Challenge Program on Water and Food Indo-Gangetic Basin Coordinating Unit ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region WALMI Complex, Phulwari Sharif P.O. Patna , Bihar

Challenge Programs - Origin 2000 CGIAR restructuring Improved impact Improved integration Emergence of CP idea 2002 Start of Inception Phase CPs Water and Food Biofortification

CP on Water and Food Research Themes

CP on Water and Food OBJECTIVES Increase productivity of water for food and livelihoods - environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable – Global diversion of water for agriculture kept at 2000 levels – Increase food production – Meet UN 2015 targets for reducing malnutrition and poverty

CP on Water and Food AsiaAfricaCWANALAC Yellow River LimpopoSao Francisco MekongVoltaKarkheh (Iran) Andean basin(s) Indo- Gangetic Nile RIVER BASINS

CP on Water and Food STRUCTURE AND FUNDING – Consortium: CGIAR (5); NARES (7); ARIs (4); NGOs (3) Initial 5 years US$ m Potential 15 years ca US$ 200m +

Indo-Gangetic Basin – An Overview mha basin area 747 million population 114 Mha cropped area 91.4% water use in agriculture Percent population below poverty line High Potential – Low Productivity

Progress of CPWF Approved in Nov 2002 and entered in inception phase Fully functional from Jan 2004 First call – 50 projects approved At present 30 projects already started in different basins Out of this 9 projects for IGB More news available in Next call expected in the middle of 2006 New research strategy – start Basin focal projects in 4 small basins immediately – spread across continents and ecological conditions

Objectives of Basin Focal projects Improve understanding of the nature and extent of water poverty and vulnerability and the underlying causes of poverty and opportunities for poverty reduction Improve understanding of issues, processes, opportunities and challenges associated with sustainable increase in agricultural water productivity for poverty reduction and enhanced food, health and environmental securities Develop an integrated framework for assessing constraints and opportunities and identifying appropriate interventions for – - the poor to enhance agricultural water productivity - The poor to benefit from improvements in water access, employment and lower food cost - Enhancing health and environmental securities through increases in agricultural water productivity

Focal projects – a key means of comparing and contrasting the situation in different basins – maximum of USD 800 K – months duration The data produced in each basin and the methodologies agreed to produce them will be intellectual capital (global public goods) offered by the CPWF Help to prioritize researchable issues in each basin for the second call Initially BFPs will function for Mekong, Karkheh, Volta and S. Francisco basins from August 2005 Lead Institutions CSIRO, IWMI, IRD, UC Davis Other partners for this BFPs will decided by lead institution and the coordination project Other basins – IGB – next year – mid 2006 The methodological framework developed under GECAFS may provide a good support for IGB basin focal project

Small grants (max of USD 75 K) – innovative methods and demonstrations of end user impact – call is in the initial stage IFS-CPWF call already available in the website – USD 12 K – for young scientists of different basins for innovative new ideas – period months duration

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