Linking poverty reduction and water management

This paper analyses the relationship between water management and poverty reduction. All aspects of poverty are considered: this is reflected in the analysis of water's potential contribution to all of the MDGs, not just those that refer explicitly to water. The basic contention advanced, and supported through reference to a wide range of case studies, is that water management is a good investment: not only can it contribute to poverty reduction, but it can do so in ways that are affordable and, in many cases, generate wealth. This potential is often not understood: the political prominence of water issues is all too often not translated into investment priorities. In particular, water management actions are poorly represented in PRSPs and in other key development strategies intended to focus national efforts on poverty reduction and attaining the MDGs.

Some interesting extracts relevant to the work of PRODWAT group include:
- “Making sure that adequate and reliable water supplies are available for agricultural activities (including livestock, aquaculture, horticulture and other types of production) is a key to poverty reduction throughout the developing world. Designing domestic water schemes so that water is available for home-based livelihood activities such as vegetable production, pottery or laundering is effective in targeting the poor and supporting diversified livelihoods.” (Executive summary, p7)
- “the urban poor’s mix of activities may include more micro enterprise options undertaken in and around the home (milk production by store-fed cattle, small gardens, operation of small-scale manufacturing and service businesses).The poor in peri-urban areas might be engaged in the same range of micro enterprise activities described for the urban poor, but may also undertake small-scale farming as well. Further, in both urban and peri-urban areas, the situation is often dynamic and presents an additional challenge: water and sanitation services must be able to respond to a constantly shifting landscape. Thus, water services provision requires the design of flexible systems that can accommodate this complex mix of livelihood needs.” (p31)

This paper has emerged from discussions within the Poverty-Environment Partnership (PEP), an informal partnership of international organizations and government agencies that meets periodically to discuss and establish consensus positions on issues concerned with sustainable development. The main author of the paper is John Soussan of Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), with Stacey Noel of SEI and Joakim Harlin and Susanne Schmidt of UNDP.

http://www.povertyenvironment.net/pep