WWF: Agricultural standards can do more to mitigate water risk in commodity for production

Standards designed to improve sustainability of production of agricultural commodities could do more to help address root causes of water-related risk, according to a new WWF report published in May 2015.

The assessment, Strengthening Water Stewardship in Agricultural Standards, finds that many credible sustainability standards have robust water quality and efficiency requirements. Strengthening efforts on water governance and resiliency measures for extreme weather would help to better mitigate water risks.
 
Research on 24 standards showed a large range of water risk exposure by crop type, with rice facing the greatest and cocoa the lowest water risks.  

Despite water being ranked as the issue with the greatest potential for economic impact by the World Economic Forum (2015), few agricultural standards are including requirements for growers to mitigate their water risks coming from the catchment.

“Water is a shared resource, and you really can’t solve water challenges from your own backyard,” says Alexis Morgan, Water Stewardship Specialist at WWF International. “Standards are important tools for improving production of everyday items like coffee, sugar and cotton. This report highlights the significant opportunities for standard-setting bodies to harness emerging tools to ensure that healthy freshwater ecosystems can continue to support food, water and energy security in the future."