Wetlands & Agriculture: Partners for Growth

WORLD WETLANDS DAY 2 FEBRUARY

WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH

UNDERSTANDING MANAGING FINDING CREATIVE AGRICULTURE THE IMPACTS SOLUTIONS AND WETLANDS OF AGRICULTURE

This leaﬂ et has been made possible thanks to the Danone Fund for Water INTRODUCTION

Wetlands have been used for agriculture for millennia, Wetlands provide food and other agricultural products especially riverine wetlands in fl oodplains where soils such as fuel and fi bre directly through agricultural are fertile and water is plentiful. Indeed, wetlands production activities that take place within wetlands, have nurtured the development of many important such as in rice paddies, coastal grazing marshes, cultures around the world – but the downside is that recession agriculture and aquaculture in large fl oodplains, drainage and reclamation of wetlands for agriculture and cropping of small seasonal wetlands. Wetlands also has become ever more widespread and effective. support agriculture indirectly, for example by providing In some regions of the world more than 50% fertile soils and reliable supplies of good quality water. of peatlands, marshes, riparian zones, lake littoral zones and fl oodplains have been lost, with conversion In support of the UN International Year of Family for agricultural uses being one of the primary reasons Farming, Ramsar’s theme for World Wetlands Day 2014 for these ongoing wetland losses. Today, roughly is Wetlands and agriculture. It provides an ideal 2.5 billion rural people depend directly on agriculture, opportunity to highlight the importance of wetlands forestry, fi shing and hunting or some combination in supporting agriculture, especially since many family of these for their livelihoods. Thus agriculture is often farming operations rely on the soils, water, plants a primary driver of economic growth in developing and animals found in wetlands to provide food security countries and provides critical economic support and improve their livelihoods. In this leafl et we’ll explore for poor rural households. some of the more critical interdependencies between agriculture, water and wetlands, with special attention to the role of wetlands in providing natural ■ 4 / AGRICULTURE AND WETLANDS: infrastructure to support agriculture for food production. COMPLEX INTERACTIONS IN A COMPLEX SETTING We’ll also show how people around the world are fi nding practical ways to resolve some of the confl icts ■ 6 / IMPACTS OF AGRICULTURE ON WETLANDS IN BRIEF and tensions that can arise. The Ramsar Convention ■ 8 / FACTS AND FIGURES and partner organizations such as FAO and IWMI offer many practical tools and integrated approaches ■ 10 / AGRICULTURE, WETLANDS AND WATER – FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE to help in these efforts. ■ 15 / RAMSAR, FAO AND IWMI ■ 15 / ADDITIONAL READING

2 / WORLD WETLANDS DAY - WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH Before we look in more depth at wetland-agriculture interactions it is useful DEFINITIONS to fi rst identify the diversity of types and scales of agriculture. Agriculture encompasses subsistence production, where families produce enough Ramsar uses a broad defi nition of to meet their own needs; small-scale or artisanal production, where farmers wetlands, including lakes and rivers, swamps may produce additional, often specialized, goods in relatively small quantities and marshes, wet grasslands and peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal fl ats, near- which they can trade or sell; and commercial production, where large shore marine areas, mangroves and coral reefs, quantities of agricultural goods are produced, often in monoculture settings, and human-made sites such as fi sh ponds, rice for widespread distribution and sale. paddies, reservoirs, and salt pans.

Intensive agricultural systems tend to use more inputs (fertilizers, chemicals, “Agriculture is “the deliberate effort modern machinery or traditional manual labour) to generate higher levels to modify a portion of Earth’s surface through of productivity from relatively smaller areas. Extensive (sometimes called the cultivation of crops and the raising of non-intensive) agricultural systems tend to use smaller inputs relative livestock for sustenance or economic gain” (Rubenstein, J.M. 2003). Crops may provide to land area and rely more on natural processes and productivity. food and other resources such as fuel and medicines. Crop production can be rainfed or irrigated. Irrigation can be delivered through surface water application via spraying or fl ooding of fi elds For the purposes of this leafl et, this defi nition or through mist, micro-jet and micro-drip irrigation systems. In many arid of agriculture will include not only land-based parts of the world, farmers use traditional practices as well as modern agriculture, but also inland and coastal technology to carefully manage soil moisture content in their fi elds aquaculture (but not capture fi sheries). to ensure adequate water for their crops. Aquaculture as defi ned by FAO includes the farming of both animals (including crusta- ceans, fi nfi sh and molluscs) and plants (includ- Combined agricultural production systems, bringing together crop ing seaweeds and freshwater macrophytes). farming, animal husbandry and sometimes aquaculture in one farming operation, can be found in all parts of the world, and can be either intensive or extensive systems. © GO Stock / GraphicObsession © GO Stock

WORLD WETLANDS DAY - WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH / 3 AGRICULTURE AND WETLANDS: COMPLEX INTERACTIONS IN A COMPLEX SETTING

A coastal grazing marsh in the Axios Delta, Greece

Wetland agriculture, a route out of poverty? © Lia Papadranga “Cecilia Pensulo lives in the Mpika District of Northern Zambia, bringing up four Given their importance for water supply and food production, wetlands children by herself. She was are a key element of achieving the goals of poverty alleviation worldwide. aware that there was plenty They can literally be lifesavers – for example, oases and springs, of land available in the dambo particularly in arid regions, that support dry season food production, (seasonal wetland) near her water and grazing for livestock. village. With help from a local NGO she learned that with Wetlands used for agriculture can be: grasslands. Many wet grasslands are new cultivation methods this Wetland ecosystems which have also important for biodiversity and previously unusable land could been converted to some degree but hydrological functions as well as for become productive. In her maintain a modified range of eco- agriculture and freshwater fi sheries. fi rst year of cultivation in the system services that support agri- dambo she met her household cultural production. Examples include Wetlands maintained in a natural costs and could also send her “dambos”, “bas fonds”, “inland valleys” state for production and harvesting children to school again. In her and other similar small seasonal of specifi c products, such as the Kakagon second year, from the pump- wetlands in Africa; fl oodplains in which and Bad River Sloughs Ramsar Site kins, squash and tomatoes fl ood recession agriculture and seasonal in the USA, where wild rice beds are she sold to traders from the aquaculture are practiced; rice paddies; managed and harvested using traditional nearby district headquarters, and coastal grazing marshes. techniques. she managed to make over $200, a small fortune by local Wetlands that are dependent on Wetland systems constructed or standards.” continued agricultural activities to managed expressly for agricultural Source: Sampa J. (2008) maintain their ecological character, purposes may also have wetland bio- such as mowing and grazing in wet diversity values, for example cranberry

4 / WORLD WETLANDS DAY - WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH KEY MESSAGE Wetlands and biofuels, friends or foes? Wetlands serve as valuable natural The cultivation of various crops for bioenergy has increased rapidly infrastructure for agriculture, since 2000. If current trends continue, land requirements for biofuel providing reliable water and fertile production in 2030 are expected to be about 35 million hectares, an area soils, but they are at risk from agri- the size of Spain and France combined. culture’s growing demands for land and water. They are increasingly In some parts of the world the land and water impacts on wetlands due threatened by population growth, to biofuel production have been signiﬁ cant. For example, many tropical large-scale development initiatives peatlands in southeast Asia (about 880,000 ha by the early 2000s) have intended to alleviate poverty, and the been drained and converted for production of palm oil, which is used for possible impacts of climate change. bioenergy amongst other things. The functions and economic values The Ramsar Convention’s resolution on wetlands and biofuels in 2008 of wetlands must be considered in noted the growing tensions between wetlands and biofuel production. planning for the production of food While sustainable biofuel production can provide additional revenue and other agricultural products. for farmers and satisfy essential energy needs, national and regional energy planning need to consider the impacts on wetland ecosystem services and ﬁ nd ways to balance the “pros” and “cons”.

DEFINITION

Wetlands deliver a wide range of ecosystem services that contribute to human wellbeing. These include provisioning services such as food, fresh water, ﬁ bre and fuel; regulating services such as water purification and waste treatment, climate regulation, retention of soils and sediments, protection from storms and floods; supporting services such as soil formation and nutrient cycling (nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon); and cultural services such as aesthetic and spiritual values, education and recreation. Palm oil fruits ready for transport, Sungai gelam, Jambi, Indonesia © M.J. Silvius

bogs, ﬁ sh ponds, or reservoirs ori- Wetlands are also increasingly being many regions of the world, which in ginally built for irrigation which also impacted by activities related to turn will particularly affect agriculture. support migratory waterbirds and other energy production, for example through This places wetlands in the middle of wetland species. demands for water and large-scale the ‘energy-water-food-ecosystems conversion of wetland areas for the nexus’, where wetlands both affect Many wetland ecosystems around cultivation of biofuels. and are affected by energy, water and the world have already been severely food policies. The challenge? We need affected by agricultural water use: for Wetlands are being ‘joined-up’ thinking to manage these example, the Aral Sea has lost about interconnections, and for many countries two-thirds of its volume and its water impacted by conversion this is an ongoing challenge. ■ has become much more saline due for“ the cultivation to upstream demands for irrigation of biofuels water; abstraction of groundwater for irrigation in the Guadiana basin in The likely impacts of climate change Spain has led to rivers running dry and will also add to stresses” on wetlands downstream wetlands becoming desic- and wetland fauna and ﬂ ora that are cated; human pressures and rising air already working hard to deliver food temperatures have led to the frequent and fresh water for humans – they drying up of the Yellow River in China. will make rainfall less predictable in

WORLD WETLANDS DAY - WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH / 5 IMPACTS OF AGRICULTURE ON WETLANDS IN BRIEF

There are many ways in which poorly managed agriculture can negatively impact wetlands. This can lead to changes in the ecological character of a wetland and the possible permanent loss of its beneﬁ ts to people.

Seaweed aquaculture in Zanzibar, Tanzania

DEFINITION Water quantity impacts: Decreases Water quality impacts: Intensive the ecological RamsarRRamsar dedefifin nese in fl ows due to the building of dams agriculture activities including intensive character of a wetland as and abstraction of surface water and aquaculture often lead to increased ecosystem “the combination of the groundwater for irrigation or other loads of pollutants such as pesticides, components (physical, chemical purposes, increases in river fl ows or fertilizers, antibiotics and disinfectants. and biological parts of a wetland), water levels due to irrigation return Not only do these affect the ecological processes (physical, chemical fl ows or dam releases, and changes character of both inland and coastal or biological changes or reactions in the timing and patterns of river wetlands, they also have impacts occurring naturally in a wetland) fl ows can all signifi cantly alter and on human health and the quality of benefi ts/services and (benefi ts sometimes damage the ecological drinking water supplied from wetlands. that people receive from wetlands) character of wetlands. Many coastal that characterize the wetland wetlands depend on the nutrients and at a given point in time”. sediments carried down by rivers to maintain their ecological character.

6 / WORLD WETLANDS DAY - WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH Confl icts over land and water in the Tana River Delta. Approximately 97,000 people living in the Tana Delta in Kenya relied on water and grazing for livestock, cultivated rice and other © Erik Mörk/Azote crops on the fl ood recession and river banks, and made use of the Delta’s diverse fi sh resources. Increasing Wetland conversion and disturbance: several countries, with an associated demands from developers Agricultural activities which can disturb loss of wetland ecosystem services such to convert large tracts of land wetland functions and ecosystem as coastal storm protection, fi sheries, in the Delta for biofuels and services include the drainage and and mangrove forest products. ■ other commercial crops led conversion of wetlands to cultivated to violence as the people living land or aquaculture; the introduction in the Delta found their of invasive plant and animal species; livelihoods threatened. the introduction of human and animal The High Court recently ruled disease vectors; and the disturbance that a master plan for the of breeding, migration and feeding shared use of the Delta’s patterns of wetland fauna. For example, natural resources must be the rapid expansion of intensive shrimp drawn up with the full farming has contributed to the loss participation of local people. of large areas of coastal wetlands in

WORLD WETLANDS DAY - WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH / 7 FACTS AND FIGURES

Water for agriculture: how much do we use; how does it affect wetlands? And what lies ahead in the coming decades – do we have enough water for our planet’s growing population? 7O% 4O% 2O% The percentage of all withdrawals from The approximate percentage of irrigated The estimated percentage of current surface water and groundwater that is areas that rely on groundwater either as agricultural water needs that are met used for agricultural purposes. Most a primary source or in conjunction with by irrigation - the rest is provided by of it is used for irrigation: some ﬁ nds other sources of water. rainfall. The balance between rainfed its way back to rivers and groundwater and irrigated agriculture is highly as return ﬂ ows, and the rest returns to variable around the world (Figure 2). the atmosphere through evapotranspiration (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Water use in rainfed and irrigated agriculture

Rainfall Green Blue (thousands of cubic water water kilometers Bioenergy per year) forest Rivers 110 products Soil 100% grazing lands Wetlands biodiversity moisture Lakes from rain Groundwater Landscape 56% Crops livestock Water Crops storage livestock Rainfed aquaculture aquatic agriculture biodiversity 4.5% Irrigated fisheries Cities and agriculture industries 0.6% 1.4% Open 0.1% water evaporation 1.3%

Green water Blue water Ocean 36%

Landscape Dam and reservoir

Landscape

Irrigated Rainfed agriculture agriculture

Wetlands Cities

Source: Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture (2007)

8 / WORLD WETLANDS DAY - WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH 19% 11% 6.6%

The best estimate of the increase by The percentage of the world’s land surface The average growth per year in food fi sh 2050 over current rates of global agri- currently used for crop production. Agri- production through aquaculture between cultural water consumption, including cultural production has almost tripled 1970 and 2008. The demands for land, rainfed and irrigated agriculture, to over the past 50 years while the total water and feed for fi sh are also increasing, produce food, fi bre and bioenergy – and cultivated area has only grown by 12%, leading to more pressures on both inland much of the increase will be in irrig- clearly showing the effects of intensifi c- and coastal wetlands. ation water demand in areas which are ation. Irrigated areas have doubled in already water-scarce. extent in that time, and they account for about 40% of the increase in production.

Figure 2: Balance between rainfed and irrigated agriculture around the world Global total: 7,130 cubic kilometers (80% from green water, 20% from blue water)

780 650 220

235 1,670 Blue 905 water 1,080 1,480

110 Green water

More than 75% of production More than half of production More than half of production More than 75% of production from rainfed areas from rainfed areas from irrigated areas from irrigated areas

Note: Production refers to gross value of production. The pie charts show total crop KEY MESSAGES water evapotranspiration in cubic kilometers by region. In many parts of the world water resources have already been utilized at or Source: Comprehensive Assessment of beyond their sustainable limits. Agriculture will need more water to support Water Management in Agriculture (2007) more people in future, yet wetlands must still have enough water to maintain their ecological character and essential ecosystem services. Agriculture will need more land to support more people in the future, but conversion of wetlands for agriculture will lead to the loss of vital wetland ecosystem services.

WORLD WETLANDS DAY - WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH / 9 AGRICULTURE, WETLANDS AND WATER FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE

The wise use of wetlands and their ecosystem services is central to the purpose of the Ramsar Convention. So what is wise use in the agricultural context? It means managing agriculture-wetland interactions in ways that maintain essential wetland ecosystem services; it means seeking an appropriate balance between provisioning, supporting, regulating and cultural services. The need to ﬁ nd this balance as well as recognize the importance of wetlands to agriculture are highlighted in Ramsar’s Resolution VIII.34 (2002) on agriculture, wetlands and water resources management.

DEFINITIONS Agriculture focuses on managing and Yet experience and observations from At the centre of the Ramsar enhancing provisioning ecosystem many wetlands show that it is indeed philosophy is the concept of “wise use” services. While we can increase agri- possible to fi nd mutual benefi ts for – in its simplest terms it means cultural production – thus increasing agriculture and wetlands, particularly the conservation and sustainable use the provisioning services – perhaps by when local solutions are implemented of wetlands and their resources, for using more fertilizers to obtain higher using local knowledge, within larger the benefi t of humankind. For scientists yields for crops grown in seasonal wet- integrated planning efforts. it is defi ned as “the maintenance of their lands or by withdrawing larger amounts ecological character, achieved through of water for irrigation, there is the risk The most effective solutions to the the implementation of ecosystem that the ecological character of the wet- question of balance tend to be those that approaches, within the context of lands will be altered to the point where employ a combination of approaches, sustainable development”. we lose essential regulating and sup- including: agricultural practices that porting services (Figure 3). And this can help to reduce impacts on wetlands; An agroecosystem can be defi ned in turn result in the subsequent loss or development of multifunctional agro- as “a biological and natural resource degradation of those very provisioning ecosystems which are managed to system managed by humans for services that were so important in the provide the broadest possible range of the primary purpose of producing fi rst place. wetland ecosystem services; and restor- food as well as other socially valuable ation of wetlands to provide functions non-food goods and environmental Global solutions are few, since climate, and services in agricultural landscapes. ■ services”. wetlands, agriculture and communities vary so greatly from region to region.

Figure 3: Agriculture generally increases provisioning ecosystem services at the expense of regulating and cultural services.

AGRICULTURAL ECOSYSTEM “NATURAL” ECOSYSTEM

Pollination

Pest control

Timber Water balance regulation Water balance regulation Timber

Tourism & recreation

Tourism Meat & recreation Meat Spiritual values

Crops

Spiritual values Provisioning ecosystem services

Regulating ecosystem services

Crops Cultural ecosystem services

Source: L.J. Gordon et. al. Agricultural Water management 97 (2010): 512-519

10 / WORLD WETLANDS DAY - WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH REDUCING IMPACTS OF AGRICULTURE ON WETLANDS

More “crop per drop”: There is still much scope for improvement in water productivity and management in both irrigated and rainfed agriculture. Highly efﬁ cient irrigation technologies are becoming more widely available; drought-tolerant crop varieties are reducing irrigation needs; and cultivation of more flood-tolerant crops could reduce the need to drain wetlands. Traditional agricultural water management practices can be made more effective with smartphone technologies that allow farmers to access weather and crop data in the ﬁ eld. Water re-use and wastewater use in agriculture can reduce withdrawals from wetlands.

Return fl ows from urban areas could © Aboukar Mahamat provide valuable water resources for Waza Logone Ramsar Site where traditional farming, livestock and fi shing sustain local livelihoods agriculture, and wetlands can help to provide treatment before this water is Integrated water resources plan- Reducing the impacts of agricul- used for agriculture. ning: While large dams will remain ture on water quality: Options such as an option for reducing the vulnerability conservation tillage and organic farm- of farmers to drought and for increasing ing practices can reduce the pollution production, small local storage options loads reaching wetlands. Integrated Combined production such as tanks and farm dams provide pest management and targeted life systems local resilience: for example, the ancient stage interventions can help to reduce irrigation systems of Sri Lanka utilize the need for pesticide. Combined pro- Combined production systems networks of large and small reservoirs duction systems can utilize livestock are often intensive smallholder called “tanks”, which are frequently manure to fertilize crops and aqua- operations, and while they may a rich source of wetland biodiversity. culture. In small, intensive operations require signifi cant labour inputs Larger dams can be designed and and family farms these strategies can they are often very effi cient operated for multiple uses such as reduce input costs signifi cantly. ■ in their use of soil, water agriculture, hydropower, fisheries, and nutrients. In traditional and recreation, and should allow water rice-fi sh systems in Asia, releases for downstream ecosystems. farmers use practices that are thousands of years old, where fi sh provide fertilizer for the rice and help to control insect pests and weeds in the Management solutions in Cameroon fi elds, while the rice provides In the Waza-Logone fl oodplain in Cameroon, seasonal fl oods shade and habitat for the fi sh. traditionally supported a large population of fi shers, sedentary farmers Rice-fi sh-duck systems in China and pastoralists, all relying on the reliable natural sequence take this approach further, of inundation and fl ood recession. The construction of a large dam and in areas where silk pro- upstream to provide irrigation water for a rice cultivation project led to duction is important, mulberry a sharp reduction in fl ooding downstream, with associated loss of wetland trees are incorporated into ecosystems and the livelihoods of people living in the fl oodplain. combined production systems Subsequently, alternative water management options were negotiated with fi sh and ducks. The ancient and implemented in order to restore some of the fl ooding patterns Ifugao Rice Terraces in the while still providing water for the rice schemes. The outcomes have Philippines support intensive been very positive, with the return of traditional farming productivity organic food production, signi- as well as increases in fi sh catches and carrying capacity for wildlife fi cant agricultural biodiversity and livestock. This experience highlights the importance of recognizing and a culture that is two the values of wetland-dependent agriculture in planning for agricultural thousand years old. water infrastructure.

WORLD WETLANDS DAY - WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH / 11 MANAGING LAND AND WATER FOR MULTIFUNCTIONAL AGROECOSYSTEMS

Conventional commercial agriculture has tended to focus on a single provi- Urban agriculture sioning ecosystem service or at most a Increasing productivity on agri- The wetland provides about 150 narrow range of services such as one cultural land outside wetlands will tons of fresh vegetables daily, or other of grain, fi bre, fi sh, meat or help to reduce the need to convert as well as some 10,500 tons of table biofuel production. In a multifunctional wetlands. Growing interest in urban fi sh per year, the latter providing agroecosystem approach, farmers agriculture as a viable option livelihoods for about 50,000 people manage land and water for a larger set for providing food to cities helps directly, and as many again indirectly. of ecosystem services. Where wetland to ensure that productivity of other ecosystem services are involved, this In Freetown, Sierra Leone, low-lying available land is taken into account requires a good hydrological and eco- valleys and areas prone to fl ooding before converting wetlands. logical understanding of the landscape are being zoned for agriculture in so that production systems deliver not Wetlands in or near urban areas order to discourage people from only provisioning services but also also provide opportunities for city building there. The green open essential regulating, supporting and dwellers to grow crops and raise spaces can store excess fl ood water cultural services. An approach that livestock, which in many cases and allow infi ltration of stormwater. recognizes the values of the full range can be a critical lifeline for poor In Amman, Jordan, urban agriculture of ecosystem services will also allow urban people. and forestry are integrated into farmers to identify where and how net In East Calcutta Wetlands (a Ramsar the city’s Clean Development Plan. benefi ts could be achieved. ■ Site in India), the city’s waste water In Cape Town, South Africa, 450 ha is treated and used for pond-fi sh of wetland area have been protected cultivation and agriculture. within the city in order to support small-scale horticulture.

RESTORING WETLANDS IN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES

Restoring wetland functions and securing water allocations to maintain the ecological character of wetlands Paying farmers to restore ecosystem services can be viewed as investments in the Wetland ecosystem services other than agricultural production also have natural infrastructure that wetlands economic value, for example in reducing peak fl ood fl ows or protecting provide for agriculture. Wetlands on the quality of drinking water supplies. In a growing number of countries, agricultural land can help to manage farmers are paid by downstream benefi ciaries to provide these services. flood waters in the wet seasons, In the Tualatin watershed (USA), a local water utility pays farmers to improve soil moisture conditions, restore riparian vegetation in order to generate shade over the river – provide more local water storage for this cools the water and offsets the temperature impact of the water irrigation in the dry season, and provide treatment plant’s discharge as well as improving stream habitat for water for ecosystems downstream. ■ salmon. And this in turn helps farmers to keep their land in production while also diversifying their revenue.

The Srebarna Ramsar Site in Bulgaria includes arable lands, forests, islets with reedbeds and a freshwater lake © Ivan Yanchev © Ivan

12 / WORLD WETLANDS DAY - WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH RAMSAR SITES EXAMPLES OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL AGROECOSYSTEMS?

Figure 4: Ramsar Sites which include agricultural wetland types

As of August 2013, approximately 20% of all Ramsar Sites included one or more of the following Ramsar wetland types: Aquaculture; Ponds, i.e., farm or stock ponds, small tanks; Irrigated land including irrigation channels and rice ﬁ elds; Seasonally ﬂ ooded irrigation land.

DEFINITION RamsarRamsar SiSites are wetlands designated by the Convention’s Contracting Parties for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance because they meet one or more of the Ramsar Criteria. Learn more about the Criteria here: Africa North America Oceania www.ramsar.org/criteria_en/ Asia Neotropics Other Ramsar Sites Europe

There are many Ramsar Sites around the world where agricultural production within the wetland area is an integral aspect of both the ecological character Csonka © P. and the wise use of that wetland (Figure 4). Many human-made Ramsar Sites constructed expressly for agriculture or aquaculture also provide signiﬁ cant biodiversity and cultural values.

Of course Ramsar Sites are not immune to threats posed by agricultural activities within or outside their boundaries. A study undertaken in 2006 showed that more than 78% of all Ramsar Sites supported agricultural activities but these same activities were also listed as a threat to more than half of those sites. ■ Supporting wildlife: human-made Lakes of Tata Ramsar Site, Hungary

Traditional agriculture is praticed by Marsh Arabs in the Mesopotamian Marshlands © Lew Young © Lew Organically farmed rice ﬁ elds at Kabukuri-numa Ramsar Site, Japan RAMSAR SITES AND AGRICULTURE, A WORLD OF DIVERSITY

Rice paddies at the Kabukuri-numa ticed their traditional agriculture in under CC-by-SA license © Ikmo-ned on wikimedia © wetland in Japan are farmed organically the Mesopotamian Marshlands for over Flooded marshes of Cotentin and Bessin and also managed so as to attract winter- 5,000 years, gathering reeds, cultivating Ramsar Site, France ing waterbirds. In winter and post-harvest, cereals and date palm, grazing large the rice fi elds are left fl ooded for wild livestock, fi shing and hunting. birds to winter in the site; later the The Cuatrociénegas Wildlife nutrient-rich soil from droppings is used Protection Area in the Chihuahuan as natural fertilizer for the wild rice, in Desert in Mexico is a complex of addition to controlling weeds and pests. streams, marshes and lakes where a The marshes of the Cotentin and local conservation network has joined Bessin in France are fl ooded in winter forces with the users of water from the © APFF Cuatrociénagas Nopal, a vegetable made from the prickly and provide a huge area for fi sh and wetland for agriculture. Through this pear, replaces high water-demanding crops waterbirds. When they dry in spring, cooperation new crops have been intro- in the Cuatrociénegas Ramsar Site local farmers release their cattle on duced such as the nopal, a vegetable the rich pasture land. The surround- that has replaced traditional crops with KEY MESSAGES ing higher meadows are used for hay higher water requirements. This has Improving the agricultural making. This sustainable way of dairy generated higher income for farmers productivity of land and water can farming evolved in medieval times and and reduced the water needs from the help to limit the amount of water still suits modern agricultural needs. wetland. that is withdrawn from wetlands The Oasis de Ouled Saïd in Algeria In the Laguna de la Cocha in Colombia, and discourage their conversion is a rare human-made wetland created farming families have given up unsustain- for agriculture. on the vestiges of a “fossil” wadi where able practices such as charcoal pro- a traditional “fouggara” system has duction in favour of more sustainable Intensifi cation of agricultural been constructed for the capture and activities. The use of agrochemicals activities can provide some effi ciency distribution of groundwater. The water, has declined and new production gains, and so too can adoption distributed in little open-air chan- techniques involving composting, crop of new technologies by farmers nels within the tradition of an ances- rotation and earthworm breeding have or the reintroduction of traditional tral social organization, is shared out reduced soil degradation. ■ practices with new technological equitably to individual gardens for the support. cultivation of palms, cereals and fruits. Managing land and water to create The site is also important for migratory multifunctional agroecosystems helps birds and includes important archaeo- to provide diversity and resilience logical remains of “Ksars” (fortresses) for livelihoods and maintain a balance from the 14th century. between provisioning, regulating, Hawizeh Marsh in Iraq (Haur Al- Organically grown supporting and cultural wetland winter-fl ooded Hawizeh): the indigenous tribes of rice from ecosystem services. Marsh Arabs, or Madans, have prac- Kabukuri-numa © Masayuki Kurechi

14 / WORLD WETLANDS DAY - WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH RAMSAR, FAO AND IWMI

The UN International Year of Family Farming 2014, coordinated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), offers an FAO, a longtime contributor opportunity to highlight the critical to the work of Ramsar’s Scientiﬁ c role of wetlands as natural and Technical Review Panel, infrastructure to support agriculture. is mandated to improve nutrition, Many Ramsar Sites support increase agricultural productivity, agriculture for families and households. raise the standard of living in rural Ramsar has access to a rich and diverse populations and contribute to global body of knowledge about agriculture economic growth. IWMI’s aim is to and wetland interdependencies, improve the management of land accumulated over the Convention’s and water resources for food, long history. livelihoods and the environment. © Porojnicu ADDITIONAL READING

We have made use of many resources in preparing this text. General Wood, A. and van Halsema, G. (2008). Scoping agriculture-wetland reading on the relationship between wetlands and agriculture is given interactions: towards a sustainable multiple-response strategy. FAO below. Specifi c sources of information used in each section are available Water Report No. 33, Rome. in a separate document on our website here: ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/011/i0314e/i0314e.pdf www.ramsar.org/WWD2014-resources/ World Bank (2005). Shaping the future of water for agriculture: a sour- cebook for investment in agricultural water management. Washington DC. Boelee, E. (ed) 2011. Ecosystems for water and food security. Nairobi: UNESCO-WWAP (2012). World Water Development Report 4: Mana- United Nations Environment Programme. Colombo: International Water ging water under uncertainty and risk. Management Institute. www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/water/wwap/ FAO (2011). The state of the world’s land and water resources for food wwdr/wwdr4-2012/ and agriculture: managing systems at risk. Rome. UNESCO-WWAP (2009). World Water Development Report 3: www.fao.org/nr/solaw/en/ Water in a changing world. FAO (2013). FAO Statistical Yearbook: World food and agriculture. www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/water/wwap/ www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3107e/i3107e00.htm wwdr/wwdr3-2009/ Gordon, Finlayson & Falkenmark (2010). Managing water in agriculture for food production and other ecosystem services. Agricultural Water RAMSAR DOCUMENTS: www.ramsar.org Management 97(4): 512-519. Resolution VIII.34 Agriculture, wetlands and water resource mana- Hirji, R. and Davis, R. (2009). Environmental fl ows in water resources gement (2002). policies, plans and projects: fi ndings and recommendations. World Bank, Resolution X.25 Wetlands and “biofuels” (2008). Washington DC. Resolution X.31 Enhancing biodiversity in rice paddies as wetland McCartney, M.; Rebelo, L-M.; Senaratna Sellamuttu, S.; de Silva, S. systems (2008). 2010. Wetlands, agriculture and poverty reduction. Colombo, Sri Lanka: Resolution XI.11 Principles for the planning and management of urban International Water Management Institute. and peri-urban wetlands (2012). www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Publications/IWMI_Research_Reports/PDF/ Briefi ng Note 2: Wetlands and water storage: current and future trends PUB137/RR137.pdf and issues (2012). Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005). Ecosystems and human Briefi ng Note 4: The benefi ts of wetland restoration (2012). well-being: wetlands and water synthesis. World Resources Institute, Handbook 9: Integrating wetland conservation and wise use into river Washington, DC. basin management. 4th ed. (2010). www.unep.org/maweb/documents/document.358.aspx.pdf Handbook 10: Guidelines for the allocation and management of water Russi, D., ten Brink, P., Farmer, A., Badura, T., Coates, D., Förster, for maintaining the ecological functions of wetlands. 4th ed. (2010). J., Kumar, R. and Davidson, N. (2013). The Economics of ecosystems and Handbook 11: Managing groundwater to maintain wetland ecological biodiversity (TEEB) for water and wetlands. IEEP, London and Brussels; character. 4th ed. (2010). Ramsar Secretariat, Gland. Ramsar Technical Report 7: Ramsar wetland disease manual: www.ramsar.org/TEEB-report/ Guidelines for assessment, monitoring and management of animal Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture disease in wetlands(2012). (2007). Water for food, water for life: a comprehensive assessment of Ramsar Technical Report 9: Determination and implementation of water management in agriculture (Summary for decision makers). environmental water requirements for estuaries (2012). London: Earthscan, and Colombo: IWMI. www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Assessment/

WORLD WETLANDS DAY - WETLANDS & AGRICULTURE: PARTNERS FOR GROWTH / 15 © Gary Shackelford twitter: @IWMI_Water_News www.facebook.com/IWMIonFB www.iwmi.org Email: [email protected] Tel:: +94112784080– Fax: +94112786854 Battaramulla, SriLanka 127, SunilMawatha,Pelawatte, P. O.Box 2075,Colombo, SriLanka. Management Institute IWMI -InternationalWater twitter: @faonews; @faoknowledge www.facebook.com/UNFAO www.fao.org Email: [email protected] Tel: +390657051–Fax: +390657053152 00153 Rome,Italy Viale delle Terme diCaracalla FAO –Food and Agriculture Organization twitter: @RamsarConv RamsarConventionOnWetlands www.facebook.com/ wwww.ramsar.org Email: [email protected] Tel: +41229990170–Fax: +41229990169 CH-1196 Gland,Switzerland Rue Mauverney 28 The RamsarConvention onWetlands

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