Water and Agriculture | Implications for Development and Growth

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March 30, 2009  9:00AM - 4:30PM
Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Building
1740 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036

Conference Objectives

The conference will convene international leaders—from government, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and academia—to share their expertise in realms of water, agriculture and global development. Discussions will focus on the impact of these global resource trends on smallholder farmers, assessing strategies to increase both financial incomes and health outcomes in an effort to reduce poverty and improve smallholder farmer livelihood. Ultimately, the event will build awareness about agricultural and water issues, suggest key research initiatives relevant to future policy, and contribute to the ongoing debate about the nature and structure of U.S. development policy and U.S. international water policy.

Agenda

Welcoming Remarks: Jessica Einhorn, Dean of SAIS

Keynote 1: (9:15 - 10:00 AM) John Briscoe, Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Environmental Engineering at Harvard University, speaking on "Availability, Distribution, and Control of Water for Agriculture"

Panel 1: (10:15 - 11:30 AM) Political Economy of Water and Agriculture

Panelists will explore the linkages between water and agriculture, including the discrepancies between (a) urban and rural water access and (b) industrial and agricultural water use for economic development. The discussion will also cover key variables, like energy and global warming as well as the impact of these trends on smallholder farmers.

• Olcay Unver, UNESCO (chair)
• Xurong Mei, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS): China’s water and agriculture sustainability challenges for smallholder farmers
• Jason Clay, World Wildlife Fund: Reducing environmental impacts of commodities production
• Mark Rosegrant, International Food Policy Research Institute: Energy demand and climate change effects on food and water

Working Lunch:  (11:30 - 12:30) Water and Agriculture in U.S. Foreign Assistance

Panelists from the U.S. government will participate in a moderated discussion of water and irrigation projects aimed at reducing rural poverty in developing countries.

• James Franckiewicz, USAID
• Michael O’Neill, USDA
• Erik Peterson, CSIS (moderator)

Panel 2: (12:30 - 1:45) Water and Agricultural Competitiveness

This panel discussion will examine a number of competitiveness issues relating to water and agriculture and their impacts on smallholder farmers, including natural efficiencies; effects of subsidies; trade patterns; and technological innovation and distribution.

• Peter McCornick, Duke University (chair)
• Rathinasamy Maria Saleth, Madras Institute of Development Studies: Institutional irrigation management in India
• Qiuqiong Huang, University of Minnesota: Impacts of trade patterns on China's agriculture and water use
• Yasmina Zaidman, Acumen Fund: Market-based technology delivery for water efficiency in agrictulture

Panel 3: (2:00 - 3:15) Technology in Water and Agriculture

Panelists—from a range of countries—will focus on the challenges and opportunities related to water and agricultural technologies, including subsistence technology for the poor; commercial technologies; sustainability issues; and emerging technologies.

• Susan Murcott, MIT (chair)
• Greg Allgood, Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, Procter & Gamble: Subsistence technology for the world's poor
• Christa Peters-Lidard, NASA: Remote sensing for use in agriculture and water sectors
• Juan Jose Consejo, Ashoka Fellow, Oaxacan Institute for Nature and Society (INSO): Alternative technology projects in Mexico

Keynote 2: (3:15 - 4:00) Ger Bergkamp, the Director General of the World Water Council, speaking on "Future of Water and Agriculture"

Closing Session: (4:00- 4:30) William Cosgrove, Ecoconsult

View a List of Hotels

This conference is in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and: