity / ecosystems, water resources management)

  
  
• 
  

  etc

The main conclusion / lessons the case has to
offer:

Provide the conclusion / lessons the case has to offer on:

• 
  

  one, or each, of the 3 themes of the conference;

  
  
• 
  

  a specific sub-theme or issue; or

  
  
• 
  

  a pertinent obstacle that needs to be addressed in order to foster good
  practices

(Please pay attention to: what have been the general principles
or conditionalities that have led to success, and what have been the
difficulties and dilemmas that had to be overcome.)

Background information: Please list the background documentation your are
providing on this case for the data-base in pdf or url format; either dispersed
in the text when relevant, or listed at the bottom.

Size: Preferably limited to 2-3 pages.