Sharing innovative, water-saving agri-aquaculture experiences across the Near East and North Africa
Water scarcity is a pressing concern around much of the world, and particularly in the Near East and North Africa region. FAO has responded with Regional Water Scarcity Initiative, managed by FAO’s Regional Office in Cairo, Egypt, and is a part of FAO’s Common Vision for Sustainable Food and Agriculture. As part of this initiative, experts are documenting examples of the smart use of water and best management practices for integrated agriculture-aquaculture farming systems in in focus countries from the Near East and North Africa region including Algeria, Egypt and the Sultanate of Oman.
A farmer-to-farmer study tour was held 6-16 November where FAO facilitated farmers from Algeria, Egypt and Oman to come together and travel to more than ten integrated aquaculture and agriculture farms in Algeria and Egypt.
Through this exchange of experience, funded by the Water Scarcity Initiative and South-South Cooperation with Non State Actors program, farmers learned water saving practices and were able to share what works, and what does not, in a local context.
The scarcity of availability and access to water has led to the development of innovative, integrated aquaculture-agriculture systems that make the best and most complete use of precious water resources; water should not be wasted, and integrating different systems to produce multiple products with the same water increases efficiency.
Read the full article via FAO | Blue Growth blog.
[Photo by FAO / Crespi]
