Thanks to approaches such as water stewardship and tools like the WWF water risk filter, farmers and commodity value chains understand more and more that they face water challenges, and, that they need to engage and invest in priority catchments in order to achieve a more water-resilient commodity value chain.
The issue
To effectively address value chain water challenges, having actionable information on the catchment water situation is key. More than often this information is lacking. It is often not feasible for farmers and value chain partners to generate the concise and actionable water intelligence that is needed.
Web and cloud-based datasets provide huge amount of water related data that is key to manage water challenges. But this is data, not actionable intelligence. To select data and to structure it, connect it to other relevant datasets and interpret it, requires deep understanding of the technical subject of water as well as potential risks for agriculture and ecosystems.
How we work
We create actionable water intelligence on the commodity and catchment(s) of interest to support our clients in the design of effective water strategies and action. The water intelligence is a strategic geographic snapshot and summary of the water situation in the catchment(s) and provides a matrix of opportunities in relation to the commodity of interest. We generate the intelligence following the WaterData4Action framework and its supporting software tools and code that enable us to efficiently collect, structure, interpret publicly available global and local data and information. We also use tools such as the Catchment Passport to structure outcomes, and the Water Canvases to validate findings on the ground with local stakeholders.
Tools: Catchment Passport, Watershed Information System, Geographic Agricultural Water Footprint Calculator, Water Canvases