Press release: New Cambridge Sustainability Commission on Water for Food Futures

7 November, 2024 - Cambridge, UK & Montpellier, France

Cambridge University Press has launched a new Cambridge Sustainability Commission on Water For Food Futures. The latest initiative is funded by the International Water Management Institute, with the results then published in Cambridge's journal Global Sustainability.

The Commission on Water for Food Futures (CWFF) aims to address the pressing challenges of balancing water security and food security over the next 15 years.

Dr Mark Smith, Director General at the International Water Management Institute, spoke about the importance of the CWFF's mission.

"We fail on future water security and food security without science and innovation," said Dr Smith.

"The Commission on Water for Food Futures will help us, instead, to succeed - by using science and evidence to build a future-facing agenda for water and food systems that is fit for the complex, uncertain and rapidly changing world of tomorrow."

The Commission will build upon the collective missions stemming from the Transformative Futures for Water Security dialogue, which was a bottom-up led process to capture the priorities of more than 1000 water or food stakeholders, and 440 institutions across the Global South. It will also build and expand upon the recent report from the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, which calls for the "launch of a new revolution in food systems".

Integrating evidence and inputs from commissioners, key experts and young professionals from across the globe, the CWFF will produce a high-level report which will be launched at the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi.

The CWFF represents a pivotal step in assessing the current and future states of science and policy to enhance water security for food security, and will seek to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding and addressing the multifaceted challenges at the intersection of water and food systems. By embracing innovative solutions and policy environments, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders, the Commission aims to stimulate developments and investments to secure a sustainable and resilient future for both water resources and food systems.

Dr Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director at CGIAR, emphasized the importance of balancing a just food transition alongside a just water transition.

"In many regions, balancing food and water security has become more challenging than ever," said Dr Elouafi. "This new Commission, led by the International Water Management Institute and CGIAR, will unite evidence, insights from commissioners, key experts, and young professionals to drive collective action, investment, and innovative solutions to tackle one of the world's most pressing challenges: water scarcity."

A Cambridge Sustainability Commission (CSC) is a scientific assessment of any global sustainability issue pertaining to planetary and societal resilience, or any solutions for societal transformations. A CSC exists to answer specific research questions on the themes of global sustainability, and to do so by identifying, appraising and synthesizing relevant evidence-based natural and social science expertise.

All CSCs are approved by the Editorial leadership of the journal Global Sustainability at the project proposal stage before they can "come to life".

Notes to editors

For more information about this press release, please contact the Cambridge University corporate communications team, the CGIAR media team or the IWMI media team.

Cambridge University Press is the academic and Bibles publisher of Cambridge University Press & Assessment. It publishes books and journals, serving customers in higher education through research, education products and services. It is part of the University of Cambridge, delivering trusted research and learning materials that spread knowledge, spark curiosity and aid understanding of the world we live in.
cambridge.org/universitypress

CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Its research is carried out by 14 CGIAR Centers/Alliances in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations and the private sector.
www.cgiar.org

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is an international, research-for-development organization that works with governments, civil society and the private sector to solve water problems in developing countries and scale up solutions. Through partnership, IWMI combines research on the sustainable use of water and land resources, knowledge services and products with capacity strengthening, dialogue and policy analysis to support implementation of water management solutions for agriculture, ecosystems, climate change and inclusive economic growth. Headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, IWMI is a CGIAR Research Center with offices in 15 countries and a global network of scientists operating in more than 55 countries.
www.iwmi.org

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