In many African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, agriculture is a strong option to ensure growth, overcome poverty, enhance food security and increasingly, to stimulate growth in other parts of the economy. Agricultural growth, however, remains highly variable due to the lack of strategic investments to accelerate growth and climate variability and change.

Climate variability and change pose key challenges to agricultural producers who face difficulties coping with short term dry spells and longer term droughts. Too many farmers lack access to a reliable water supply and the tools and facilities required to manage water effectively. Most farmers rely on rainfall, which places them at risk of crop failure. Investments in agricultural water management will be essential to ensure access to an affordable, reliable water supply as an important first step in enabling small-scale farmers to increase agricultural productivity and enhance their livelihoods.

Initiatives have been launched to promote integrated water resource management, such as capacity building through experience-sharing and information programmes. Innovative information and knowledge support systems are needed to promote synergies among improved technologies in Integrated Water Management (IWM), institutional support and stronger markets - all leading to more efficient use of the available productive water resource.

The CTA Annual Seminar 2010 brings together more than 150 leading experts to discuss strategies for developing comprehensive information and knowledge support systems in IWM that will serve as decision-support tools for enhancing agricultural investment, productivity and growth. These development experts will include policy makers, policy analysts, private sector, media, civil society, development partners and practitioners.

The Seminar is organised around four main themes: water availability and access focusing on communities’ growing vulnerability; public policy and investment looking at the critical need for increased public investment in agricultural water management; water and society concentrating on water governance issues to ensure more efficient, equitable and sustainable use by all users; and knowledge support systems which examine information and knowledge support systems in IWM as an evidence-based decision-support-tool to inform all policy and investment decisions.

The Seminar will work towards developing a community of practice in rural water management; identifying innovations and best practices including information and communication strategies in IWM and initiating concrete steps towards an action agenda, in information, communication and knowledge-support strategy to address the knowledge gaps and existing challenges.

There are many ways for both sponsored and self-sponsored individuals to take part in the Seminar. Look out for the e-discussion, registration, the call for papers and case studies. During the seminar, we will have poster presentations, panel and plenary sessions, parallel and working group sessions as well as many opportunities for networking and information sharing. Registration details and all material presented will be posted on the seminar website.

For more information, visit the seminar website at
http://annualseminar2010.cta.int or contact ctaseminar2010@cta.int