FAO launches an irrigation mapping initiative and presses a four-R approach to water at the Rome Water Dialogue

15 October 2026

At a high-level session of the Rome Water Dialogue 2026, held during the World Food Forum, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said water security requires more efficient use, fairer allocation and circular approaches.
He said, Water security is food security. Water is food. Water is life.
He called for wider use of reduce, reuse, recycle and replenish.
FAO launched the Mapping of Irrigation Potential and Needs Initiative, known as IRMA, a decision-support tool to identify where irrigation is feasible and needed.
FAO also reported progress on the Global Dialogue on Water Tenure, which it launched at the 2022 UN Water Conference.
Speakers included King Letsie III of Lesotho and LI Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.