Primary Functions
- Understand the status of water resources, especially related to agricultural water use, in regions around the world
Detailed Description
FAO’s three main goals are: (i) the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; (ii) the elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress for all; and (iii) the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, including land, water, air, climate and genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations. To support these goals, Article 1 of its constitution requires FAO to “collect, analyse, interpret and disseminate information related to nutrition, food and agriculture”.
Thus FAO Aquastat started, with the aim to contribute to FAO’s goals through the collection, analysis and dissemination of information related to water resources, water uses and agricultural water management, with an emphasis on countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
What AQUASTAT offers:
- Standardized data and information: To provide you with evidence to measure progress and to substantiate your decisions
- Tools: To allow you to generate your own analysis and conclusions, articles and presentations
- Capacity development: To improve your understanding and monitoring of water resources, uses, and irrigation management
Concretely, this means that FAO Aquastat offer data, metadata, reports, country profiles, river basin profiles, regional analyses, maps, tables, spatial data, guidelines, and other tools on:
- Water resources: internal, transboundary, total
- Water uses: by sector, by source, wastewater
- Irrigation: location, area, typology, technology, crops
- Dams: location, height, capacity, surface area
- Water-related institutions, policies and legislation
