Photo :Nico Sepe / IWMI Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture with Sustainable Irrigated Agroecosystem Services Ian W. Makin* and Herath Manthrithilake** Submitted to: International Network for Water and Ecosystems in Paddy Fields (INWEPF) Symposium 2015 Achieving the Goals of Food security in Sustainable Paddy Water Ecosystems November 3-5, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka *Theme Leader - Revitalized Irrigation Systems, International Water Management Institute (IWMI) **Head, Sri Lanka Development Initiative, International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

This paper…presents a short discussion of: The challenges awaiting … Role & issues of irrigated agriculture, - LSIS Synergy of INWEPF & WLE What is ecosystem-inclusive management in LSIS The way forward

World has challenges … Feeding over 9 billion people in 2050 ! increase food production by about 70% over the levels of period (Boelee et al 2013; FAO, 2009) mostly in low-income countries ensure more equitable access to food

2/3 of the world’s population will live in cities Competition for water different expectations on how rural land and water sources By 2050 half of the people live in rural areas, and > 40% of the active population depend directly on agriculture for their livelihoods (FAO, 2007) Today 2/3 of the world’s population lived in rural areas 60% of the economically active population worked in agriculture 1960’s

Large Scale Irrigation Systems (LSIS) LSIS production USD billion - Global annual value (60-70% of that in Asia) (Langford, 2015) In South Asia, - about 24.5 (mill ha) – (1/3 of the total area) These systems provide benefits in terms of food and energy security, employment, economic growth and ecosystem services

Modernization of irrigation services, and its supporting infrastructure, institutions and management systems will be essential parts of efforts to achieve food and water security

Past attempts to rehabilitate irrigation have not delivered the expected: »water productivity, »equity of water distribution, »sustainable operations and »economic return on investment Therefore, official development assistance for agriculture, irrigation and rural development is diminishing

generally been designed and operated for a single purpose (agricultural production) in isolation from the landscape of the entire catchment with Little or No consideration of broader ecosystem service values LSIS have:

Resulting in large societal & environmental costs: reduction or loss of freshwater and/or other aquatic resources, reduced water quality with impacts on drinking water and recreational uses downstream, and reduced river flows with impacts on aquatic ecosystems and wetlands over 45 mil. ha (19.5%) of irrigated area have salinized soils (FAO, undated)

However, irrigation systems –create a diverse range of agroecosystems –provide a range of valuable provisioning, regulating and diverse habitat services (often unrecognized and undervalued) –provide a range of subsidiary services of substantial value to the communities that depend on them and society at large

Appropriate recognition of all services provided is essential There is a need for active management of irrigation systems to maximize the value of such services

INWEPF INWEPF recognizes that agricultural water not only provides substantial provisioning services, but also a wide range of services that add value to the community, culture and environment.

WLE* & Ecosystems The central objective is to promote the sustainable intensification of agriculture through evidence-based research and policy development. Fundamental to the achievement of this goal is the application and uptake of an ecosystem services and resilience-based approach.

WLE ecosystem services and resilience (ESR) framework

Ecosystem Services

Potential trade-offs of ecosystem services in irrigated agroecosystems (source: Pittock, 2015)

INWEPF & WLE The aims of WLE to improve irrigation services is central to the INWEPF program [Multi-functionality Concepts] Such multiple functional ag. water use must be adequately recognized and evaluated in order to ensure the sustainability of such services. LSIS needs aligned with concepts of ecosystem-inclusive management

HOW DO ECOSYSTEM SERVICES RELATE TO IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE? Historically, the drive for increased productivity and yields has often resulted in degraded environments, reduced biodiversity and reductions in ecosystem services, affected the poor

Ecosystem-inclusive approaches … Unlock the currently unrecognized, and therefore untapped, opportunities and values associated with irrigated agroecosystems to the society Unlocking these values will contribute to: increasing the resilience of agricultural production systems, and enable sustainable intensification of agriculture

ECOSYSTEM SERVICE-INCLUSIVE MANAGEMENT OF LSIS This means new approaches to management /development, modernization, operation & maintenance of irrigation services will be required To achieve higher levels of performance and to sustainably reduce the negative impacts on ecosystems

Irrigated agriculture Levels of decision making that impact the ecosystem of the irrigated area Multi-lateral/ international National policymakers Canal system managers and operators Individual farmers

Irrigation agencies should graduate … Move ahead from original mandate to meet new economic and environmental constraints/ demands. This may require reforms: Reorganizing structure Develop new capacities/ skills

The long-term objective A better-performing and sustainable systems that efficiently and equitably provide a range of water-food-energy- urban-ecosystem ‘goods’ and services.

CONCLUSIONS INWEPF (formed in 2004) addresses multiple services and values provided to communities by the paddy ecosystem WLE research addresses the same objectives which guide future research on ecosystem inclusive management of irrigated agriculture, and INWEPF & WLE –can jointly play key roles to guide and lead the widespread recognition of the values of paddy ecosystems created by LSIS

Photo :Nico Sepe / IWMI Thank you