INWEPF Strategic Action Plan in 2009 - 2010

PDF file is available from here（PDF：119KB）

1. This Strategic Action Plan 2009-2010 provides the framework for the sixth stage of activities of the INWEPF. It outlines the directions of the works by the INWEPF from 2009 to 2010.

2. The agricultural water produces not only substantial provisions but also provides wide range of services related to community, culture and environment. Such multiple functions and the value of the agricultural water should be recognized and evaluated for the development and the management of the water resources. However, since the ratios of rice growing countries are not high, the general understanding for the rice growing, which requires considerable amount of water, is relatively low. Thus, there is a strong need to promote understandings for the rice growing so that the establishment of international network has been proceeded to resolve the common problems among rice growing countries.

3. On the occasion of the 3rd World Water Forum, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) jointly organized the Ministerial Meeting on Water for Food and Agriculture on March 21, 2003. The Ministerial Recommendation highlighted three challenges, “Food Security and Poverty Alleviation”, “Sustainable Water Use” and “Partnership”.

4. The INWEPF was established to provide a forum to realize the three challenges by promoting dialogue, exchanging knowledge and experiences, creating synergy among existing forums and strengthening capacity building in agricultural water management in paddy fields with due consideration for environmental aspects.

5. During 2004-2005, the first year of INWEPF activities, the Japanese INWEPF committee carried out the duties as the host country. The Japanese INWEPF committee held the INWEPF 1st Steering Meeting and Inaugural Symposium in November 2004 and organized provisional working group in January 2005 to participate in “The Conference on Water, Food and Ecosystems” hosted by FAO/the Netherlands and spoke for the rice growing countries. Also, as the chair-country, Japanese INWEPF committee actively managed in preparing for INWEPF session at the 4th World Water Forum in 2006.

6. From 2005 to 2006 Korean INWEPF Committee took initiatives in the INWEPF activities as the chair-country. The Korean INWEPF Committee planned to work enthusiastically in activities such as close interaction among the member countries, participating in the international meetings and forums to establish the roles of the INWEPF and highlight the status of the organization in the international relations during this second year of the establishment.

7. Three working groups (Multiple Roles of Paddy, Vision Policy and Information Dissemination of INWEPF activities and programs, Monetary Assessment and Value Adding in the Multifunctional Roles of Paddy Fields) were established in 2006-2007 INWEPF steering meeting that was hosted by Malaysian INWEPF Committee.

8. From 2008 to 2009, INWEPF implemented the monetary assessment and value adding in the multifunctional roles of paddy fields regarding “1) Flood Control”, “2) Prevention of soil erosion” and “3) Recharge of groundwater” with data of paddy fields collected from member countries, to develop understanding of the multifunctional roles of paddy fields.
And INWEPF participated in WWF5, Istanbul, Turkey on March 2009 and held the session with FAO, the theme “Water multi-tasking: how to obtain more benefits per drop from multiple uses and functions”. In the session, INWEPF reported the result of monetary assessment and value adding in the multifunctional roles of paddy fields. And INWEPF released the message from INWEPF to international community in the session.

Mission statement

9. The mission of the INWEPF is to realize the three challenges: “Food security and poverty alleviation”, “Sustainable water use” and “Partnership” by promoting good practice of water management in paddy fields with due consideration for conservation and sustenance of rice-based ecosystems by cooperating with all stakeholders.

Vision

10. The INWEPF will provide an open platform for promoting dialogue, exchanging information and experiences, creating synergy among existing forums, strengthening capacity building, developing good practices and formulating ideas for innovative policy and management options in the field of sustainable paddy water use, conservation of environment and better governance.

Plan of 2nd phase

11. INWEPF sets up the concrete target and roadmap of activities, utilization of the outcome and new working groups in the direction of the target to achieve three challenges of mission statement.

1) The activities toward the WWF6, treating as “2nd phase” to accomplish the prioritization of four themes for realizing three challenges.

2) The target for the activities to accomplish the prioritization of four themes is “Promotion of sustainable paddy farming”.

3) The three themes of the target for the activities as “2nd phase” are focused.

4) The three working groups are reorganized, leading of activities’ theme.

Prioritization of themes for realizing the three challenges

12. The prioritizations of themes for IWEPF challenges are as follows:
Theme 1: Efficient and sustainable water use to address poverty alleviation and food security from environmental, social and economic aspects
Theme 2: Multiple use and ecosystem functions of paddy fields
Theme 3: Better governance to improve sustainable water management, including participatory irrigation management and capacity building
Theme 4: Promoting farmers’ and other stakeholders’ participation in policy formulation, decision-making and project management (planning, construction, operation and maintenance)

The target for the activities to accomplish the prioritization of four themes as “2nd phase” toward the WWF6

13. The target for the activities to accomplish the prioritization of four themes as “2nd phase” toward the WWF6 is as follows:
“Promotion of sustainable paddy farming”

The themes of the target for the activities as “2nd phase”

14. The themes of the target for the activities as “2nd phase” are as follows:

I.   Functions and response of paddy farming of water, food and environmental problems

II.  Development of understanding of paddy farming of the international community

III. Building partnership with  international organizations which conduct technical cooperation projects

New WGs for the purpose of the achievement of activities’ themes

15. Reorganization of working groups for the purpose of the achievement of activities’ themes is as follows:

WG1 (Integration of present WG1 and WG3):
Multiple Roles of Paddy Fields

WG2 (Additional theme):
Vision, Policy and Information Dissemination on INWEPF activities and Programs
-WG2 will include the theme to suggest a balance between productivity and environmental protection-

WG3 (New):
International cooperation and collaboration for sustainable paddy farming

Expected outcomes 2009-2010

16. The outputs of each WG activities in 2009-2010 are as follows:

WG1:

WG2:

WG3:

Steering Meeting

17. The Steering Meeting is the managing body of the INWEPF and deciding on activities plan. The Second Steering Meeting was held in Seoul in November 2005. The Third Steering Meeting was held in Malaysia in September 2006. The Fourth Steering Meeting is held in Bangkok, Thailand on 5 ? 7 July 2007. The Fifth Steering Meeting was held in Bali, Indonesia. The sixth Steering Meeting is held in Tokyo, Japan.

18. The host for the Seventh Steering Meeting will be officially approved at the Sixth Steering Meeting.

Virtual Meeting

19. All the INWEPF members are recommended to cooperate actively with Japanese INWEPF committee, the host of the virtual meeting, for the successful session of the virtual meeting. It is organized as needed, but it has no plan to organize the Virtual Meeting at present.

Workshop

20. It has no plan to organize the Workshop at present.

Working Group

21. Activities of each WG in 2009-2010 are as follows:

WG1;

WG2;

WG3;

Open Forum

22. In November 2005, the symposium was held in the name of “Water and Environment in the Paddy Fields” to discuss the subjects including the integrated water management in the paddy fields and the contribution to conserving the environment in 2006. In July, 2007, the symposium “Prosperity and Sustainability of Paddy Fields and Ecosystem” was held. In November, 2008, the symposium “Efficient and Sustainable Water Use to Address Poverty Alleviation and Food Security” was held in Bali, Indonesia. In November, 2009, the symposium “The Value and Evaluation of the Multiple Functions in Paddy Fields” and “The Method of Supporting due to the Spread of Irrigation Skills for Paddy Farming such as Participatory Irrigation Management” is held in Tokyo, Japan.
Next open forum (???)

Website and Newsletter

23. The newsletters will be distributed to the members by using the official website of the INWEPF operated by the Japanese INWEPF committee.
More discussion