Sweden and US team up to pay for clean water

Published on September 12, 2013 04:46 by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Government

The Securing Water for Food programme, co-funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is intended to fund innovators and help their businesses take root in countries where the technology is desperately needed. "In a finite biosphere, solutions to pressing water challenges require new thinking and innovative financing," Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson said in a statement. "Through a catalytic use of aid, Securing Water for Food will be able to capture and support the implementation of innovative ideas and new technologies for better water efficiency and sustainable development." Therese Sjömander-Magnusson, a water expert at Sida, emphasized the importance of efficient water use in agriculture. "Producing more food with less water is critical. With the right technology we think we can half the amount of water that is used to produce food," she said in a statement. The initiative, announced on the opening day of World Water Week in Stockholm, seeks to fund "the best technological innovations and business models from around the world" so they can be applied in developing and emerging economies. USAID Global Water Coordinator Chris Holmes explained that water scarcity is a growing problem.

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