Bridging Borders for Water Security
As the sun sets in Stockholm and this year's World Water Week comes to a close, Catherine David , Director of Behaviour Change and Business Programmes at WRAP , reflects on where we are?as a water community, and what it will take for us to make the progress we need to see to achieve a water secure world.
Today, more than 2.4 billion people are living in water stressed countries, and globally we have seen freshwater resources per person drop by 20% in the past two decades – with agriculture accounting for 72% of that (UN). Cape Town’s 2017/18 day zero drought and Peru’s rapidly lowering water table are just some of the examples of where unsustainable agriculture has contributed to severe water insecurity for the local population, limiting access to W.A.S.H and livelihoods, as well accelerating the nature and biodiversity crises.??
At WRAP, we are passionate about helping the food and drink sector play its role in being part of the solutions that are needed, creating a sustainable food system which is consistent with the needs of nature, people and the planet. We are on a mission to embed circular living in every board room and in every home, and central to this is ensuring that every drop of water is treated like the precious resource that it is, in our increasingly water stressed world. For too long, the food and drink we consume has depleted the natural environments we all depend on. The solutions to this systemic challenge can only come by everyone coming together to play their part.? ?
The theme this year could not have been more topical for us at WRAP - "cooperation; bridging borders for a peaceful and sustainable future". As we say on our website: "we bring people together, we act on facts, and we drive change" - but what does this look like when it comes to water? We’ve learnt a huge amount the last few years about what it takes to help make collective action a reality in water.???
Water is a precious resource that knows no borders, and therefore when we look at managing and protecting water we must look at it from a transboundary perspective. At a catchment level, this means collective action projects that bring together neighbours across regional and national borders, engaging the multiple actors who depend on water and have competing needs and interests. There are also the metaphorical boundaries that need to be crossed, enabling collaboration between those who are brought together in a shared value chain, including with their commercial competitors: collaboration on water stewardship is one of the clearest examples of a precompetitive priority. And finally there are the boundaries we must cross as NGOs, working together across this complex topic to make sure we are leveraging our collective strengths, moving together, and moving fast.? ?
Through our Water Roadmap, over the past 3 years we have brought together a diverse coalition of 95 businesses, NGOs, and public sector bodies, committed to reducing water usage and improving water quality across the food system, with our starting point in the UK food and drink sector. All following the same framework to progress businesses beyond an internal site-based approach, to tackle water risk in supply chains at a catchment scale and address fundamental governance problems. Given that 70% of global freshwater withdrawals are for agriculture, it is crucial that we take this approach to drive the change that is needed if we are going to build resilience in the face of the climate crisis, a biodiversity crisis, and an ever-changing socio-political landscape.?
By working together, stakeholders from different industries or regions such as the Medway in Kent or Do?ana in Southern Spain, can share knowledge, pool resources, and implement practices that not only conserve water but also ensure its equitable distribution. This kind of cooperation is essential in addressing global water challenges, and building stronger, more resilient communities. When different groups work together to manage shared water resources, they not only reduce the risk of conflict but also build networks of cooperation that can extend to other areas of governance and resource management. In this way, water stewardship becomes a foundation for broader peace and security, and an opportunity for further change and transformation. Water fundamentally underpins all of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as being the way that we see and feel climate change. It isn’t about imposing top-down projects created by big businesses, it’s about the whole value chain being part of a solution.?
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What came out loud and clear from Stockholm is that this timing is critical. We know the problem, and we have the solution – now it is time for action.? NGOs will need to play an essential role in convening stakeholders and bridging internal borders to help unlock corporate investment, as this is a new way of working for many. There is a strong need for alignment and collaboration on contextual place-based solutions across all topics, including the on the ground interventions as well as the corporate disclosures and target setting processes.???
Collective Action in Action?
Our work with WWF Kenya in the Lake Naivasha Basin, Kenya, is an example of where WRAP has been working with partners to bridge borders. Here, the collective action between supply chain actors in the food and flower sectors is being mirrored on the ground between local NGOs, government, and farmers. On a recent project visit WRAP's CEO Harriet Lamb met with local farmers who recounted stories of 5+ years ago, when the barrier between the farmers and the Water Resources Authority was negating data collection and pollution mitigation efforts. Now, with the support of WWF-Kenya and the food and drink value chain being convened by WRAP, they have built a relationship of openness and trust, based on common ground. Opening the door for enhanced data sharing and the subsequent opportunity to make changes based on said data without taking a top-down punitive approach.??
The outcome? A less polluted lake supporting enhanced access to sanitation and hygiene in local communities, better support and resilience for local farms, spectacular local wildlife and biodiversity, and a booming local tourism industry. Collective action is the key to unlock scale when it comes to implementing water stewardship initiatives.??
?A Call to Join the Global Effort?
We need you: WRAP calls on all stakeholders—governments, businesses, NGOs, and individuals—to join us in this vital mission. By working together and bridging borders through collective action, we can ensure that water resources are managed in a way that supports a peaceful and sustainable future for everyone. The challenges we face are significant, but they are not insurmountable. With collective action, we can turn the tide and ensure that water remains a source of life and prosperity for generations to come.??
One of our goals at WRAP is to provide a delivery framework and opportunity for everyone to play their part in these solutions. If there is one takeaway from this World Water Week it is that there is a positive story to be told. There are countless intelligent and motivated people working on solutions across the globe. We do not all have to be experts, but we do have to find a way to collaborate with the experts if we are going to scale solutions.??