5 November 2012: A new book titled “The Nile River Basin: Water, Agriculture, Governance and Livelihoods” calls for better water governance and inclusive water policies to benefit small-scale farmers in the region. The authors present research indicating there is enough water in the Nile for all 11 countries that share the river basin, including the newest country, South Sudan.

The book, published by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and launched at the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia office of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), links poverty alleviation to increased water access. The authors highlight that poverty rates are lower in areas with better water access, and note the gender equality aspect of relieving girls from water-fetching duties. They call for investment into agricultural water management policies, including on-farm water management approaches that make use of rain and groundwater resources.

IWMI notes that there is sufficient water in the Nile for current irrigation of around 5.6 million hectares, and questions whether further expansion plans to cover 10-11 million hectares are feasible under current management policies. It also warns that small-scale farmers are at risk of being marginalized. The book highlights that water is a vital resource of other activities besides agriculture, including small-scale livestock and fisheries-related enterprises.

The authors of the CGIAR book support the establishment of a permanent, international body, the Nile Basin Commission, to manage sharing of the river basin resources. According to the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Egypt and Sudan have not signed the Nile River Cooperative Framework Agreement, intended to regulate water sharing in the Nile River Basin. [IWMI Press Release] [IRIN Article]