Agricultural water use : assessment of progress in the implementation of the Mar del Plata Action Plan : report of the regional assessment missions

Four regional missions to assess the progress and implementation of the Mar del Plata Action Plan were carried out in January and February of 1990 by the UN DTCD. The interaction of land management and water resources differs by region; ranging from the over-exploitation of arable land in Asia to the over-exploitation of water resources in arid lands. Africa, as a whole, was found to have sufficient rainfed land resources for food production, but insufficient inputs such as seed and fertilizer. Poor management, fragile soils and land degradation were seen as the greatest hindrances. Programmes in some individual countries are outlined. The Asia-Pacific region experiences more problems with salinization and waterlogged soils, often due to increased flooding from catchment degradation and disrupted river regimes. The Latin-American and Caribbean region seems to have abundant natural resources as a whole, although it differs from land to land. Pollution is fast becoming the major issue in this area. The Near East and North Africa have salinization problems on irrigated areas, and the possibilities for extending rainfed agriculture are limited. A section on Europe and North America is included in this report as an example of policies protecting against the degradation of natural resources.