17 July 2015: An international symposium of organizations involved in agriculture, land and water management called for scaling up rainwater harvesting practices, highlighting its benefits for food security and climate resilience.

The International Symposium on Rainwater Harvesting and Resilience 2015, which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 1-12 June 2015, issued the call in a joint statement titled ‘Unlocking the Potential of Rainwater.’ Many organizations endorsed the statement, including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

The statement calls for policy mechanisms to facilitate the promotion and scaling-up of rainwater harvesting. It recommends: undertaking cost-effective and simple rainwater harvesting solutions; assessing the suitability of various rainwater harvesting options; and building the capacity of all stakeholders to realize the full potential of rainwater harvesting.

The statement highlights the need for: making rainwater harvesting part of integrated system approaches, such as integrated water resource management (IWRM) and sustainable land management (SLM); operating at landscape, catchment and household levels; and taking into account the water-related “3R’s” of recharge, retention and reuse. The statement also calls for using social media and Internet platforms to share knowledge and experiences of rainwater harvesting. It further calls on scientists to share data on rainwater harvesting around the world, as well as to develop methods to standardize, certify and replicate relevant technologies.

In a press release issued after the conference, ICRAF highlights that rainwater harvesting has great benefits for climate resilience, food security, hygiene and sanitation, noting its benefits for livelihoods in African drylands.

The symposium was organized by a consortium of organizations, including ICRAF, IFAD and the Rain Foundation. [Statement on Unlocking the Potential of Rainwater] [ICRAF Press Release] [Symposium Proceedings] [RAIN Foundation Website]