We are proud to announce the publishing of the FAO Water Report No.46, which results from the work done in a FAO-funded FutureWater project on Real Water Savings. This publication provides clear and practical guidelines on realizing real water savings and selecting crop water productivity interventions.

The approach for “following the water” is presented as a sustainable approach for implementing water savings technology. Frequently water savings measures are implemented assuming that water use is reduced, however, this publication argues the significance of considering real water savings as reductions in water consumption (evaporation and transpiration) and non-recoverable return flows. The impact of various water productivity interventions on water use and crop yield is evaluated with an elaborate literature review of 240 references. Practical guidelines for the implementation of these interventions are provided considering water management, land management, and agronomic interventions.

Download the publication here.