Water Security and Climate Change Conference 2021

The Food Security Center - FSC (University Hohenheim), the Center for Natural Resources and Development - CNRD (TH Köln), and the International Network on Sustainable Water Management in Developing Countries - SWINDON (TU Braunschweig) held the 5th Water Security and Climate Change conference (WSCC) on 01-04. March 2021.

The WSCC 2021 served as a platform for discussions among scientists, policy makers and stakeholders from various sectors about water and food secure socities. New and innovative ideas were discussed within 20 thematic sessions:

• Urban Water under Climate Change: Transition, Management and Governance
• The Roles of Standards in Securing Urban Waters and its Interventions
• Adapting to Climate Change: Strengthening Urban Water Resilience
• Building Resilience to Hydrometeorological Hazards in Southeast Asia
• Special Session on the Mekong Region
• Irrigation and Drinking Water Security under Climatic Extremes: Empirical Analysis and Policy Lessons
• SDG6 in the Urban Context: Assessing, Analyzing and Addressing Synergies and Trade-offs Between SDG6 and Other SDGs Through Innovative Tools and Methods
• Resilience to Water-Induced Disasters
• Drought Risk Assessment and Mitigation
• Smart Water Technologies and Digital Solutions to Advance Water Security
• Operational Water Management Developments in Southeast Asia
• Water-Climate-Nexus: Challenges and Opportunitiesin Mountainous Regions
• Socio-Economic Aspects of Water and Food Security
• Circular Design-Built Strategies for Climate-Friendly and Citizen-Driven Urban Water and Food Systems
• From Coping to Adaptation: Integrated Strategies to Build Resilience to Water-Related Risks for the Most Vulnerable
• Solutions Towards the Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus
• Nature-Based solutions in Science, Policy and Practice: Filling the Post-2015 Development Agenda with Action
• SDGs in the Light of Synergies, Trade-Offs, and Inclusive Development
• Building Resilient Food Systems Through Efficient Water Use

 And the following Keynotes and Round Tables provided a space for further discussion:

• "Secure and Manage the Water we Eat in a Changing Climate" by Stefan Uhlenbrook (International Water Management Institute)
• "Interconnected Vulnerabilities and Risks for Water Security in the Context of Climate Change" by Zita Sebesvari (United Nations University - Institute for Environment and Human Security)
• Managing Water in a Changing Situation for the Mekong River Basin" by Thim Ly (Mekong River Comission)
• "Climate Change and Water Security Across the Asia Pacific - from Local to Regional Scales" by Nicholas Schofield (Global Future Research)
• Round Table: Science-Policy-Society Interfaces and the Co-designing of Applied Research
• Round Table: Integration of Land and Water Governance to Achieve the SDGs - Opportunities and Costraints

This year, the Food Security Center hosted two of the thematic sessions and a poster session, with more than 10 speakers from around the world who helped us raise awareness on the importance of a sustainable management of agricultural land and water in order to achieve food security, especially in the face of climate chang and ensuring socially acceptability and economic feasibility. 

The key messages from our sessions were:

• Session "Building Resilient Food Systems Through Efficient Water Use" (co-hosted by Mirja Michalscheck, WUR): There are many concrete entry points for change towards greater water use efficiency and food security. Instead of increasing land area for production, it is important to increase resilience, efficiency and productivity on existing areas

• Session "Socio-economic Aspects of Water and Food Security": To guarantee the implementation of more sustainable management of natural and human resources, all strategies need to be socially acceptable and financially feasible. Climate change affects disproportionally more women than men, and more in poor countries.

• Poster Session "Water and Land for Agriculture and Food": Sustainable management of agricultural land and water is fundamental to global food security and it is achievable through integrated systems, which enhance each other´s strenghts and performances.

More info: www.watersecurity.info