Paddy and Water Environment : Facilitation information exchange and identifying future R & D needs

Abstract

Agriculture will have to meet the future challenges posed by food security by increasing production while conserving natural resources. The conservation of natural resources is important because of the dependence of agriculture on these resources. This means that the natural environment should be managed in such a way as to assure food security for the present and future generations. So, food security is a matter not only of quantity but also of continuity. In this context, the responsible use of natural resources plays a role of paramount importance. Among the basic natural resources upon which life depends are soil and water. The responsible use of soil and water can be described in terms of sustainability or sustainable development. Sustainable development can be viewed as a transformation process in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the direction of technological innovation and adaptation, along with institutional changes, are all in harmony and enhance both the current and future potential, to satisfy the needs and aspirations of a growing world population. This process implies long-term perspective for planning and integrated policies for implementation. Increasing agricultural productivity in an environmentally sustainable manner will be crucial in responding to these challenges. In the past, the increased demand for food has been satisfied by the expansion of agricultural land. Today, the availability of new land for cultivation and additional water resources are limited. Moreover, the more or less uncontrolled increase of agricultural production over the last few decades, in both industrialized and developing countries, has pushed agricultural production to, and in many cases over, the edge of sustainability. This means that the traditional methods for increasing production are facing a new challenge; reconciling agricultural development and the conservation of natural resources. Agricultural engineering has been applying scientific principles for optimizing the use and management of natural resources for centuries, and with the new millennium it is playing an increasingly important role. There are at least two reasons for this. First, the wise use of land and water resources will play a role of paramount importance in the provision of food for future generations. Second, the demand for different land and water uses is increasing tremendously, especially in the developed world. Rational water management and land-use planning will help to reconcile these different demands and assure food security, while conserving the environment. In this context, the prospects of increasing the gross cultivated area, in both developed and developing countries, are limited by the dwindling number of economically attracDaniele De Wrachien