Water for Food Security and Well-being in Latin America and the Caribbean

Water for Food Security and Well-being in Latin America and the Caribbean
Social and Environmental Implications for a Globalized Economy

Edited by Bárbara A. Willaarts, Alberto Garrido, M. Ramón Llamas

Routledge - 2014 - 448 pages

(publication page http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415713689/)

Description:
This volume provides an analytical and facts-based overview on the trends in water resources management in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region over the last decade, its contribution to regional development and human well-being, with special emphasis on the role of water for food security, and the challenges ahead. While the book takes a regional approach, covering a vast domain of data and variables pertaining to most of the LAC region, some chapters focus on seven countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru).

A full understanding of LAC's trends requires framing this region in the global context: a region with increasing geopolitical power in an ever globalized world and with a growing presence in international food markets. Accordingly, the book specific objectives are: (1) exploring the progress and links between water and food security in LAC, using prospective analysis and up to date literature; (2) investigating the role of the socio-economic ‘megatrends' in LAC, identifying feedback processes between the region's observed pattern of changes regarding key biophysical, economic and social variables linked to water and food security; and (3) reviewing the critical changes that are taking place in the institutional and governance water spheres, including the role of civil society, which may represent a promising means to advancing towards the goal of improving water security in LAC.

The resulting picture shows a region where recent socioeconomic development has led to important advances in the domains of food and water security. Economic growth in LAC and its increasingly important role in international trade are intense in terms of use of natural resources such as land, water and energy, posing new challenges. The reinforcement of national and global governance schemes and their alignment on the achievement of true and universal human well-being is and will remain an inescapable prerequisite to the achievement of long-lasting security. Supporting this bold idea with facts and science-based conclusions is the ultimate goal of the book.