FAO and ECLAC warn that Latin America and the Caribbean are facing a water crisis affecting more than 100 million people

As part of the Ninth Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean organized a joint session to promote evidence-based water policies that accelerate sustainable, efficient and inclusive water management across the region.

Latin America and the Caribbean accounts for nearly 34 percent of the planet’s renewable freshwater resources. However, the region faces growing local water scarcity challenges: droughts and watershed degradation, exacerbated by climate change, currently affect more than 100 million people, especially in rural areas, Indigenous territories, and arid and semi-arid regions.

“Family farming accounts for more than 80 percent of regional agricultural production, but without sustainably managed water, its viability is at risk. We cannot speak of eradicating hunger if we do not guarantee water security, and we cannot ensure water availability without transforming agriculture,” warned Rene Orellana Halkyer.

For her part, Ángela Penagos, Director of the Colombia Office and Head of Water and Biodiversity at ECLAC’s Natural Resources Division, highlighted the importance of having tools to monitor public policies, stressing that without measurement there can be no credible prioritization. In this regard, she noted that ECLAC’s Water Profile and the ROSA Observatory are positioning themselves as key tools for transforming data into public policy.

The meeting brought together regional measurement tools and concrete national experiences, positioning the water-agriculture-food nexus as a central axis for coordinated progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6 — clean water and sanitation — and Sustainable Development Goal 2 — zero hunger.

Maya Takagi emphasized that SDG 6 and SDG 2 cannot be addressed as separate agendas. Food security depends on sustainable water management, while water sustainability requires transforming the way agriculture is produced, irrigated and planned.

FAO presented the WaPOR remote sensing portal, a tool that enables agricultural productivity monitoring through the measurement of evapotranspiration and biomass by crop and area, facilitating the identification of water losses, irrigation optimization and investment guidance.

FAO also shared AQUASTAT, the global information system on water resources and agricultural water management, which collects, analyzes and disseminates data on water use and irrigation, supporting decision-making for sustainable water management, SDG 6 implementation and food security.

In this context, the Latin America and the Caribbean Water Profile, developed by ECLAC, provides a systematic overview of the state of water resources, identifying gaps, patterns and trends that strengthen the evidence base for policymaking and regional cooperation.

The ROSA Observatory complements this role by enabling comparability across countries, identifying priorities, and guiding investments based on sustainability criteria. Together, both instruments connect the water agenda with productive development, social protection, and climate resilience.

In addition to the authorities mentioned above, participants included Silvia Saravia Matus, Economic Affairs Officer and Water Lead at ECLAC’s Natural Resources Division; Ruth Quevedo, Vice Minister of Water and Basic Sanitation of Colombia; Cristiane Battiston, Director of Brazil’s National Water Agency; and David Fariña, Director General for the Protection and Conservation of Water Resources at Paraguay’s Ministry of Environment.

The national experiences shared during the event enabled discussion on policies, investments and governance mechanisms to strengthen water-use efficiency, ensure equitable access to water for agriculture and food systems, and protect small-scale producers, rural women, youth and Indigenous Peoples from increasing climate variability and water stress scenarios.

The meeting brought together nearly 50 representatives from different sectors to consolidate a regional water agenda and translate it into concrete advocacy in international forums.