WATER IN AGRICULTURE: A BETTER USE FOR A BETTER WORLD – INTERNATIONAL MEETING

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
WATER IN AGRICULTURE: A BETTER USE FOR A BETTER

WORLD

INTERNATIONAL MEETING

Co-organized by
– ACCADEMIA DEI GEORGOFILI
– ANBI (ASSOCIAZIONE NAZIONALE CONSORZI DI TUTELA
GESTIONE TERRITORIO E ACQUE IRRIGUE)
– CER (CONSORZIO DI BONIFICA DI SECONDO GRADO PER IL
CANALE EMILIANO ROMAGNOLO)
– CNR-IBE (INSTITUTE OF BIOECONOMY).
Rationale
The connubium water-agriculture is indissoluble. Crop productivity is
strongly dependent on water supply, and the need of irrigation is becoming
more and more urgent in most countries and for most crops. Climate
change and variability increase the fluctuations in precipitation and
surface supplies and largely pose a major threat on water availability.
Agriculture irrigation accounts for 70% of water use worldwide and
competes with the needs of rising population and energy and industry
sectors. An adequate agriculture’s management of this precious resource
and the preservation of its quality are therefore essential to a sustainable
and productive agro-food sector in each country.
This meeting aims to address some of those aspects, rising the attention of
decision and policy makers, technical consultants, stakeholders, general
public and citizens on the increasing need to address sustainable water
use and re-use.
Programme
Chair Federica Rossi- Accademia dei Georgofili-CNR-IBE

9.00 -9.30 – Opening and welcome to participants (Accademia dei
Georgofili- ANBI and ANBI Toscana- CER)
9.30- 9.50 – Climate Change as an added pressure on water resources-
Marina Baldi- CNR-IBE, Director of WMO RTC Italy
Session 1 – Management and re-use (co-chair: Massimo Gargano, Director
General ANBI
9.50- 10.10- Innovation to water management in Italy: a territorial
approach and a decision support system for farmers Tommaso Letterio &
Francesco Cavazza – CER
10.10-10.30 – Water and drought management in the Mediterraneum –
Adriano Battilani. ANBI – General Secretary of Irrigants d'Europe)
10.30- 10.50- Re-use: the case Italy. The value of irrigation, innovation
and water saving. Francesco Vincenzi (President ANBI).
10.50-11.10 – Orientation from the Italian Government. Francesco
Battistoni. Sottosegretario di Stato Ministero per le Politiche Agricole
Alimentari e Forestali. Italian Government
Session 2 – The International Context (co-chair Adriano Battilani, ANBI,
General Secretary of Irrigants d' Europe)
11.20-11.40 – Water management, climate change and agriculture: the
experience from South Africa. Sue Walker. Agricultural Research Council,
ARC Institute for Soil Climate and Water. South Africa |
11.40-12.00 – Water management, climate change and agriculture: the
experience from India. Nabatsu Chattopadyay Former Head, Agricultural
Meteorology Division, Indian Meteorological Department, India
12.00-12.20 – Water management, climate change and agriculture: the
experience from Australia. Scott Power. Director, Centre for Applied
Climate Sciences, University of Queensland. Australia.
12.20- 12-40 -Water management, climate change and agriculture: the
experience from Brazil. Orivaldo Brunini Instituto Agronômico (IAC)

Centro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento de Ecofisiologia e Biofísica.
Brazil.
12.40-13.00 – Paolo De Castro. The European vision. European Parliament
13.00 – 13.30 -Wrap up & conclusions (Paolo Mannini-CER, Massimo
Gargano ANBI, Federica Rossi- Accademia dei Georgofili- IBE).