4th Water Forum Focused on Agriculture

Water scarcity/stress is one of the biggest problems the country is facing due to increase in competition among various water users, wherein the agriculture sector as the top user. With this, the University of the Philippines Los Baños Interdisciplinary Studies Center for Water (UPLB IdSC Water) conducted Water Series Forum #4 with the theme “Securing Water for Agriculture: Technology, Valuation and Governance.” It aimed to present the current status, gaps and challenges to water security in agriculture in relation to the supply of quality water, available technologies both in the supply and demand side, valuation and governance. Different stakeholders from National Government Agencies, Private Organizations, Non-Government Organizations, Academe, among others participation in the forum.

Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr., UPLB Chancellor, stated that the forum is one of the important events of the center as this focuses on the role of water in agriculture, which is an important input in achieving food security.

Dr. Patricia Ann J. Sanchez, Chair of the IdSC Water and Associate Professor at the School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM), gave an overview about the Center. She provided statistics on the statement of water resources in the country.

Engr. Leslie Dizon, Division Manager of the National Irrigation Administration, discussed the water utilization of the agriculture sector. He also discussed the water scarcity occurrence in Manila and some parts of the country.

Meanwhile, Dr. Roger A. Luyun, Chair of research and development committee of IdSC Water and a Professor at the College of Engineering Agro-Industrial Technology, UPLB, highlighted the technologies in agriculture during the plenary session. He emphasized that smart agriculture is the key for efficient water use which is driven by innovative changes and advanced technologies.

Dr. Arlene Inocencio, Professor at De La Salle University discussed water valuation in agriculture. She emphasized water as an economic good. She pointed out that water should be allocated to the highest value uses.

Water Governance in Agriculture, on the other hand, was the main focus of the lecture of Dr. Agnes Rola, Professor Emeritus at UPLB. She emphasized that the water crisis in the country was caused by weak water governance.

Lastly, Engr. Henry Cacayan of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management, tackled the initiatives towards water and food security. He mentioned the importance of a holistic approach in water resource management. “Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) plays a crucial role in sustainable agricultural management”, he added.

The afternoon workshop session focused on the key issues and interventions for each thematic area: Technology, Valuation and Governance. More than 80 participants from various stakeholders attended this year’s forum (Jessa Aquino and Cathy Gigantone).

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