WPE to edit special issue of AEPP journal on water management in Global South

19 May 2023
Field with irrigation technology
19 May 2023

Academics from the Water and Production Economics (WPE) research unit at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and a Rosenberg Forum Advisory Committee member are guest editors of a special issue of the Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy (AEPP) journal, a peer-reviewed publication of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA). The special issue is dedicated to the topic of “Unpacking water management complexity in agriculture in the Global South”. It will be published in 2024.
 
The editors are Djiby Thiam, Associate Professor in Environment and Agricultural Economics and Director of WPE; Ariel Dinar, Distinguished Professor of Environmental Economics and Policy, University of California, Riverside and associate researcher at WPE; and Dr Christina Babbit, Rosenberg representative and Berkeley Executive MBA candidate with a background in natural resources. 
 
The thematic scope of the journal spans topics such as: innovation and sustainable water management in agriculture; understanding the risks and vulnerability of farmers to water scarcity; and the role of financial institutions in mitigating water-related risks in agriculture. 

Context and concept outline for the special issue "Unpacking water management complexity in agriculture in the Global South"

Water scarcity and water quality degradation are serious challenges for many countries today. Several regions around the world have been experiencing water stress, often created by cumulative drought events. Although water scarcity affects agriculture directly, through irrigation and rainfall, it affects many other sectors indirectly. Several additional sectors (including mining, manufacturing and industry) rely on water as an input to perform economic activities and maintain their core business. Even within the agricultural sector, water scarcity has different layers of complexity, depending on whether one is addressing water-use efficiency and management practices during crop production or investigating crops that are produced for export or domestic consumption. 
 
In such a context, drought events not only deter agricultural performance but represent additional burdens to global prosperity and stability. Though such a situation affects both developed and developing countries, the latter countries are expected to be more severely hit. Limited financial and technical constraints encountered in these countries, combined with their often-weak regulatory frameworks, make it costly to implement tangible and effective water policies that guarantee sufficient water quantity at acceptable quality. 
 
The situation is not likely to improve without the adoption of radical changes in capacity to anticipate and plan for these challenges. Some additional predictions show that the global water shortfall between forecast demand and available supply is expected to climb to around 40% by 2030 if the current water management practices are not modified (UN-Water, 2023). This adds to the already devastating situation whereby 1.1 billion people worldwide currently lack access to clean water. Most of these people reside in the global south, where a sizeable share of the world's population growth is expected to take place in the coming decades. More people will require not only more water of sufficient quality for consumption purposes, but also more food to be produced and, hence, more arable land to be made available for food production. This leads to indirect effects such as an increase in the volume of runoff and wastewater.  
 
Therefore, optimal management of water resources should combine the double objective of promoting efficient and fair water allocation mechanisms between various end-users and inducing long-term and sustainable water quality regulation to cater for increased runoffs due to agricultural production. Climate change will add another level of complexity to the task. Changes in hydrological cycles and variability in temperature will both make water less predictable, which affects the frequency and intensity of climate-related hazards. Often, this affects irrigation performance (Dinar et al, 2006; Mendelsohn and Dinar, 2003) and leads to seasonal variability in agricultural yield, exacerbating the level of vulnerability faced by developing countries.
 
These challenges require a better understanding of the role of scholarly research to guide policy decision in an environment characterised by uncertainty and spatial heterogeneity. Previous experience gathered from more industrialised countries can pave the way to help identify criteria that are conducive to successful water quantity and quality management practices, regardless of geographical location. For example, the United States could play an important role not only in leading the way through its research and technological influence, which has proven to be quite effective in addressing water pollution and creating water market institutions, but also through potential networks of technical advisors, who could contribute by leveraging international expertise. 
 
Many water-stressed countries around the world will need to come up with innovative solutions to support water management initiatives that drive policy decisions and sectoral transformation. These range from introducing technical and nature-made solutions to enhancing wastewater management efficiency, setting tariffs that match social and economic conditions and establishing institutions that are aligned to domestic customs. 
 
This AEPP special issue will publish papers that shed light on the different approaches that could be used to unpack the relationship between water quantity and quality regulation and agricultural performance. The special issue will be titled “Unpacking water management complexity in agriculture in the global south” and seeks to address, inter alia, the following research questions: 

  1. What are the potential technical, nature-based and institutional innovations that could support water-stressed countries to mitigate water scarcity and promote agricultural performance? 
  2. Could bundling various technologies or several interventions support farmers in better managing water resources under catastrophic threats? 
  3. Could more intensive trade liberalisation lead to water quality deterioration? 
  4. How could the establishment of institutions such as water markets and/or transboundary water-sharing agreements contribute to reducing water-stress vulnerability for farmers? 
  5. What are the risks associated with investments in water scarcity mitigation and how they can be managed? 
  6. What is the role of financial and non-financial institutions in securing funding for sustainable water management in agriculture? 

Thematic scope of the special issue 

  1. Experimental and quasi-experimental evaluations of causal effects of water-saving interventions in agriculture and food value chains
  2. Innovation and sustainable water management in agriculture 
  3. Trade and water resources management 
  4. Reforming water management institutions for global stability 
  5. Understanding the risks and vulnerability of farmers to water scarcity
  6. The role of financial institutions in mitigating water-related risks in agriculture.

Research published in this issue will be peer-reviewed and of paramount importance for academics, regulators, policymakers and insurance companies in both developed and developing countries. Papers will be selected from a policy session and a technical workshop during the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy, which takes place from 24 to 28 October 2023 at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. 


References

R Mendelsohn and A Dinar (2003). Climate, Water, and Agriculture, Land Economics, (79), pp 328-341.
A Dinar et al. (2006) Will African Agriculture survive climate change? World Bank Economic Review, (20), pp 367-388.
United Nations (2023). The United Nations World Water Development Report 2023: Partnerships and Cooperation for Water. UNESCO, Paris.