On April 16, 2013 at the hall A. Serpieri INEA, Nomentana 41 Rome, to be held the workshop:"Water footprint application for water resources management in agriculture".

As a main water user, agriculture influences the regional water resources, which are available for all key sectors. In most regions of the world, agricultural production systems are very vulnerable to a potential decrease in water availability.

Moreover, increasing world population and the consequent increasing need for food, feed and bioenergy will require a more efficient agriculture and therefore irrigation will become an absolute need. However, under climate change water scarcity is likely to impose limits on irrigation enlargement in many countries. This means that the sustainable and efficient management of the water resources defined through an interdisciplinary approach, high-level scientific information and harmonized data and guidelines will become a primary goal. 

In particular, a holistic approach is needed to solve the growing water conflicts driven by the increasing scarcity of water resources. Agricultural water use efficiency should not be considered any longer only at the local level but should rather be examined at the catchment scale and beyond. In this respect, new concepts and indicators, such as virtual water and water footprint, are gaining increasing recognition as management and planning instruments.

National, international institutions and leading experts in this sector will take part in the workshop which will provide a perfect environment for the exchange of opinions, experiences and knowledge.

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