The question of securing water in order to guarantee food security is at the centre of discussions at the Water Domme, a parallel event that has helped to put water at the top of the world summit for the first time since the last summit in Rio de Janeiro a decade ago.

"If we are to have sustainable agriculture, we need reliable water storage," said Ronnie Kasrils, South African Water Affairs Minister. He said Africa must increase its capacity to store water in a balanced manner that ensures adequate quantities for industry, agriculture, nature and other competing uses.

Delegates at the Johannesburg summit noted that water issues are often confined to access to drinking water. While admitting that lack of access to safe and affordable drinking water for over a billion people, and inadequate sanitation for half the world’s population, are a top priority for action, the delegates have widened their debate to cover issues relating to water for agriculture and food security.

Addressing delegates at the Water Dome, the Crown Prince of Orange Willem Alexander said the UN specifies a minimum requirement of 50 litres of water per person per day that covers drinking, cooking and sanitation needs. However, he said, the "UN does not include the virtual water needed to grow the food these people have to eat." "The majority of the 800 million poor, malnourished people live in the rural areas," said the prince, who is also a UN advisor on water issues and a champion of water development in Africa.

For southern Africa, a region whose food security is often adversely affected by a combination of drought and flooding, the challenge, as is the case world-wide, is to increase agricultural productivity per unit of water, while making farmers’ interests run parallel with the interests of the rural community they work in.

Available statistics show that most southern African countries will be water-stressed by the year 2025. This calls for better water management strategies if the region is to avoid water scarcity in the next couple of decades.

Salim Ahmed Salim, the UN the UN Water Ambassador for Africa and fomer secretary general of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) stressed the vital importance of water in sustainable development. He said, "... water is key to sustain-able development, crucial to economic, human and social development – and this is particularly true for Africa."

He added that "water is life and sanitation in dignity – but we also have to remember the crucial water plays for production of food and provision of livelihoods."

Salim is one of three high profile personalities who have helped put water at the top of the agenda at the summit here. Together with the Prince of Orange and former South African President Nelson Mandela, they opened the Water Dome on 28 August, speaking of the need to put water on the world agenda. (SARDC)