Food and Water Systems in the Intelligent Age 2024

Global Commission on the Economics of Water BOX 1 The recent report by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW) highlights the critical importance of water in food and land systems. “Green water”, or water contained within plants and soils, is a crucial but often forgotten part of the global hydrological cycle. Plants absorb soil moisture, and in turn release water vapour into the atmosphere, which then falls as precipitation, emphasizing the transboundary nature of the water cycle and the influence of agricultural development and deforestation in one geography on drought or water scarcity in another. This broadens our understanding of water flows and highlights the need for a new way to value, manage and govern our freshwater resources across industries (including in food systems). The GCEW report also highlights the costs of water inaction/ injustice and the need to adopt water system justice values when dealing with water. Such values undergird the mission- based approach promoted in the report.Mission One of the GCEW articulates the importance of improving water management in food systems to secure future resources for people and planet. Through a focus on irrigation efficiency, coupled with a farmer-led approach to regenerative agriculture supported by the entire food value chain, it’s possible to improve water management while delivering food security and adequate nutrition outcomes, and protecting the livelihoods of farmers. Just partnerships and just financing are needed to scale these solutions globally, and new technology like AI can support this development. Mission Four, however, recognizes the possibilities linked to AI while acknowledging its shortfalls, not least the required water consumption for its operations. Water’s integral role in the global economy, food systems and beyond, must be considered by decision-makers and valued in operations and policies accordingly. Harnessing the latest technology in a sustainable way can support a more data-informed future. Source: Global Commission on the Economics of Water. (2024). The Economics of Water: Valuing the Hydrological Cycle as a Global Common Good . 5 Food and Water Systems in the Intelligent Age